The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

FOLLOWING a record-setting season which resulted in a championship for the Holland College Hurricanes and a second consecutive team MVP award for Demetrius Ferguson, he prepares to move forward to the next phase in his gridiron career.

Ferguson has committed to St Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, for the upcoming fall 2012 Semester.

"St FX has a great business programme, one of the best I would say," Ferguson said in an interview with College Football Chat. "I'm studying marketing now at Holland College and would like to continue that at ST FX.

"I will continue my education in business marketing and excel in the classroom and on the football field. My spirit just took to X when I first visited the campus so I just went with my gut feeling, also with some help of friends and family. St FX football has a great football programme and I would love to be a part of that tradition.

St Francis Xavier is represented in the Atlantic University Sport conference by 11 varsity athletics teams.

In 1966, the X-Men Football team won the College Bowl (now the Vanier Cup) as top university football team in Canada.

The versatile Ferguson, who stands at 5'11 and weighs 190 pounds, played free safety, wide receiver, special teams (kick return, punt return) in his two years at Holland.

Last year, Ferguson was named most valuable player for the second consecutive year during the Holland College Hurricanes football club's annual awards banquet.

He received the Hilton Trophy after totalling 10 touchdowns, including seven on kick returns, two on interceptions and one rushing, despite playing with a cast on his wrist this season.

"This award was something I was looking forward to winning again. I set my goals and accomplished them. It was a very great season. It feels great to win the Hilton Trophy award for the second year in a row. I work hard all year in the off season and in training camp," Ferguson said.

"Achieving the MVP award and a championship showed me that all my hard work really paid off. I spend a lot of my time in the weight room and on the field running routes and doing footwork because in the weight room and on the field is where all the production begins. I built up and improved on my skills, built long term relationships with my fellow teammates and coaches, and we also won our first ever championship. I also enjoyed our fans and the great community and the support they give us because they attend every game that we host. Holland College is a good place to be and I enjoyed my past two years here."

Ferguson urged other young Bahamians to consider football as a viable alternative when seeking a sport to play at the high school and collegiate level because of the opportunities it can present.

"Holland College has a great programme and has opened many doors for me and many other players as well. It's a great place to develop and improve on your skills. Holland College is a gateway to many things and a place where a lot of Bahamians should explore and, for the young ones, football is an avenue they should walk through because it's a great sport and a way to get a higher and even better education, a college education that is," he said. "I've realized football is not that big at home but it should be. We should get more of our young kids more involved with football because it opens doors and, in our great country of the Bahamas, we have excellent talent here that people around the world should know about. "For me, football is a way out, it's a way from violence and way to a great education. One thing I remember from being a young kid was playing touch football with the big boys on the park through Taylor Street off East Street with family and friends, that was really the start of it all."