Obviously operating on the premise that you can’t have too many players, the Acadia football Axemen recently announced the commitment of another wave of recruits for 2013.
The list includes 15 players – three offensive linemen, three running back/fullbacks, two defensive linemen, two linebackers, two defensive backs, two receivers and one quarterback – bringing the number of recruits announced this off-season to 39.
The O-linemen are Alexander Dodier, 6’4”, 250, from Montreal, who formerly played with Champlain College; Sean Biard, 5’11”, 260, also from Montreal; and Ricardo Martins, 6’2”, 2675, from Oakdale, CT.
The D-linemen are Jesiah Hathaway, 6’6”, 300, from Dartmouth; and Nathan Conway, 6’2”, 255, from Souris, PEI.
The running backs are Andrew Wilson, 6’, 215, from Calgary, a fullback as well as a linebacker; Dylan Hebert, 5’11”, 185, a running back from Sault Ste. Marie, ON; and Tanner Cook, a 6’2”, 235-pound fullback from Moosomin, SK.
The linebackers are Taylor Barclay, a 5’11”, 215-pounder from Tottenham, ON; and Sheldon McDonald, a 6’1”, 220-pounder from Kelowna, BC.
The defensive backs are Adam Evans (6’1”, 185) from Niagara Falls, ON, who joins his elder brother Josh at Acadia; and Ben Wallace (6’3”, 190) from Regina, SK.
The receivers are Jaylen King (6’, 180), a receiver/returner from Ottawa; and Ian Lee (6’3”, 180) from Winnipeg.
Last but certainly not least, the quarterback recruit is Liam McCorquodale, a 6’2, 200-pounder from Calgary who will join returnee Evan Brown and fellow recruit Darcy Lavoie in the mix to replace the graduated Kyle Graves.
Brown, who backed up Graves in 2012, would likely be considered the favourite for the position entering camp, but both McCorquodale and Lavoie come highly regarded and will both be looking to push the veteran for playing time.
The football Axemen, AUFC champions the past two seasons, expected to lose 14 players this year through either graduation or having used up their eligibility.
The two positions most affected were receiver and the offensive line, which both lost four players, including key starters Tyler Honeywood and Wade Conrad and all-Canadians Colin Murray, Taylor Renaud and two-time all-Canadian Mike Squires.
At the same time, those two positions were already among the deepest on the squad. The Axemen have 10 offensive linemen returning, along with nine committed recruits. At receiver, there are 11 returnees and seven committed recruits.
Other significant departures this off-season, in addition to Graves, include fullback Brett Haenni, defensive lineman Jerrett Laycock, linebacker Ed McNally and all-Canadian defensive back Cam Wade.
