#devildungeon

            Few losses sting like the one suffered by Wood-Ridge yesterday.  The entire Devil Dungeon came out to support the boys in blue.  It was the season opener and the principal, vice principal, superintendent, future athletic director, and some teachers all took the drive to Manchester to support the football team.  Wood-Ridge had playoff hopes, while Manchester was just trying to end the longest losing streak in New Jersey (a slump that had lasted four years).

            On an ugly Saturday afternoon, the weather matched the play on the field.  Wood-Ridge was embarrassed at the hands of Manchester, losing 34-19 to a team that has not been on the winning side of a football game since the New York Jets were in the playoffs.

             As much as the fans tried to remain excited, bad play after bad play slowly took them out of it.  It was a bad effort on both sides of the ball.  The defense let up over thirty points, with the secondary getting bullied around while the defensive line rarely imposed its brute force.  The offense had trouble establishing their game on the ground and through the air.  The offensive line looked shaky and the key players on this team struggled.

            The Blue Devils could not take advantage of key turnovers by Manchester and were not able to capitalize on what should have been costly penalties for the home team.  Instead, Wood-Ridge managed to cough the ball right back up and allow Manchester to convert countless times on third down.

            With the score getting out of hand and the rain pouring down, it was a dismal start to Wood-Ridge’s season.  With St. Mary’s coming up next week (a team ranked two hundred spots in the state rankings above Wood-Ridge by the Max Preps website), the playoffs are starting to look more and more like a distant dream.  Yesterday’s game was supposed to be a statement game.  The Blue Devils were supposed to prove that they are no longer the joke of Bergen County.  Yesterday’s game was as close to a must-win Week 1 game as I have ever seen.  Yet instead of destroying the lowly Manchester team, Wood-Ridge was humiliated in the pouring rain in front of its loyal fans.

            There are few positives to draw from Saturday’s performance.  Maybe it was just a bad outing.  Maybe it was a fluke.  Or maybe this team is not as good as we thought it was going into the season.  Playoff teams are supposed to crush teams like Manchester, not get crushed by them.

            The Saint Mary’s game will be the home opener for Wood-Ridge this Saturday.  If the Blue devils slip to 0-2, their playoff chances dip severely.  Our men in blue need to put yesterday’s game behind them and show that they are better than their latest performance this Saturday.

           It’s third and ten.  The quarterback drops back for a pass.  He sees a wide open receiver running down the sideline.  He unleashes the deep ball.  The fans hold their breathm hoping that he drops it.  All of a sudden, a tall player with pink cleats leaps into the air and swats the ball out of midair.  The play is truly astounding.  The player pops up from the ground and animatedly celebrates the fine defensive play.  The Blue Devil fans, however, do not cheer.  This player just saved them from what would have been an easy touchdown for the other team, but the fans are not interested.

            This player, of course, is Ali Abnousi.  A fan went as far to call him “the most hated player in Wood-Ridge.  I hate him more than any Becton or Heights or Wallington player.  If he could be traded or released, I would make a petition for that to happen”.

Say what you want about Ali Abnousi, but there is no denying that he is the most unpredictable player in this league.  No one can predict when he will have a sudden outburst of fury or celebrate like a madman.  His speed is unquestionable and he is always seconds away from a heart stopping play.

His attitude has cost him not only the love of the fans, but the respect of the players on his own team.  One anonymous player thinks Abnousi has the potential to “ruin the entire season” with his attitude.

But this season may be different.  As Abnousi and his fellow seniors head into their final year at Wood-Ridge High, the loudmouth receiver has promised to change his ways both on and off the field.  I was lucky enough to sit down for an interview with this eccentric speedster and grill him on his attitude, the fans, his teammates, locker room controversies, and the upcoming season.

  Me:   How are you?

Abnousi:   “I’m alright, thanks for asking.”

Me:   What can fans honestly expect out of the Blue Devils this season?

Abnousi:   “I know a lot of fans around the town don’t really believe in sports in Wood-Ridge, especially football, but…… watch out.  Watch out for a miracle.”

Me:   Give me a realistic number of wins the Blue Devils can get in 2014.

Abnousi:   “Without counting playoffs, out of a nine game season…… I’m not going to promise anything, but a five or six game season, maybe.  Obviously, we all want to win them all but you did ask me for a realistic guess.”

Me:   How frustrating is it for you to constantly be on a losing football team year after year?

