MOUNTIES DEFEAT X — NOW HOST ACADIA IN AUFC SEMI-FINAL — Sat. Nov. 6
The Mount Allison Mounties prevailed 33-12 over St. Francis Xavier University at MacAulay Field in Sackville on Saturday, in a game that had plenty of implications for the home team. With the win, the Mounties locked up second place in the AUS standings and they will host the third-place Acadia Axemen in the AUS semi-final on Saturday, Nov. 6, in front of hometown fans at MacAulay Field. Game time will be 1:00 p.m.
Against the visiting X-Men, the Mounties opened the scoring when John Szilagyi kicked a 34-yard field goal on their first possession. Before the end of the first quarter the X-men took their first lead of the game when Corey Wensley connected with Andrew Hickey for an 11-yard touchdown.
Mount Allison answered back immediately on their next possession. Mount Allison started on its own 31-yard line and consecutive completions to Gary Ross, one for two yards, and the second for 33 yards, brought Mount A into STFX territory. The drive culminated with quarterback Jake Hotchkiss scampering nine yards for the touchdown to put the score at 10-7 Mount Allison. The only scoring of the second quarter came off a missed field goal by STFX's Anthony Alix. A rouge was recorded on the play bringing the score to 10-8 at half time.
STFX added another single point early in the third quarter and then took the lead 12-10 when Anthony Alix benefitted from strong winds at his back to nail a 44-yard field goal. The Mounties again answered back immediately, this time starting from their own 35-yard line. On the first play of the drive Gary Ross took a reverse handoff and made it 51 yards before being brought down at the STFX 24-yard line. Six plays later Mount A's Alonzo Howell ran it in from four yards out to give the Mounties a 17-12 lead.
With the wind at their back for the fourth quarter, the Mounties used key defensive plays to put the game out of reach, first with an interception by Ben Halpern giving the Mounties the ball back on the STFX 29-yard line. On the very next play Hotchkiss hooked up with Adam Molnar for a 30-yard touchdown to bring the score to 24-12 Mount Allison.
Three minutes later it was Callan Exeter's turn as he picked off Corey Wensley and returned the ball 43 yards all the way down to the STFX 9-yard line. From there Matt Pickett punched in the Mounties fourth touchdown of the day giving them a 31-12 lead. The Mounties added a safety before the end of the game, making the final score 33-12. Akwasi Antwi led the Mounties defensively with 10 solo tackles as Bradley Daye, Luke Ekoh, and Ben Halpern each contributed five solo tackles.
The win leaves the Mounties at 4-4 for the season and it gives Mount Allison their first four-win season since 1998. It also leaves the Mounties tied with Acadia for second place after the Axemen lost 21-0 to Saint Mary's in Wolfville. The Mounties, however, own the tie breaker over Acadia by virtue of their victory over Acadia on October 16th. The Mounties actually split the season series 1-1 with Acadia but had a better point differential.
Finishing in second place means that Mount Allison will host Acadia in the AUS semi-final on Saturday, November 6th at 1:00 p.m. at the MacAulay Field. It will be the first playoff game for the Mounties since 2008 and it will be their first home playoff game since 1998. The winner of the AUS semi-final will travel to Halifax to play Saint Mary's in the Loney Bowl on November 13th.