The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE Acadia Axemen, and the strong Bahamian roster on its 2017 roster hope to rebound quickly from a lopsided opening week loss in Atlantic University Sport football.

The Axemen suffered a 64-23 loss to the Mount Allison Mounties on the road last weekend in Sackville, Nova Scotia.

The Axemen include junior wide receiver Eugene McMinns, junior offensive linemen Shelton Williams, and sophomore defensive back Arrien McDonald.

McMinns picked up where he left off in exhibition play and continues to establish himself as one of the leading receivers on the team in his return to the programme. In the team’s only preseason game he had two receptions for 85 yards and two touchdowns. In the season opener against Mount Allison, McMinns finished tied for the team lead with five receptions for 62 yards and one touchdown

His afternoon was highlighted when he caught a 24 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cody Cluett to cap a four play 90 yard drive. The score brought the Axemen’s deficit to 21-10 with 12:16 left to play in the first half. Three of his receptions in the game were for 10 yards or more.

Acadia struck first with a 26-yard field goal for the game’s first score, but it would be their only lead of the game. Mount Allison scored two touchdowns before the end of the quarter and took a 14-3 lead into the second. The also scored the first touchdown of the second quarter before Acadia answered with McMinns’ score. Mount Allison would go on to outscore Acadia by 16 in the quarter and took a 35-16 lead into the half.

The Mounties won the third quarter 14-7 and tacked on another another touchdown in the fourth for the game’s final margin.

Williams saw time as a reserve while McDonald did not make an appearance.

The Axemen will search for their first win of the season on September 2 when they face Bishop’s Gaiters in their first regular season game since joining the AUS last winter.

“We’re excited to get another season of Acadia Football underway! If we stay healthy and continue to improve throughout the season we will put ourselves in position for good things to happen. With a strong returning group and some talented rookies we feel like we will be an exciting team to watch in 2017,” said Axemen coach Jeff Cummins.

All of the Bahamian players on the Axemen roster spent two years with the Holland College Hurricanes before eventually transferring to Acadia.

The trio hopes to propel the Axemen to a bowl game after they narrowly missed an appearance in the Subway Loney Bowl in 2014, the season before they were recruited to join the programme.

Acadia is a member of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) and Atlantic University Sport (AUS). They hold more conference and national championships than any other university in Atlantic Canada and has the highest number of Academic All-Canadians for primarily undergraduate universities in the country.

In their history, the Axemen have appeared in four Vanier Cup national championships, winning two of those in 1979 and in 1981.

Recently, the Axemen had their most success in the 2005, 2006, 2011 and 2012 seasons, when the teams finished first in the AUS and reached the Uteck Bowl all four years.