Abnousi:   “It is frustrating, but it’s also motivating at the same time because I’ve grown up with these kids.  I’ve played with them since freshman year and I really think we have the ability to make something happen this year.”

Me:   Is football your favorite sport?

Abnousi:   “Absolutely.”

Me:   You come from Iran and, as far as I know, they don’t really play football in Iran.  When did you first discover football?

Abnousi:   “Going into eight grade.  I’m sure everyone knows Mr. Incremona.  He saw me kicking the soccer ball around on the field and he told me to try out for football.  I did and I loved it and I just stuck with football.”

Me:   Was it love at first sight?

Abnousi:   “It was just my favorite activity.  I learned more positions besides kicker and I just realized that it’s, like, the best sport in the world.”

Me:   I’ve seen you play soccer before and you’re actually pretty good.  So why did you give up soccer for football?

Abnousi:   (laughs) That’s a good question.  To be honest, I feel like all my friends play football and I wanted to be with them.  I already knew my capability at soccer and I just wanted to try new things so I tried football and I just…… I really just like it a lot.

Me:   Was it hard adjusting to life in the United States?

Abnousi:   “Yeah, it was pretty hard at first.  Especially the first year.  The language, fitting in with people, everything.  It was pretty challenging, but I’m tough enough to get over it.”

Me:   What difference between your home country and the US surprised you the most?

Abnousi:   “The fact that you’re able to do anything you desire here and no one is able to stop you.”

Me:   Honestly, which country do you like better?

Abnousi:   “Here.”

Me:   Do you ever get teased by anybody because of your Iranian?

Abnousi:   “As a joke by my close friends, but we’re just joking.  No one else really says anything.”

Me:   In your player profile, you said your favorite player is loudmouth Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman.  Why’s he your favorite?

Abnousi:   “Just his style of play.  He’s the most shutdown corner in the league at the moment and everyone should take notice of the way he plays.”

Me:   Do you remind yourself of Richard Sherman?

Abnousi:   “I mean, I try to be him as a player.  I strive to be like him because he doesn’t let up that many touchdowns.  He helps his team and he does his job.”

Me:   A lot of people hate Richard Sherman.  Why do you aspire to be someone that many people dislike?

Abnousi:   “He’s beyond enthusiastic and he knows how to play the game and he does his job on the field so there is absolutely nothing wrong with him.”

Me:   Do you enjoy playing the role of villain on the football field?

Abnousi:   “That’s a hard question.  I mean…… I don’t know.  I don’t know if I should say yes or no to this.  At the end of the day, I just play football.  I know a lot of people think I’m a hothead, but I just try to help my team win.  I’m overenthusiastic and that’s why I guess I get kinda heated sometimes.

Me:   Just like Sherman, you love talking trash both on and off the football field.  Why?

Abnousi:   “On the field I don’t like to do it.  I just hate when people come up to me and start stuff and then I stand up for myself.  Off the field is the same way.  I just stand up for myself.

Me:   Do you think trash talking gains you a competitive edge over your opponents?

Abnousi:   “Absolutely not.  Trash talking on social media or off the field is stupid.  Trash talking anywhere off the field is stupid because it doesn’t determine anything.”

Me:   Who is the toughest receiver you’ve ever had to face?

Abnousi:   “I would say number 23 on Emerson.  I don’t know his name.  He’s a year younger than me and he’s quick so it’s tough to cover the kid.  He’s a challenge, but I like challenges so I hope to cover him again this year.”

Me:   There is no denying that you are passionate and competitive, but sometimes that competitive passion has gotten you into trouble.  Many players and fans dislike your trash talking and celebrations.  What do you have to say to those who do not approve of your style of play?

Abnousi:   “I’m sorry you don’t approve of it and I try to make myself better every day.  I promise my actions will not affect the end result of the game.”

Me:   Would you say you’re the best player on this team?

Abnousi:   “That would cause a lot of controversy.  I feel you can’t really say that because there are so many different positions so it’s hard to determine.  A lineman can’t be compared to a safety.  It’s not fair, they’re two different positions.  I think I’m good, but I don’t care about that.  All I care about is my team being the best in the league.”

Me:   Quarterback Ethan Wilde sat down with me for a very controversial interview a month ago.   Is there anything you want to say about that interview?

Abnousi:   “I like his enthusiasm.  I like how he wants to win, obviously.  We all want to win.  I obviously can’t control his actions.  He just should think twice before he says some of the things that you put on the website.  Social media is bad.  He doesn’t use it, I mean, he’s been off Twitter, but the interview…… he just should’ve thought twice before some of the stuff he said.  It wasn’t a good idea and he should’ve thought twice.”

