A look into the life of Aussie-born kicker Adam Moretti

Richard Zakulak

Adam Moretti, the 19-year-old York Lions football kicker, is a long way from his home in Melbourne, Australia.
    For those who like numbers, Melbourne is 16,263 kilometers or 10,105 miles away from Toronto.
    I was given the opportunity to interview Moretti on a cold and windy evening, while the sun was setting. The lights had just been turned on at the practice field just west of the York Lions home stadium.
   I was absolutely shocked to learn that Moretti had just picked up a regulation North-American-style football in Melbourne last January and started kicking it around.
   It was his first attempt at playing the North American game, as he spent his earlier years playing Australian-rules football.
   “It’s tough in its own right, as we don’t wear as much padding [as North American football players do] and no helmets,” explained Moretti. “But this is still a really tough game. I was hit just last week and it hurt quite a bit.”
   Moretti is a first-year health management major. He is considered an international student and is paying his own way through school, including paying for his own textbooks, meals and residence.
   The commitments Moretti has made to York, which involve a full week’s schedule playing and practicing football, are definitely not easy. Practices usually run three hours a night and they involve watching films, lifting weights and hitting the books late at night. You must be a well-disciplined person to be successful under such a regimen.
   Being a kicker, however, also presents its own challenges, especially at practice. Most of Moretti’s time is spent on a small practice field adjacent to where the rest of the team is practicing. I watched Moretti along with replacement kicker Ramsey Aburaneh, who is a first-year marketing major from Cambridge, Ontario. The pair spent the practice kicking the football back and forth to one another.
   “[Moretti is a] great kicker who hammers the ball towards the end zone and gets great distance and hang time on kick offs,” explained head coach Mike McLean. “[He] often
kicks touchbacks with hang times over four seconds.”
   Moretti arrived in Toronto in August this year and will be returning to Australia in July. He keeps in touch with his family via Skype, but the 15-hour time difference creates
a challenge.
    Moretti finds the Toronto weather the hardest thing to cope with as he tries to grow accustomed to his new home at York. Australia usually experiences temperatures in the range of 20 degrees Celsius at this time of year.
    “I found a jacket in my locker today left by my coach to keep me warm during practice,” Moretti laughed.
     This is the first time Moretti has been away from home by himself for such a long time.
     He has been concentrating mostly on his health, struggling to maintain a well-balanced diet despite York’s limited food options.
    “I had NFL scouts come and look at me and I could have gone to a couple of pro teams’ workouts but I’m too young,” explained Moretti when asked why he decided on York.
“You have to be out of high school for five years to play in the NFL.”
    Moretti made a valid point. The National Football League (NFL) is concerned about body development and about the potential of young men getting injured by playing
against older, more developed players. But the delay is no problem for Moretti, who wants to develop more as a player before going to the professional ranks.
    "I came to York because I love the coach,” said Moretti. “Even if I had a chance to go to the professional ranks, it is in my best interests to learn all I can about the game and get an education while I can.”
      A lot of weight was taken off Moretti’s shoulders when he kicked his first field goal in a game against the Western Mustangs on Oct. 8. I noticed his nice shiny blue football cleats, of which he owns three pairs, and which all have changeable studs on them to adapt to varying field conditions.
     Moretti had impressive point totals this year, with 63 punts for a total of 2027 yards. That averages out to 32.2 yards a punt, and a perfect seven for seven on kicks through the uprights following touchdowns.
    Even though the team had already been eliminated from playoff contention weeks earlier, there was an incredible amount of heart shown on the field at the practice.
    This showing of character was very telling of the atmosphere the coaching staff wanted to instill in the team.
     The Lions are currently going through a rebuilding phase, with a lot of new freshmen on the squad. The goal is to get the York student body excited for football once again.
      With a year of experience under their belts, the Lions will no doubt be much more competitive next year.
      Moretti will look to continue his growth as a player, as he attempts to better his game for eventual entry into the professional ranks of North American football.

FAST FACTS:

Name: Adam Moretti
Age: 19
Plays: Kicker, York Lions
Jersey number: 99
Siblings : Two brothers
Misses: His mother’s lasagna
Fave restaurant: Swiss Chalet
Last book read: Scar Tissue
Last movie seen: Zombieland
Pet: Malamute dog named Kimba