Eight Teams in Eight Years, FB/LB Wesley Mauia has Seen It All From Both Sides of the Ball
Harrison Brown
Tuesday May 14, 2019
The trenches of an arena football game differ from those in the NFL because the defense can’t blitz an extra rusher, they’re restricted to four pass rushers between three defensive lineman and the mac linebacker. This creates every play on-one-one between each individual lineman highlighted by the mac linebacker getting a running start from a few yards behind the line of scrimmage with the fullback in the backfield ready and waiting for him.
It’s a very physical battle especially between the mac and fullback, which is exactly why it suits Atlantic City Blackjacks fullback/linebacker Wesley Mauia. Mauia prides himself on his physicality and versatility and has been on both sides of the ball for the past eight years, seven of which have been in the Arena Football League. Mauia played both fullback and linebacker in his first season in 2012 but was mostly on the defensive side of the ball until 2018.
Mauia is a natural defensive player who played linebacker in college and most of his arena career, but his physical playing style and athleticism also translate to the fullback position which requires someone with the strength to block a pass rusher with a head start nearly every play. In addition to that, the fullback must be able to run the ball in short yardage situations and catch screen passes. Add in special teams’ duties and a reserve option at mac linebacker and Mauia tends to be a pretty busy guy on Blackjack game days.
The role suits him well though and it showed as he and the rest of the Blackjacks offensive line allowed zero sacks in their week two win versus Columbus. Mauia added a receiving touchdown and three carries for eleven yards.
“I like contact, anything that’s physical about football that’s all me,” Mauia said. “That’s another reason why I was drawn to arena football because there’s a lot of contact. It’s just me and you, there’s nobody else but me and you. It’s like fighting in a UFC fight there’s nowhere to hide,”
“I was always a big linebacker; in college I was 275lbs playing inside linebacker. Being that arena football is short distance and fast paced I liked it a lot because of the fact that I move pretty good for my size and it’s a short distanced game so I was like man this is where I’m going to be for a long time and here I am eight years later,”
“With my style at mac coach always said low man always wins. For me my strength is not my head or my arms it’s my legs that’s where everything comes from. Samoans that’s what they’re known for is their strong bottom half, the top half is just carrying the body but the bottom half if it’s not strong it’s tough. It’s something you’ve got to work on, but my legs are my bread and butter,” Mauia said.
Mauia’s eight-year arena football career has taken him far and wide to places like Las Vegas, New Orleans, Monterrey Mexico, San Antonio, Philadelphia, San Jose, Albany and now Atlantic City. While that list sounds like the spring break options for some colleges, Mauia has stayed dedicated to his craft despite having to constantly move as he has never spent more than one season on any team in his career.
“My whole life of playing arena football has been crazy, every year I’m with a new team. Last year I was playing in Albany and I was like man you know what, I think this might be the team, I’m about to play two or three years here. Even when I played with the Soul I thought I was going to stay there for a while because Beau Bell was going to retire and I thought I was going to take on the role and be the guy but that’s not what they had planned,”
“For me it’s whatever the coaches want, if they don’t want me hey that’s fine, I’ll definitely play for another team. But just to let you know, your quarterbacks going to pay for it. I don’t hold grudges I love every team I’ve played on. It’s just the fact that I want to show them that I’m the type of player that you’re going to miss out on, in the blink of an eye you’re going to miss out on this player you had right here in front of you,”
“That’s exactly what happened to the Soul, now that they don’t have a mac, they have a defensive end playing mac, struggling trying to find players they’re calling me to come back. That’s what all the old teams I’ve played for that didn’t fold are doing now, “Hey man how’s the situation, are you liking it where you’re at?” And I tell them straight up I love Atlantic City,” Mauia said.
Mauia’s offseason residence in Las Vegas makes residing in Atlantic City a, often referred to as the east coast’s Las Vegas. Mauia played for the Las Vegas Outlaws in 2015 and decided to move to Vegas full time after the season. During the 2015 season the Outlaws traveled to play against the Philadelphia Soul at the “Boardwalk Bowl” in Atlantic City. It’s safe to assume Mauia is the first professional athlete to ever play in both Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
“It reminds me of home in Las Vegas. The only difference is there’s more people, there’s twice as many people in Vegas than here. It’s more of a city it’s busier in Vegas out here it’s way more chill. I don’t know how it’ll be in the summer I’ve only been here for three or four weeks but it’s not as busy as Vegas that’s what I like about it out here,” Mauia said.
The transition from Vegas to AC wasn’t a big adjustment but the switch from mac to fullback took time and effort to master. When Mauia got to Albany in 2018 he was presented with the opportunity to play fullback for the Empire. The adjustment from coming downhill as a mac to a blocker who was standing and waiting, to now being the fullback just waiting for contact wasn’t an easy one.
