Football Axemen kickoff season with 31-15 win over X

WOLFVILLE, N.S. - Sabastian Robinson's (Saskatoon, Sask.) two receptions for touchdowns in the fourth quarter lifted the Acadia Axemen to a 31-15 win over the StFX X-Men in the AUS season opening weekend at Acadia's Raymond Field.

Robinson's four receptions for 72 yards, including a 42 yard touchdown gallop with 1:27 remaining in the game, led the Axemen in the air, while Subway Player of the Game Thomas Troop spearheaded the ground attack with 145 net yards on 21 carries.

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The X-Men were the first on the scoreboard with a team rouge on the opening kickoff followed by a Christian Ridley (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) 14 yard reception for a touchdown with 1:55 remaining in the first quarter. Ridley capped off an 11 play drive of 75 yards to give StFX an 8-0 lead.

Acadia responded back with a team safety and seven play sequence that was finished by Eli Prochnau's (Cochrane, Alta.) one yard dive, tying the game at eight after six minutes of football in the second frame.

With just under three minutes remaining in the second half, Acadia took a 15-8 lead off of Prochnau's second plunge into the end zone. The convert that followed was blocked. The X-Men responded quickly on the next series with Ridley's second major of the afternoon when pivot Tivon Cook (Scarborough, Ont.) connected for a 13 yard pass to tie the game at 15 after the convert.

Rookie kicker Colin Murney (Waverly, N.S.) nailed his first field goal of this university career putting the ball between the uprights from 24 yards out at 11:19 of the third quarter.

In the final quarter, Sabastian Robinson's two majors pushed the game out of reach for StFX. Bright moments came from X-man Tivon Cook who was 28 for 35 for 250 yards and two touchdowns, while teammate Christian Ridley pulled in six passes for 66 yards. Veteran receiver Randy Roseway (Ottawa, Ont.) had a seven receptions for 59 yards and Donald Tabour (Dartmouth, N.S.) had a team high 69 yards on six receptions.

The Axemen out-gained StFX 390 net yards of offence to the X-Men's 264. Thomas Troop's 145 yards on the ground was part of the overall picture of success. The Acadia receivers accounted for 219 yards. Robinson led the way with 72 yards in receiving while teammates Eli Prochnau, Thomas Troop, Jaylen McRae (Boston, Mass.) and Brian Jones (Bedford, N.S.) pulled in 35, 42, 34 and 30 yards respectively. Axemen quarterback Cody Cluett (Cole Harbour, N.S.) was 14 for 23 attempts for 219 yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, AUS All-Star Drew Morris (Ottawa, Ont.) posted a game high nine solo tackles for Acadia, while X-Man Daniel Tshiamala (Kinshaha, Congo) had eight solos and five assists along an interception.

Acadia head coach Jeff Cummins was pleased with his team's effort. "It was a very close game in the first half as the score reflected but we made some adjustments offensively and on the offensive line that allowed us to run the ball effectively in the second half. Our defense played very well against a strong offense and I was proud of Cody Cluett who made his first CIS start as our quarterback. We gained a lot of positives from this win but there is plenty of work ahead."

The last time both teams met was in the AUS Semi-Final last season when StFX grabbed a win by a point in the dying seconds of the game off of a field goal.

The Axemen will visit the 1-0 incumbent AUS Champion Mount Allison Mounties in Sackville, N.B. next Saturday while the X-Men will host the winless Saint Mary`s Huskies in Antigonish, N.S..