Antigonish, NS— X-Men football head coach Gary Waterman is pleased to announce the 2009 recruiting class. “We addressed our key needs,” comments Coach Waterman, who is entering his first season as X-Men head coach. “We added some quality depth with our freshman class to what will be a veteran 2009 X-Men squad.”
 
The 2009 StFX recruiting class is highlighted by Sean Atkins, a 5’9”, 195 pound running back from Fredericksburg High School in the state of Texas. Atkins was a three-year starter at running back, where he was named All-District on three occasions and All-Hill County twice. He amassed some impressive numbers playing high level football, highlighted by his senior year when he totaled 1296 yards on 186 carries, and 18 touchdowns in 10 games.

The X-Men are happy to welcome 6’3”, 280 pound defensive tackle Thomas Narbaitz from Ottawa, Ontario. Narbaitz was a standout player for the Ottawa Sooners in the QJFL, being named the league Defensive Player of the Year in 2008, an impressive accolade for a defensive lineman. He was also named the Football Player of the Year at the Ottawa Sports Awards. 

Two players from Manitoba have committed to the X-Men program, Jeremy Joseph and Everad Jackson. Jeremy Joseph was the starting quarterback for the 2008 Under 19 Manitoba and led the 2008 Canada Cup U19 division in pass yards, attempts, completions, and rush yards by a quarterback. He will be joined by 6’3”, 185 pound Everad Jackson, a wide receiver who was a two-time league All-Star in the WHSFL, and is the current record holder for receptions in both the A and AA divisions. 

The Maritimes will also be well represented in the X-Men’s 2009 recruiting class, highlighted by the acquisition of the 5’11”, 184 pound standout wide receiver Liam O’Halloran from Dartmouth High School. O’Halloran was a Rookie of the Year recipient at Dartmouth High School, and this past season was runner up for the NSSAF League Most Valuable Player award. 

O’Halloran will be joined by several other metro high school athletes, including 5’8”, 200 pound linebacker Tiernan MacDougall (Sackville High School), 5’9”, 170 pound running back Jeremy Beals (Cole Harbour High School), 5’10”, 190 pound defensive back Wilfred Simmonds (Cole Harbour High School), 6’0”, 295 pound defensive lineman Mayk Nazaryan (Halifax West High School), and 6’2”, 230 pound defensive lineman Mark Haggett (Halifax West High School). 

Kicker David Goldie, a native of Antigonish, NS will be returning home to StFX this fall after transferring from Saint Mary’s University. The 2009 X-Men will also have two new members from Prince Edward Island, as 6’2”, 302 pound offensive lineman Jordan Johnston (Cornwall Timberwolves), and 6’0”, 305 pound offensive lineman Owen McWilliams (Summerside Clippers) will join the team. 

A number of quality football players from Ontario have committed to wear the blue and white for the upcoming season. The Ontario contingent is highlighted by three outstanding defensive lineman, as 6’1”, 295 pound Daniel McLeish (Milton, ON), 5’11”, 255 pound Nate Annan (St. Thomas, ON), and 6’2”, 226 pound Jonathan Langma (Mississauga, ON) have all committed to come to StFX.

Rounding out the Ontario class are linebackers Bryce Szela (Burlington, ON), Kyle Hnatyshin (Ottawa, ON), Brett Hubbeard (Fraserville, ON) and Sam Michitsch (Niagara Falls); running back Kyle Woldenburg (St. Thomas, ON); offensive lineman Marcus Krock (Ottawa, ON); wide receiver Ryan Aucoin (Barrie, ON); and defensive lineman Mike Walsh (St. Thomas).

The X-Men were also extremely happy to secure two recruits from the province of Quebec.  Kicker Anthony Alix and defensive back Dominique Comtois have both committed to come to StFX in September. Both Anthony and Dominique played for the Trois Rivieres Diablos in the CEGEP League. 

To round out the nationwide representation of the 2009 X-Men recruiting class, a number of athletes from western Canada will be joining the team. KJ Donald is a 6’3”, 240 pound defensive lineman from Calgary, AB. Donald played high school football with Bishop Byrne High School, then played two seasons with the Calgary Colts. Also from Calgary is 6’3”, 180 pound wide receiver Kevin Logel and defensive back Andrew Meyer, both from St Francis High School. Finally, travelling to Antigonish all the way from Parksville, BC is wide receiver Cameron McInnes from Ballanes High School.  

The X-Men will begin their fall training camp in late August and will begin regular season AUS action on September 12.