2016 CIS team preview: StFX X-Men

The StFX X-Men are preparing to defend their Atlantic University Sport (AUS) football crown.

“I think we are excited about the upcoming season. As defending champions, I think our kids gained a lot of experience playing those last couple of weeks, and some confidence as well,” head coach Gary Waterman said.

“I think the expectations are high to have another good season.”

In 2015, the blue and white finished second in regular season play, before going on a playoff run that culminated with an 14-12 road victory over the then defending champion Mount Allison Mounties in the AUS Loney Bowl, giving the X-Men their first conference title since 1996.

The following week StFX hosted the CIS Uteck Bowl, a nationally televised semi-final match-up with the UBC Thunderbirds, who went on to win the Canadian university championship.

As for this season, Waterman one of the keys for the X-Men will be to continue their consistency in all phases of the game; offense, defense and special teams.

“It is a huge part of the game – we have put a lot of time into all three,” he said.

“We feel like, if you win all three phases in every game, you are going to win most of your games. You win two of the three and you have got a chance to win most of your games and, you know, if you are only strong in one, then it is a struggle.

“We really believe that you have got to put time into all three phases,” Waterman added.

Diverse offense

Leading the X-Men offense will be fifth-year quarterback Tivon Cook (Scarborough, ON). “He has played a lot of snaps at the CIS level. He is calm and cool under pressure,” Waterman said of his QB.

“He is a tough, hard-nosed kid, who shows great leadership ability, so we are thrilled and happy to have him back for his fifth year.

“We expect him to be even better than he was last year and continue to grow,” he added.

As for those protecting Cook, the ever-improving X-Men offensive line is anchored by two-time all-Canadian Vernon Sainvil (Malden, MA).

“That’s an area that I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to see how much they have improved over the last several years. We have a great group there,” Waterman said.

“We did lose a couple of pieces, but we have some outstanding pieces back. Vernon, an all-Canadian, being back is tremendous. We also have Stefano Bartolacci (Halifax, NS), who was injured last season, so he gets to return, and he is another added guy.”

The head coach added the return of O-line members Jacob Czaja (Sudbury, ON) and Keith Messer (Saint John, NB) helps strengthen that area. “We think we have an outstanding group,” Waterman noted.

In the backfield, the X-Men must replace production of the graduated Ashton Dickson, the 2015 AUS MVP; not to mention his projected successor – DeJon Lynch (Nanaimo, BC) – who injured his Achilles in spring camp and is lost for the season.

“Once you lose a guy like Ashton, a durable, hard-nosed running back, who took a lot of snaps and then you, sort of, have the heir apparent [Lynch] waiting in the wings, who gets injured, it changes things quickly,” Waterman said.

“We will probably look at more of a committee this year than we have in the past, but I think that’s a good thing. We have some good young guys who have been waiting and are chomping at the bit to get an opportunity.

“We will see who emerges as, over time, the person that maybe demands more carries, but I think we have a good mix of different styles of guys in the backfield, and we will utilize them all in different ways,” he added.

Jordan Socholotiuk (Fort McMurray, AB) and Albert Banahene (Calgary, AB), as well as some incoming recruits, will be crucial to the success of the ground game.

Waterman said he anticipates the X-Men offense, which returns seven starters “will spread the ball around.”

“The last couple of years, I think household names have been certainly Ashton Dickson and Randy Roseway and Donald Tabor (also both graduated); people were quite familiar with those people over the last several years. They were very productive people, with great resumes,” he said.

“I think what you will see now, we have a lot of talented players, and I think you will see a lot more of the ball moving around to different threats, and you will see a lot more guys trying to make their mark on the team.”

Keon Hughes (Mississauga, ON), Christian Ridley (Dubai, UAE), Kaion Grant (Toronto, ON), Brent Shepherd (Ajax, ON) and Dejuan Martin (Scarborough, ON) will be key members of a deep X-Men receiving corps.

“Our offense, again, will be a multiple offense, where we will be able to move in and out of different formations and execute some quality plays,” Waterman added.

The X-Men are working towards duplicating offensive successes of last season, including having the conference’s leading passer (Cook) and rusher (Dickson), as well as having three receivers with more than 25 receptions apiece (Roseway, Tabor and Ridley).

Veteran unit

On the defensive side of the ball, the X-Men return 10 starters, including key contributors DB Hayden Peters (Sydenham, ON), DE Mete Konya (Osnabruck, GER), CB Paolo Lach-Edwards (Hamilton, ON), DL Kay Okafor (Enugu, Nigeria), CB Justin Holland (Parksville, BC) and LB Adam Kuntz (Camrose, AB).

“One hundred per cent,” Waterman said, when asked about the importance of returning that experience.

“Down the stretch [last season], I think our defense was as strong as any in the country and having that many returnees is a great thing for our program.”

Joining Konya and Okafor up front will be sophomore Jimmie Cunningham (Niagara Falls, ON), while a deep secondary also includes halfbacks Nathaniel Fermin (Pickering, ON) and Peters, along with safeties Dylan Bell (Brockville, ON) and Mike Miller (Ottawa, ON). At linebacker, Waterman said the coaching staff expects it to be “extremely competitive in training camp, as the group has great youth and depth,” led by the likes of Kuntz.