Me:   Was Wilde right about everything he said or is there something he said that you don’t necessarily agree with?

Abnousi:   “The part he said about injuries don’t exist.  Injuries do exist and you can’t control them.  He’s right about toughening up and overcoming them, but injuries do exist and you just can’t control them.  So yeah, that I don’t agree with.”

Me:   There have been rumors that you and Wilde were involved in an altercation a few months ago and have not associated with each other since then.  Is there anything you’d like to say about what happened?

Abnousi:   “We are absolutely fine.”

Me:   Are you and Wilde still friends?

Abnousi:   “Yes.”

Me:   I think anyone can agree that both the receiving core and the secondary were rather weak until the new additions of Edwin Acosta, Matt Triano, and Tommy Luizzi to the team.  Tell me the impact that you think these players will have on the Blue Devils.

Abnousi:   “Oh, it really is a blessing.  To be honest, the only returning receiver last year was me and it’s hard to revolve the game around one receiver.  Edwin is stepping up as a corner so it takes pressure off me as a safety.  All the players are stepping up and I’m just really glad about it.”

Me:   Some people have even told me that they think Acosta can be a better receiver than you.  What do you think of that?

              Abnousi was reluctant to respond to that.  I saw the flashes of arrogance and his signature swagger once again coming over his face, but he quickly repressed his overconfidence and shocked me by responding in a very mature, professional manner:

  Abnousi:   “If he can, if the fans think so, if that’s going to help our team win…… I hope so.  I just want what’s going to help our team win.  I’m pretty good, so I hope he can be better than me and help our team win.”

Me:   How has practice gone so far?

Abnousi:   “Let me tell you one thing: it is hard this year.  It’s a good hard.  We are all working our butts off and we’re all striving for our goal.  We haven’t had that in Wood-Ridge for a long time and I’m just happy to see it now.”

Me:   Any issues?

Abnousi:   “Not really.  It’s just competitiveness on the field.  People get hit and people fall down and people help each other up.  It’s football.  We’re all teammates.”

Me:   As you know, an anonymous player recently told me they think you will “ruin the entire season” because of your attitude.  What do you have to say to that?

Abnousi:   “They will be proven wrong at the end of the season.”

Me:   Do you think your attitude negatively impacts the team at all?

Abnousi:   “It definitely did last year.  As I’ve said before multiple times, no matter how many times you make a mistake…… you can always fix that mistake.  You can always change.  I’ve been working really hard to fix my mistakes and I hope, I really do hope that I have.”

Me:   Should fans expect your behavior to calm down this season, or should they expect you to continue playing with the smash-mouth style you usually do?

Abnousi:   “They should expect me to be the most passionate player on the field, but in a good way.”

This next season will be your last in a Blue Devil uniform.  How does that make you feel?

Abnousi:   “It’s sad.  I cannot stop thinking about it.  It’s probably the first thing I think of every morning when I wake up.  I’m not worried about playing in college or anything, I’m just worried about this season.  I’m worried about September 13th.”

Me:   Recently, Michael Sam became the first openly gay player to be drafted into the NFL when he was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round.  How would you feel about a player in your locker room coming out as gay?

Abnousi:   “Completely respect them.  You cannot change somebody and you have to respect them.  I’m a minority too and I know how it feels, so I would definitely respect and support anybody else.”

Me:   Do you think the player would be accepted by the team?

Abnousi:   “In Wood-Ridge, I can assure you that we will accept them.  Our team is just too focused on playing football right now than to get distracted with a player being gay or other off the field stuff.”

Me:   If opponents taunted this player because of his sexuality, what would you do?

Abnousi:   “I will finish the game and I would make sure that I would nicely and respectfully tell my coach to talk to their coach or some authorities.  If it happened in front of me, I would let the player know that that is not okay to do and that there’s nothing wrong with being gay and that’s just bad sportsmanship.”

Me:   Hazing is a huge issue in locker rooms across the nation.  Is there any hazing that goes on in the Blue Devil locker room?

Abnousi:   “Zero.”

Me:   I’m sure you’ve heard all about the Richie Incognito/Jonathan Martin bullying scandal that rocked the NFL this year.  Are there any bullies on your team?

Abnousi:   “All the seniors are very, very friendly with the younger classman.  We’re all one team and we’re all one family, so no.  No bullies at all.”

Me:   How do you personally feel about Richie Incognito?

Abnousi:   “He’s a very, very good player because he’s in the NFL.  He’s letting things that are unrelated to football not only affect his career, but affect other people’s career and that’s so wrong.  That’s 100% wrong.”

Me:   Lineman Frankie Altamura called Incognito his favorite player.  What is your reaction to that?

Abnousi:   (laughs) “I hope he can play as good as him on the field, man.”

Me:   Do you think that choice says a lot about Altamura as a teammate?

Abnousi:   “I understand him trying to be a very good player and trying to idolize an NFL player because they’re the best of the best.  They’re the pros.  I just hope that he didn’t choose Incognito because of his off the field issues because that’s so wrong.  I am very good friends with Altamura off the field and I promise you, he’s not like that.  He’s not like that.”

Me:   Recently you told me that you consider yourself as the leader of the secondary.  Why?

Abnousi:   “Because that’s just what I’m told by the coaches.  To be honest, I’m the one with the most experience on the team.  Edwin Acosta, Luciano Padilla, and Dennis Luzba are all first year varsity players and I have to lead by example with experience because that’s what’s going to help our team win.”

Me:   Do other members of the secondary look to you as a leader?

Abnousi:   “Yeah, they respect me and I respect them too.  They know that I have experience and I just want to share it with them to help them get better.  I’m not going to lie, they are really good and continue to get better and improve day by day.”

Me:   Because they look at you as the leader, do you think your attitude is going to rub off on them?

Abnousi:   “I try to not really have a bad attitude.  I haven’t had a bad attitude at all, really, in the summer.  They just look at my actions on the field and my ability.  No trash talking or anything, just my pure ability.”

Me:   Many fans complain that you are the main reason we lost the opener against Lyndhurst last year, due to the penalty you committed late in the game that set up the game-winning field goal.  What do you have to say about that?

Abnousi:   “I lost us the game.”

              I waited for Abnousi to continue.  I waited for the seemingly inevitable “but”.  I wanted for him to blame someone else or say it was a bad call or make some excuse.  But he didn’t.  Abnousi admitted it was his fault, no one else’s.  I was pleasantly surprised.

  Me:   The third captain still has not been chosen by Ethan Wilde and Justin Barat.  Who do you think the third captain will be and why?

Abnousi:   “The best leader on the team will be.”

Me:   And who is that?

Abnousi:   “To be honest, I don’t know who that is.  I don’t care who it is.  If it’s me or if it’s not me, I just want to win football games.”

Me:   Would you want to be the third captain?

Abnousi:   “I mean, who doesn’t?  That’d be awesome to be captain in my last year and go out as captain with my boys.  I would love to lead the team.  But, if I’m not the best leader then I won’t get picked.  I won’t worry too much about that.  I know they’ll make the best decision.”

Me:   Do you think you deserve to be the third captain?

Abnousi:   “I’m not saying I deserve it or not.  I just think I have some leadership adjectives and abilities.  I have some problems too, but nobody’s perfect.  It’s up to the coaches and the captains to choose and I’m not going to tell them what I think because it’s none of my business.”

Me:   You were very close with a former coach of yours, Coach Omar, who recently passed away.  What impact has he had on you not only as a player, but as a person?

Abnousi:   “He fixed me a lot.  I think I’ve gotten a lot better because he’s affected me.  He’s moved me as a player and as a person, because he’s just a great guy who cared about me and other people a lot.  It’s a hard feeling.  It’s hard to lose someone like that.  Every time I step on that field I feel I represent him because he played 3 in high school.  He never got to see us win and I just really want to give that to him.”

Me:   Do you plan to pursue football in college?

Abnousi:   “It would be a great experience.  It would be a privilege to play football at the next level.  But to be 100% honest with you, that’s not on my list of worries.  We all have a chance to do something great in my last year and that’s my focus.  Would it be great to play at that next level?  Of course.  But I’m not even thinking about that right now.”

Me:   I recall a few years ago that you told me you thought you could be the starting kicker for Rutgers.  You also told me you thought yo would get drafted by the New York Jets to be their starting kicker.  Do you still believe those aspirations are possible or are they just pipe dreams?

Abnousi:   (laughs) Since you and me are close, you know that I like to say things like that.  Again, that’d be great to play for Rutgers University and get drafted, but they’re kind of high hopes.  It’d be great, but they’re kinda just childhood dreams.”

