Football | September 20, 2019

Western Michigan football coach Tim Lester can easily describe his senior defensive end Antonio Balabani.
 
''Because of his background, he is one tough dude,'' Lester simply says. ''He's always where you need him to be on the football field.''
 
That background includes the family being driven out of their home in Kosovo when Balabani was three years old because of the war between the Serbs and Albanians.
 
All that led him to Western Michigan, where he is a senior with a tough major in engineering design technology. Being from Macomb, on the east side of the state, he wants to get a job in one of the Big Three automotive companies in automotive design.
 
Balabani and his teammates will be doing a little more traveling on Saturday when WMU (2-1) plays at Syracuse (1-2) at noon in a game which will be broadcast on the Bronco Radio Network and also on the new TV channel ACC Network.
 
His background is unlike anyone else on WMU's football team.
 
"There was a war going on and we didn't have any choice, so in 1999, we were evacuated from our house in Kosovo and shipped to a refugee camp in Macedonia and stayed there for a few months," he said.
 
An uncle became involved in trying to get the family their papers to move to the United States.
 
"Then we got chosen to come here," Balabani said.
 
Since the end of the war, his family has been able to go back and spend summers in Kosovo.
 
Balabani's toughness comes from his work with his father in the construction industry.
 
"When I was eight years old, I worked in construction for him and it was like a full time job," the defensive end said. "Construction got me interested in how things work and how things are built and made. That steered me into engineering and I credit my Dad for doing that."
 
Lester has several people like Balabani who have to miss some practice time (WMU practices in the morning) this fall because of classes.
 
"I have my doctor, Mike Caliendo (junior offensive lineman) who has a class on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11 a.m. and Luke Juriga (senior center) who has an engineering class at 11:30 a.m.," the head coach said. "These are upper-level classes, which are only offered at one time and on one day in a semester."
 
Balabani adds: "I'm traveling a lot between the Business and Tech Park on Parkview and Waldo Stadium. The coaches are doing a great job of working with me because it's not ideal to miss a little bit of practice."
 
Balabani doesn't have those super gaudy stats which will get him to be a first-round draft pick in the NFL. So far this season as a starting defensive end, he has three solo tackles and five assists. He also has one tackle for a nine-yard loss.
 
For his 31-game career, which he has been a starter or first-line sub, he has totaled 41 solo tackles and 25 assists to go with 14.5 tackles for losses for 63 yards. Included in the tackles for loss are six sacks.
 
"You wish with that heart and brain of his he was 6-foot-5 and weighed 260 pounds, because he would be an all-NFL player with his motor," Lester said. "He's not freakishly talented, but is the guy who is always where you need him to be, every single time.
 
"If a team is running the ball, I want Balabani in there because I know he will hold his point and be where he needs to be," Lester continued. "The effort is always 110 percent."
 
Balabani is 6-foot-3, 245 pounds and very quick, so he can rack up some impressive hits.
 
"Defensive linemen don't have a lot of big hits, but he does because he runs so hard," Lester said. "When the ball gets outside, he gets there."
 
Balabani pairs well with junior defensive end Al Fayad who anchors the other side of the line. Fayad has 12 tackles this season with 3.5 of them for losses totaling 11 yards.
 
"As soon as Ali got to Western, we clicked on and off the field," Balabani said. "When you have that chemistry off the field, it's easy to play ball together. When he makes a play, I'm happy for him, and when I make a play, he's happy for me."
 
"We have good depth on the defensive line with eight of them playing right now and a ninth (Ken Aguirre) will be back in a bit as he's recovering from foot surgery," Lester said.
 
Against Syracuse, Balabani and his teammates will be looking to keep up the success they had last week against Georgia State.
 
"It doesn't matter who the opponent is, we have to be on the same page with everyone and then the rest takes care of itself," he said.

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