Axemen glad to be here
The way their season started, Acadia is thrilled to be in the Uteck Bowl.
Aug. 26 seems like an eternity away for the Acadia Axemen.
It was their Atlantic university football season opener at Mount Allison and the Mounties manhandled the Axemen 64-23 in Sackville, N.B.
Mount A scored 29 points in the second quarter and led 43-16 at the half. Three Mounties receivers had more than 100 yards and the team accumulated 595 yards in total against the Axemen.
“It wasn’t our best work and certainly not one we want to put on our resume,” Acadia head coach Jeff Cummins said following the game.
“They played a good football game but we have to be much better. It’s going to hurt a little bit until we get a chance to play another game. It’ll stick in our craw.”
And apparently it did. Acadia went 6-1 the rest of the way, including four straight victories to close out the regular season, to finish at 6-2 and take first place in the conference.
And after the Loney Bowl was reinstated following a weekend battle in court, the Axemen and Saint Mary’s Huskies finally settled things on the gridiron in Tuesday’s thrilling conference championship at Raymond Field.
Acadia prevailed 45- 38 in double overtime and will host the Western Mustangs (10-0) in Saturday’s Uteck Bowl national semifinal in Wolfville.
Running back Cameron Davidson of Kentville, who earned the Loney Bowl game MVP after rushing 22 times for a game-high 152 yards, said he’s “amazed how quickly things turned” following that season-opening drubbing to Mount A.
“If you would’ve told me after that Mount A loss we would be Loney Bowl champions, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Davidson said following Tuesday’s dramatic victory.
Garvin Cius, a fourth-year de- fensive back, said the turnaround is a testament of the team’s resiliency.
“It was rough start in the beginning but we were resilient and we didn’t let that get us down,” Cius said on Tuesday evening. “Our season wasn’t over after one game and we weren’t going to let it slip past us today.”
Kickoff for the Uteck Bowl between the Axemen and Western University Mustangs is set for 1:30 p.m. today.
The game will be televised on Sportsnet 360.
The Uteck champion will face either the Laval Rouge et Or or the Calgary Dinos in the Vanier Cup, Nov. 25 in Hamilton, Ont.
The Rouge et Or and Dinos, each with 9-1 records, will play in the Mitchell Bowl later Saturday in Calgary.