Nevertheless, there have been losses, including the departure of AUS all-star Daniel Tshiamala and veteran defensive lineman John Tewelde

“He was one of the strengths up the middle,” Waterman noted of Tshiamala, “but that provides the opportunity for other people to step up and I think we have got some players that have been performing extremely well and I think they will do well, so we are excited about the defense and hope that it will continue to play at a high level.”

Special teams

Last season, the toe of then freshman Jonathan Heidebrecht (Camrose, AB) provided the margin of victory over the Mounties, a 41-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the Loney Bowl – one of the many highlights for a stellar X-Men special teams’ unit.

“Special teams is a really critical part of your team and having an experienced kicker, in terms of just big games and making big kicks, like Jonathan, is great,” Waterman said.

In his rookie campaign, Heidebrecht converted 16 field goal attempts, and was a perfect 20-20 on extra point converts.

Waterman added Keiran Burnham (Cambridge, ON), who is “getting better every year,” provides a great one-two punch in the kicking game.

“He is ready to kind of really compete, too, so we feel like we are strong in that area,” he said.

Waterman said the X-Men have developed “a great mentality on special teams.”

“The kids have bought in and they play fast and hard on that team,” he added.

Waterman noted the unit saw “huge improvement” last season under former CFL head coach Jim Daley, who has returned for his second campaign.

“So, we expect another strong performance from special teams, and everyone else continues to grow in experience,” Waterman added.

Along with Daley and the kicking duo of Heidebrecht and Burnham, special teams returns the stability of long snapper Gordon Whyte (Toronto, ON); not to mention the ongoing contributions of Peters, Kuntz, Miller, Kadel King (London, ON), Chad Girimonte (Ottawa, ON), Ben von Muehldorfer (Calgary, AB) and Matt Jemmett (North Bay, ON).

Roseway, a stellar returner, and punter Jeremy Ford are key losses on this side of the ball.

Recruiting class       

As for new X-Men, the program boasts a 27-strong recruiting class.

 “I think there are a number of guys that we are excited about, in terms of their ability to kind of make an impact early,” Waterman said.

Topping the newcomer list is offensive lineman OL Jonathan Zamora (Mississauga, ON), a Canada Prep product.

“He is from Ontario, but he was down in the [United] States for a little bit, and made his way back, so he is going to be joining us,” the head coach said.

“He has definitely got – what we call – he is more prepared than a normal, typical kid out of high school.”

Waterman added he has a couple of Halifax-area recruits – receivers Jonah Williams (Halifax, NS), who is also expected to chip in with the punt and kick return game, and Greg McDonald (Halifax, NS), along with defensive back Brian Gough (Hammonds Plains, NS) “that we are really thrilled about.”

“They were some of the premiere kids at their position out of the high school circuit in Nova Scotia. We think they are going to be able to contribute to our program,” he noted.

Defensive lineman Kiamba Mokenela (London, ON) comes in from the Mother Theresa program. “He has really got all the tools and that’s pretty exciting for us to work with,” Waterman said.

Leo Titarenko, also an outstanding basketball player with Team New Brunswick, has decided to embark on a varsity career in football.

“He had some options to play basketball in the CIS, but he elected to go the football route. We are thrilled to get him and we think that he is a guy who is going to have tremendous upside, at some point, for us and contribute,” Waterman said.

Other notable recruits include receiver Austin Wesley (Sault Ste. Marie, ON), a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Sabercats, OL Alessandro Krick (Niagara Falls, ON), Niagara Spears; and DB Josh Van Amelsvoort (Caledon, ON), Team Ontario.

“As I look down the roster, there are a number of other guys that I think won’t be household names coming in, but I think their potential to grow and get better is exciting for us,” Waterman said.

Keep improving       

When asked what has to happen for the X-Men to have another successful season, the former X-Men defensive back said “I think we have got to get better.”

“I expect us to start at a higher level than we did at the beginning of the year last season, just because we have got a little bit more experienced team, so we should start [faster]” Waterman said.

“But, the key is we need to continue to get better each week. I think all of the teams have improved – our competitors – so, as a team, we have to get better; we have to be that team that keeps getting better each week.

“We have to make sure that we capitalize on any opportunities that we get, within a game, and take advantage of it. I think, if we can do that, we will be strong again,” he added.

The X-Men will kick-off the season with an exhibition tilt against the Mounties Friday, Sept. 2, beginning at 6, at StFX Stadium.

The teams will also open the regular season (Saturday, Sept. 10), in a rematch of last season’s Loney Bowl, at 2 p.m. at Alumni Field in Sackville, NB.

StFX will host the Acadia Axemen in their home opener Saturday, Sept. 17. Kick-off is set for 2 p.m. at StFX Stadium.

“On behalf of the players and coaching staff, I would like to thank all of our friends, alumni and supporters for the wonderful encouragement that we received last year during our 2015 AUS championship run,” Waterman said.

“The 2016 X-Men are poised to be a talented team. With many of our core players returning, the 2016 X-Men should be a fun group to watch.

“We encourage everyone to join us on our journey as we look to take another step closer to the Vanier Cup,” he added.

Source: StFX Athletics