Me:   What impact do you think the fans have on a game?

Abnousi:   (smiles) “Oh man.  Just like the Seahawks, I’m going to talk about the Seahawks because I’m a Sherman fan, they’re like a twelfth man.  They’re like a twelfth player on that field.  They just give the team more energy.  They excite the town.  We just want to win more.  It’s a crazy feeling when people are watching you do what you love.  The fans bring the team and the town together.”

Me:   Would you say that we have the best fan section in the county?

Abnousi:   “Yes.”

Me:   I recently conducted a poll where I asked ten fans who their least favorite player was on the team.  Guess how many voted for you.

Abnousi:   “Seven?”

Me:   Nine out of ten said you were their least favorite player.  Why do you think that is?

Abnousi:   “I guess because I’m not the type of person who tries to please people.  I do things for my team, not the fans.  Not in a bad way.  I just want to help the team win, so if that helps the team win, I’ll do it.  I have issues with people off the field, so it’s whatever.  I really don’t care.”

Me:   Do you care at all about the fans’ perception of you?

Abnousi:   “100% no.  I just want to win the games to make them happy.  I’m not a bad person.  I just want to win with my teammates.  I don’t care what the fans have to say about me and my teammates.”

Me:   Because of this poll, will you at least consider changing your behavior on the field at all?

Abnousi:   “I have considered it even before this poll.  I’m trying.  I don’t want to be like that.  I don’t want to be a hothead.  I want to be calm, but sometimes my enthusiasm gets the best of me.  My adrenaline takes over.  Expect a new player, at least attitude-wise, this season.”

Me:   What team that you guys play this season do you hate the most?

Abnousi:   “I don’t hate any team, I just…… I just don’t like them.  I just don’t like St. Mary’s.”

Me:   Why?

Abnousi:   “To be honest, it’s nothing against their players or anybody.  It’s just the way they disrespect other people by running up the score and embarrassing the JV team and picking on the second team and it’s not the player’s fault, but…… it’s just not good sportsmanship.  It’s disrespectful.”

Me:   Which receiver that you match up with this season do you think you have the biggest rivalry with?

Abnousi:   “Again, number 23 from Emerson.  I would like to shut him down because he’s the biggest part of that team and if I shut him down, I can shut the whole team down.”

Me:   Final question: do you think that the Blue Devils can make the playoffs this season?

Abnousi:   “110%.”

Me:   Thank you, Ali, and good luck in the upcoming season.

Abnousi:   “Thank you, man.”

              By the end of the interview, I didn’t know what to think.  Abnousi answered my questions maturely and appropriately.  There was little, if any, controversy with his answers.  He was more humble and showed more humility than he had in the four years I’ve known him.  I didn’t know what to think.  Had Ali Abnousi really changed?

            Two anonymous players don’t think so.  When I asked them if Abnousi’s attitude had changed in practice at all, one of them replied “Still the same, if not worse.”  The other replied with a simple, “Just as bad”.

            Abnousi answered my questions elegantly and aptly.  That being said, players who practice with him basically told me that he had not changed at all.  Was Abnousi just feeding me lies?  I sure hope not. 

            So far, this offseason has been very quiet.  Not many huge storylines are emerging and rumors aren’t exactly flying around as they so often do.  Although that may make for a boring website, it also makes for a good football team.  I’m glad that I’m not overwhelmed with storylines, such as if a star player got hurt or a player transferred or there was dissension among teammates.  Instead, the Blue Devils have quietly been practicing and preparing themselves for the 2014 season.

            The tranquil summer was disrupted yesterday with huge news that had both nothing and everything to do with our football team at the same time.  Wallington quarterback Ryan Adzima has officially transferred to DePaul Catholic High School.  Adzima is one of the top quarterbacks in the county and is being scouted by more than a couple Division I colleges.  A transfer last year from Don Bosco, Adzima looked to finally make the Panthers a competitive team once again.  Without much help around him, Adzima could only lead his team to a subpar 4-6 finish.  Still, the Panthers were optimistic that they could rely on his arm going forward and maybe sneak into the playoffs this year.

            Those hopes are now gone and the Blue Devils’ hopes may have just risen.  Last year Wallington narrowly beat out the Blue Devils with less than a minute to go on the clock.  Adzima led the Panthers on a drive that ended in a touchdown that broke the hearts of many Wood-Ridge fans.  Without Ryan, how does Wallington expect to fare in 2014?