2021 CTA Week 2 Football Player of the Week: Abe Ibrahim (Chartiers Valley)
Abe Ibrahim poses for a picture at Schenley Park during the 2021 WPIAL/City League Cover Three Athletics + Ben Tenuta Productions Media Day.
SOURCE: Ben Tenuta Productions
STUD ALERT: Abe Ibrahim had one of his most memorable performances on Friday night when his Chartiers Valley Colts football team traveled to Keystone Oaks and won 35-34 in overtime. He recorded 9 receptions for 229 yards, and he even caught four touchdown passes as one of them was the game-winning TD in overtime. Abe currently has offers from Slippery Rock University, and Carnegie Mellon University. His Colts team currently have an overall record of 2-1 on the season, and they will be looking to improve to 3-1 when they travel to South Fayette in Week 3.
Questions & Answers:
You caught four touchdown passes on Friday, including the game-winning TD in overtime. How did you feel after making the game-winning TD and producing those video game like statistics?
Abe Ibrahim: It felt surreal after having the game-winning touchdown. There was a sense of relief that this hard fought game could finally be put to an end. The video game stats wouldn’t have been possible without a great line up front, and I wouldn’t of been able to do it without the best QB in the WPIAL, Anthony Mackey.
Next week, your team faces a rival school in South Fayette. You beat them 9-7 at home last year, but you will have to try to beat them on the road this year. What do you think your team has to do beat the Lions again?
AI: In order to beat the Lions again, we need to worry about ourselves on a day-to-day basis. During practice, we have to treat each rep like it’s a game rep, so we’re more than prepared on Friday nights. People love to talk trash outside of school and that can’t get to our heads as the scoreboard will be the deciding factor at the end of the day.
As you have watched yourself on film from your first three games of the regular season, what would you say is something that you would still like to see yourself improve on?
AI: There is a lot I can improve on after watching my game film. It all starts with how I get off the line on offense and selling each rep like I’m getting the ball. Another thing I want to see myself improve on is keeping my hips low when I’m running my routes. And finally, I’d love to see myself trigger off the ball on defense. Improving all of these will make me a better player and will help my team continuing to be successful.
DeWayne Brown, from 2/10ths Speed and Agility, has been giving you a good amount of praise lately. What's it like working out with him and what do you think has done to help you develop as a player?
AI: Knowing a man like DeWayne Brown is awesome. There’s no one out there doing what he’s doing, training NFL athletes to college athletes to even high school athletes. The one thing about D-Brown is that regardless of your skill set, he will put you to work and make sure you leave his workouts a better athlete. Working out with him is crazy, I remember the first time I went there I wanted to throw up after each thing we did. He’s helped me developed as a player through being a much faster player, which truly translates on the field.
As a football player, what does your diet consist of in order to keep yourself in good condition?
AI: Maintaining a good diet may seem harder than it truly is. I try to avoid fast food every single day, but I can’t deny Chick-fil-A every now and then. Having more veggies on your plate is a major necessity, and I find that pretty hard to do. Staying flexible is so important, I’ve focused on that during the off-season, and I have found a major difference in my performance.
Your quarterback Anthony Mackey is a senior just like yourself. What's it like having one of your close friends throw to you on a weekly basis?
AI: Having one of my closest friends like Mackey throwing to me on a weekly basis is a blessing. I feel like not too many people have the relationship me and him have. We have fun on and off the field and having that relationship makes Friday Nights 100x better.
Which team do you wish you could play against that isn't on your regular season schedule? And, why?
AI: A team that I wish we could play that isn’t on our regular season schedule is Upper St. Clair. We’ve had some history with that team, and I feel like if we were to go out there one night it would be quite an experience.
As you're a senior, you might have thought about your future of playing college football. If an NCAA football program were able to get "Abe Ibrahim" to come to their school, what type of player would the school get?
AI: If an NCAA football program were to get me, they would be getting a hard-working person on and off the field. They’d get a person that doesn’t take "No" as an answer and puts his all for his team to win.
What is something that people would be surprised to know about you?
AI: Something that people would be surprised to know is where I'm from. Obviously my first and last name isn’t something you see everyday, coming from my family’s nationality in Syria. This is something I carry on my back with passion and respect, everything I do on a day to day basis will affect the way people view my name.
Brentaro Yamane: bkyamane@gmail.com and Twitter/Instagram @BYHilton13