Axemen lose in overtime
Local team handed the loss by STFX
STFX freshman quarterback Bailey Wasdal recently led the school’s team to a 30-24 come-frombehind victory in overtime over the defending AUS champion Acadia Axemen.
Wasdal punched in the gamewinning touchdown on a one-yard carry to give the X-men the victory. The play came after the STFX defense shut down the Axemen’s scoring attempt in overtime and Jarett Saumure missed a 35-yard field goal attempt.
Wasdal had previously connected with Jordan Socholotiuk on the game-tying touchdown which came with less than a minute to play in the game. The fifth year running back had a 20-yard gain to set up his own two-yard TD run two plays later.
Socholotiuk finished with 138 yards on 22 carries.
The Axemen held leads of 3-1, 10-8 and 17-10 after each quarter before the X-men reversed their fortune in the final frame.
The only scoring in the first quarter came off a single rouge point for the X-men and a Saumure 21-yard field goal nine minutes into the quarter.
Axeman receiver Glodin Mulali ran the ball in for a nine-yard touchdown score in the second quarter.
STFX mounted a drive late in the opening half and moved the ball quickly down the field, culminating in a touchdown by All-canadian receiver Kaion Julien-grant, his first of two touchdowns on the night. He hauled in an 18-yard pass from Wasdal with only eight seconds left on the clock.
Acadia led 10-8 at halftime.
The Axemen added to their lead with a 12-play drive that opened the third quarter, resulting in a five-yard touchdown run by 2017 AUS MVP Dale Wright.
The only other scoring play of the third frame came with 1:24 left as the Axemen conceded a safety, holding onto a 17-10 lead after three quarters.
Julien-grant’s second touchdown came one minute into the fourth quarter on a highlight catch in the end zone, hauling in a 26-yard Wasdal pass in double coverage to knot the game at 17-17.
The Axemen replied on the very next drive with a couple of big plays to set up Wright for his second touchdown of the game. After a 48yard kick return by Mulali and a 46yard reception by Cordell Hastings, Wright caught a five-yard pass from Guenard to give the Axemen back their seven-point lead at 24-17 with 11 minutes left in the game.
Axemen defensive lineman Anderson Recker posted a key sack on Wasdal for a loss of 14 yards that stopped an X-men drive midway through the fourth quarter.
Socholotiuk punched in the end zone for the four-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 24-24 with only 40 seconds left on the game clock.
Wasdal finished the game with 21 completions in 32 attempts for 200 yards. Julien-grant was his favorite target with 10 receptions for 108 yards with two touchdowns.
Wright tallied 144 yards on 25 carries, while teammate Cordell Hastings pulled in six catches for 113 yards. Axemen quarterback Hunter Guenard finished 10 for 22 and 147 total yards.
Axemen linebacker Bailey Feltmate (Moncton, NB) had seven tackles for the visitors while Brandon Johnston (Orilla, ON) added 6.5.
“We had a lot of good plays; we had a lot of plays that were OK and we had some bad plays. Our training camp has been a lot like that, so we will continue to work at being more consistent so when opportunities arise, we are ready to make the play. In any close game it’s five-six plays that make the difference and our opponent made more of them happen than we did. We will watch the film, make the corrections and try to get better each game,” saidd Acadia head coach Jeff Cummins.
With the win, the X-men improve to 1-1, while the Axemen open the regular season with a loss. Acadia will head to Lennoxville, Que. to take on the winless Bishop’s Gaiters this coming Saturday evening.
Looking forward to Bishop’s, Cummings was asked what he expects from the Gaiters and what things do the Axemen need to work on this week.
“Consistency will be the key for us and playing at the standard at which we set for ourselves. This team has a lot of things we want to accomplish this year and getting where we want to go will take consistent effort and growth every week. We are back at work game planning and looking forward to travelling to tough a Bishops team looking for their first win as well.”