X-Men primed to defend Loney Bowl crown

White and Blue to kickoff season at home versus rival Huskies

By Corey LeBlanc

Antigonish, NS - The STFX X-Men – defending Loney Bowl champions – are ready to take on challengers for their Atlantic University Sport (AUS) football crown.

"We know we have a lot of people coming after us, so we know that we are going to have to be ready," veteran head coach Gary Waterman said after a recent morning on-field session during training camp.

The White and Blue, which have captured four of the last six conference titles, secured the 2021 championship with 25-17 victory over the Bishop's Gaiters on home turf. The win capped a first-place finish for the X-Men in the regular season with a 6-0 record.

"There is a lot of excitement," Waterman – who is in his 14^th season at the helm – offers regarding the mood around the program.

When asked about keys to success this season, he quickly offers – "winning the line of scrimmage."

"We have to play well on both sides of the ball," Waterman says.

To help reach the conference pinnacle, once again, a roster featuring a "great mix" of veteran, returning and new student-athletes will be a key piece to the puzzle.

The high-flying X-Men offensive attack – which averaged more than 32 points per game in the 2021 regular season – will welcome back its top-two weapons, including sophomore quarterback Silas Fagnan (Bonnyville, AB), who had a conference-best 1,297 passing yards (259.4 per game) last season. He also threw for 10 touchdowns, while posting a sensational completion rate of 68 per cent, as part of a conference most outstanding player campaign.

Sophomore Malcolm Bussey (Hammonds Plains, NS) – the top rookie in the AUS and a second-team All-Canadian – galloped to a conference-leading 666 yards, or 111 per game, while collecting 6.2 per carry.

The X-Men offensive line that protected Fagnan and opened holes for Bussey will have a new look this season with the graduation of veteran stalwarts and second-team All-Canadians Che Morales and Gregor MacKellar – now with the Canadian Football League's (CFL's) Toronto Argonauts.

"We are going to have to come together and gel," Waterman says of the 'O' line, noting that the coaching staff is confident that they have the players to solidify that unit.

One of the newcomers to that unit is freshman Ryan Arenburg (Dayspring, NS), who the X-Men mentor notes has "a lot of promise." He adds Chidera Oragui (Halifax, NS) – another Bluenose product – is "really coming along."

STFX will also have new faces in the receiving corps; Benoit Cormier and Isaac Fagnan – who were first and second, respectively, in both catches and yards in 2021 – have exhausted their varsity eligibility.

"He has a lot of speed," Waterman offers of Zakariya Karim (Ottawa, ON), a junior pass catcher expected to take his game to the next level.

Kyle Zakala (Kelowna, BC), at 6'5", brings both size and experience to the receiver group from the Okanagan Sun of the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL).

Fourth-year lineman Alex Fedchun (Calgary, AB) is expected to build on a stellar 2021 campaign, while anchoring a defense that returns eight other starters from the Loney Bowl championship roster.

"We are going to rely on him a lot," Waterman says of his veteran, noting how Fedchun excelled at the 2022 U SPORTS East-West Bowl, which put him on the radar with CFL scouts.

First-years Jack Stanley (Bayview, NS) and Ryan Ford (Regina, SK) will be part of a talent infusion along the defensive front.

The trio of Jay Turnsek (North Bay, ON), Brandyn Martin (Melford, SK) and Ethan Mastin (Chilliwack, BC) – who missed most of last season with an injury – will provide the foundation for a talented X-Men secondary.

The White and Blue 'D' will have to deal with the graduation of all-star linebacker and team leader Ben Von Muehldorfer, which Waterman describes as a "big loss."

When it comes to special teams, STFX returns the strong kicking talents of Max Capriotti (Mount Hope, ON) and Ben Hadley (Halifax, NS).

"They both have great experience," Waterman says.

He notes that they will benefit greatly from the return of sophomore Joe Hancock – their talented long snapper.

The X-Men will start the defense of their AUS championship this weekend when they host the rival Saint Mary's Huskies at STFX Stadium. Kick-off is set for 2 p.m.

Waterman expects the match-up to be the beginning of another competitive season in the conference.

"Every game is going to be tight," he says.

-30-