“It was a big challenge for me, it was either I accept this role and put all of my mind and heart to it or just pack my stuff and go home. They’d already got who they wanted to play at mac and that rotation. It was a tough situation for me, but it just means that I’m in the game of football. I just told myself maybe it’ll work out for me, let’s just see how it goes. I just kept practicing, watching film and learning the steps and to keep my hands inside,”
“They signed me to come in and play mac linebacker and we found out that we didn’t have a fullback. Knowing that I could run the ball a little bit, my blocking was not as good, but I worked on it and just kept working. So, they just said “this guy has good hands and he can run a little bit so we’re going to use him as a fullback for now,”
“To come in and compete, that’s what I wanted. I don’t want nothing given to me; I want to earn it. That’s always been the player that I was coming up as a football player, I’ve always wanted to earn my way and to claim it. Not just come in and, ‘yeah I’m going to sign you and here’s your starting spot,’ nah it doesn’t work like that for me. That to me is just like I could do whatever I want but I’m not that type of player,” Mauia said.
Mauia’s still learning all the ins and outs of his new position but his natural strength and athletic ability has made the transition significantly easier. He was very open to the move in Albany and signed with Atlantic City specifically as a fullback.
“I didn’t mind it, to me it was all about taking care of my family and playing was my way. I’m always trying to find a way to stay on the field no matter what I play. Even if they put me at offensive guard, I would’ve done it,”
“I’ve just got to go out there and handle my job and do what I’ve got to do. I’ve had great coaches through my journey I’ve always liked to listen to their stories and knowing that they had to go both ways and just learning about it I’m like wow,” Mauia said.
The Blackjacks have a great group of rookies but also a core group of veteran AFL players who have helped the expansion team have a strong start in their first season. Quarterback Randy Hippeard has been very efficient completing 67.9% of his passes and throwing 10 TD’s.
Maybe just as important is that the Blackjacks signed center Ray McNeil who has a lot of previous experience working with Hippeard and is entering his 10th season in the AFL. McNeil and Mauia were teammates in 2013 when Mauia still played mac linebacker. This led to matchups at practice and meant that the two were very familiar heading into this season.
“He’s a vet, he’s been around and knows the game. He taught me a little about fullback that I didn’t know about so it’s always good to learn from somebody who’s been playing center for all of his life,”
“Learning a lot from him, I basically had to meet his standards for him to be comfortable with me. He’s been playing with actual fullbacks that’ve played fullback. I played with him in 2013 in San Jose, he was the center I was the mac. Now he was like, ‘man I’m so glad you’re next to me now instead of in front of me,” Mauia said laughing.
Mauia’s notorious bull rush was something fullbacks and centers had to prepare to face for years but now that he’s on the other side of the ball he has a unique perspective when game planning for an opposing team’s mac.
“On the other side I just think about myself. I think about me rushing against me. I had a thought in my head that with my bull rush and how physical I play; how would I block myself? And the coaches too, they teach you the technique and I have a great coach right now that’s taught me a little bit more about fullback. That’s all I really needed because the strength is there, and the mentality and mindset is as well. All I needed was a little bit of technique and to get my steps right and that was it,”
“It’s funny because a lot of other fullbacks don’t like to get bulled, for me I like that contact. I’d rather get bull rushed than swim moved. That’s what Ray loved about me during camp and he was like “I can play with Wess he has what it takes,” and I tell him ‘I’m just trying to match you man and be the one next to you and hold my own while you hold yours,’ so it all worked out,” Mauia said.
Mauia is hopeful that Atlantic City will be the first city he spends more than just a season in, and his early start to the season is a good start to reaching that goal. The Blackjacks are 1-2 after a loss versus Washington this weekend and will look to bounce back at home versus the Baltimore Brigade who are 2-1.
“My teammates are pretty cool there’s a lot of rookies but they’re a pretty talented group of guys too and the coaches are legit especially coach James. He’s the real deal man he’s taught me a lot that I didn’t know about arena football that now eight years later I know, I owe a lot to him for that,”
“I love it this is one of the best organization’s I’ve been in. I don’t have to wake up stressing whether I’m going to still be here or whether I’ll be playing this week or not. I love everything about this organization and the team,” Mauia said.
Harrison Brown is a college student who has been covering Arena Football since he was 12 years old and has been with ArenaFan since 2014. Harrison was a captain of the varsity football team during his senior year of high school and went on to play one season of Division III football in Massachusetts. Harrison has worked for two indoor football teams, in 2018 he was the Director of Player Personnel for the Jersey Flight and in 2016 he was the Color Commentator for the Philadelphia Yellow Jackets. You can follow Harrison on twitter @HarryBrownRusso.
