Acadia commits all about small-town experience

Acadia adds a local commit and two out-of-province commits to their 2018 class.

Defensive lineman Kyle Chappus from Horton High School, defensive back Chris Cameron-Kogler from Moncton High School and linebacker Matthew Seftel from Runnymede Colligate all have one thing in common, there is no player they rather be starting their university careers than with the Acadia Axemen.

Kyle Chappus

Kyle Chappus is no stranger to the Acadia Axmen; they are his hometown team after all. Not only does he have family near the university, he has been around the coaches for a long time. “I enjoy them as coaches,” he said. “…I think they will help me excel in football. I grew up watching the Axemen play.”

Chappus spent five years with the Valley Bulldogs (Nova Scotia Minor Football League) and three with the Horton Griffins (Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation Football League). He was the Griffins’ team MVP, a Nova Scotia defensive MVP and the NSSAFFL lineman of the year. In 2016, he was a high school MVP and an all-star. In 2015, he was the Griffins’ rookie of the year.

The 6’3, 220lbs defensive end and tackle is planning on taking sociology with a minor in psychology.

Chris Cameron-Kogler

Chris Cameron-Kogler comes from a moderate size city, Dieppe, New Brunswick, but he will soon be living in town that is roughly five times smaller. The difference in size won’t bother him, however, as he said that the close-knit feel of the small-town university appealed to him.

“I committed because of the coaches and players who welcomed me during my visit and how competitive and gritty the environment felt,” he said. “The coaches were extremely helpful and friendly throughout the entire process.”

While Cameron-Kogler played as a quarterback with the Moncton Purple Nights (New Brunswick High School Football League), the 6’2, 180lbs athlete will be a defensive back with the Axemen. He is interested in taking engineering.

Matthew Seftel

Wolfville, Nova Scotia is by no means a large town. It pales in comparison to the size of Toronto, Ontario, the hometown of Matthew Seftel. But, he said that he wanted to go to a small school with small class sizes.

“I chose to commit to Acadia because it was exactly what I was looking for. I wanted the chance to play football for a great, well-respected program, but also under a great coaching staff,” Seftel said. “The coaching staff seems great. From my brief time meeting Head Coach Cummins and Coach Shad, I knew that they were genuine and that they cared about their player and the program.”

What really caught his attention, however, was how much Wolfville loves their football. “Hearing that a school of 3000 students gets over 5000 to a Saturday afternoon game means the whole town is supporting the team, which sounded like a once-in-a-lifetime experience I didn’t want to miss,” Seftel said.

Seftel spent three seasons with the South East Football Association and is entering his fourth year with the Mississauga Warriors (OPFL). Standing at 6’1, 190lbs, he has also spent three high school seasons with the Runnymede Ravens (TDSB). In 2016, he received the Warriors ‘True Warrior’ award. Last year, he made it to the Top 100 camp of the Fox 40 Prospect Challenge. He has made the final roster for Team West this year.

“I knew that this was the right choice to further both my football career but also my education,” Seftel said, who will be taking kinesiology. “It really just seemed like the perfect fit for me.”