Axemen edge X-Men in pre-season football action

The StFX X-Men dropped a 19-15 decision to the Acadia Axemen in AUS pre-season football action Saturday at Oland Stadium in Antigonish, N.S.

The Axemen opened the scoring at 7:46 of the first quarter on a three-yard touchdown run by Thomas Troop.

The X-Men cut the deficit to 7-1 on a rouge, after a missed 32-yard field goal by kicker Jeremy Ford.

At 12:15 of the first quarter, the blue and white took an 8-7 lead – their only advantage of the match-up – when starting quarterback Clay Masikewich (7-11-188) connected with Devon Bailey on a 67-yard touchdown reception.

After soaring for the catch, Bailey broke away from his Axemen defender and raced to the end zone, bringing the Oland Stadium crowd to its feet.

With four seconds remaining in the second quarter, Axemen back-up Darcy Lavoie (5-8-48) found Jordan Koch for a three-yard touchdown toss, giving the visitors a 14-8 lead at halftime.

The Axemen extended their lead to 17-8 in the third quarter on a 22-yard Ryan Begin field goal.

After the X-Men conceded a safety early in the fourth quarter, the Axemen took a 19-8 lead.

On the final play of the game, X-Men rookie pivot Ryan Hosegood (4-7-39) found fellow freshman Zach Benson for a 25-yard major score. A Ford point after for the blue and white made the final score 19-15.

Hosegood was the fourth quarterback to play for the X-Men in the game. After Masikewich started for the X-Men, Tivon Cook (6-9-58) played the second quarter, followed by freshman Dante Djan (2-5-22).

Axemen starter Evan Brown was six-for-six for 61 yards, while third-stringer Cody Cluett contributed nine completions for 125 yards.

The X-Men rushed for 107 yards, led by freshman Ryan McGladdery, with 57 yards on four carries.

Zack Skibin led the Axemen with 39 of his team's 67 yards on the ground.

Through the air, rookie Keon Hughes led the X-Men with four catches (45 yards). Ten different receivers made catches for the blue-and-white attack.

For the Axemen, Jaylen King and Koch, with three apiece, had the most catches of the 10 Acadia players who made receptions.

On the defensive side, James Menzies and Patrick Mpuanga led the X-Men with four and 3.5 tackles, respectively. For the Axemen, Brandon Jennings (4.5) and Brett Backman (3.5) were the top tacklers.

The X-Men amassed 408 yards total offense, while the Axemen collected 301.  

The X-Men open AUS regular season play Saturday, Sept. 7, when they host the Mount Allison Mounties at Oland Stadium. Game time is 7 p.m.

The Axemen will visit the Saint Mary's Huskies Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. The Huskies defeated the Mounties 32-7 in Halifax in this afternoon's other AUS pre-season game.

Source: StFX Sports Information