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Huskies clinch first place, homefield advantage with 26-10 win over X-Men
Posted: Oct 24, 2025

Huskies clinch first place, homefield advantage with 26-10 win over X-Men

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HALIFAX, NS – The Saint Mary's defence posted another dominant performance, forcing three turnovers, with captain Isaiah Okoli recording 8.5 tackles on his senior night, leading the Huskies to a commanding 26-10 win over the STFX X-Men on Friday night at Huskies Stadium.

It was senior night for the Huskies, as they honoured 17 graduating student athletes – #4 Malik Williams, #5 Ryan Butler, #7 Brett Maisonneuve, #8 Kallon Edwards, #9 Trydell Mintis, #10 Allan Young, #13 Chad Enwright, #21 Kade Smith, #33 Isaiah Okoli, #38 Zachary Chiarotto, #47 Matthew Schill, #57 Liam MacDonald, #66 Omar Hashw, #74 Braydon Schryer, #81 Alexis Martin-Ferland, #83 Samuel Duquet and #85 Sebastian Howard – before their final regular season game at Huskies Stadium.

It was a defensive battle to begin the game, with neither scoring team finding points on the opening few drives, as the defences were ready for the first-place showdown. That included a big sack by Huskies defensive back Onochie Amuta (Scarborough, ON).

Late in the first quarter, the Huskies found some running room, with running backs Malik Williams (Ajax, ON) and Liam Legge (Stewiacke, NS) breaking off quality runs to push Saint Mary's into X-Men territory. The X-Men defence stopped the drive, but Huskies kicker Adam Johnston (Rothesay, NB) made a 29-yard field goal to give the hosts a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The X-Men battled back with a long drive, with workhorse running back Malcolm Bussey (Hammonds Plains, NS) taking six carries for 39 yards, and a circus catch by receiver Devaughn Blackwood (Kanata, ON) on a pass that ricocheted off a Huskies defenders knee. That set up a two-yard rushing touchdown for Bussey, with kicker Tyson Heather (Airdrie, AB) making the extra point to give the X-Men a 7-3 lead with 14:15 to play in the second quarter.

But that would be STFX's last and only lead of the night, as the Huskies defence took over. After a three-and-out, the Huskies regained possession off of an interception by Aidan Simpson (Pickering, ON).

The Huskies were unable to capitalize off that interception, but another big play from the defence got the ball back as Matthew Schill (Indian Head, SK) stripped X-Men receiver Sam Taylor (Milton, ON), with Aidan Simpson recovering the fumble.

On the ensuing drive, quarterback Justin Shibley (Ottawa, ON) found receiver Joshua Jack (Brampton, ON) for a 16-yard gain, before Malik Williams finished it off with his AUS league-leading 11th rushing touchdown of the campaign, giving the Huskies a 10-7 lead.

Another big defensive play from the Huskies saw senior Alexis Martin-Ferland (Ile Bizard, QC) block a punt, giving the Huskies excellent field position late in the second quarter.

Saint Mary's added to their tally with kicker Andre Landry (Quispamsis, NB) nailing a 39-yard field goal, giving the Huskies a 13-7 lead going into halftime.

The third quarter began with a big play for the X-Men as quarterback Silas Fagnan (Bonnyville, AB) completed a 40-yard pass to receiver Devaughn Blackwood, leading to a 31-yard field goal from Tyson Heather to cut the lead to 13-10.

But the Huskies responded several drives later, with a trio of receptions from Cherokee Robinson (Halifax, NS) helping to set up a 26-yard field goal for Adam Johnston, extending the lead to 16-10.

The Huskies defence continued to dominate with a sack from defensive lineman Romareo Reid (Calgary, AB), followed by a huge hit from seniors Isaiah Okoli (Surrey, BC) and Kallon Edwards (Toronto, ON), and the Huskies took a 16-10 lead into the fourth quarter.

Early in the fourth, receiver Chandler Zinck-Marier (Bridgewater, NS) had a highlight worthy play as he danced through defenders on his way to an 18-yard catch and run.

That set up another field goal for Andre Landry, this time from 36-yards out, extending the Huskies lead to 19-10.

Saint Mary's defence kept on pushing with another sack from defensive linemen Westley Johnsen-MacDuff (Edmonton, AB) and Jahmari Brown (Oshawa, ON).

With under two minutes remaining, the Huskies regained possession and iced the game, moving the chains with back-to-back catches by Joshua Jack, before Liam Legge broke out for a 32-yard rushing touchdown, extending the hosts lead to 26-10.

It was only fitting that the Huskies defence finished the game with another highlight reel play, as defensive back Keyshawn Beswick (Surrey, BC) made an incredible interception to ice the 26-10 victory.

Huskies senior captain linebacker Isaiah Okoli was named Player of the Game with a game-high 8.5 tackles and a pass break-up - Okoli finishes his regular season career second all-time in career tackles with 162.5 tackles recorded over 38 regular season games. The Saint Mary's defence also recorded two interceptions from Aidan Simpson and Keyshawn Beswick, three sacks from Onochie Amuta, Romareo Reid and Westley Johnsen-MacDuff, and a forced fumble from Matthew Schill.

"The mix of emotions, being a fifth year senior and knowing this was a must win game for home field in playoffs, there were a lot of stakes on the line and we stepped up as a team," said Okoli post-game. "As much as I'm excited to celebrate Senior Night for myself and the other guys, it's really about setting the standard for the guys going forward. What you saw today was the standard for this defence, it's what we expect to do and we performed."

Offensively the Huskies were paced by the rushing attack of Malik Williams (13 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown) and Liam Legge (14 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown). Justin Shibley completed 16/23 passes for 124 yards, with Cherokee Robinson leading the way with five receptions for 50 yards. All purpose threat Chandler Zinck-Marier racked up a total of 111 yards, finishing the regular season as the AUS leader with 1113 all-purpose yards.

With the win, the U SPORTS #6 ranked Huskies improve to 7-1 on the season, locking up first place and home field throughout the AUS Playoffs. The Huskies will host the fourth-seeded Acadia Axemen (2-5) in the AUS Semifinal on Saturday, November 1, at 2 p.m. at Huskies Stadium. GET TICKETS

The X-Men loss drops their record to 5-3 on the campaign. STFX have secured the two-seed and will host the third-seeded Bishop's Gaiters (4-3) on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 3 p.m. in Antigonish, N.S.

Recap by Allan April / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
Photos by Mona Ghiz / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics