ANTIGONISH, NS – X-Men football head coach Gary Waterman announced the commitment of 15 recruits to the StFX football program for the 2013 season yesterday.
Coach Waterman will be welcoming offensive linemen Vernon Sainvil (Boston, MA) and Kris Butt (Ottawa), running back John Shields (Orillia, Ont.), and receivers Nolan O’Reilly (Chestermere, Alta.), Alex Dee (Fredericton), Quintynn Parsons (Halifax) and Nick Beale (Saint John) to the offensive side of the ball. While joining the X-Men defense will be defensive backs Ryan Baker (Calgary, Alta.) and Mitch Graves (London, Ont.), defensive ends Kyle Sovie (Kingston, Ont.), Scott Ferris (Ottawa) and Kaeto Okafor (Nigeria), defensive tackles David Bond (Antigonish) and Alex Penney (Shearwater, N.S.), and linebacker Aaron Brownlee (Kingston, Ont.).
“I am very pleased to announce the first wave of commits to the StFX football program,” said Waterman, who wrapped up his fourth season as X-Men head coach. “We had very specific needs in our recruitment this year and these young men embody all of the qualities that we are looking for in student-athletes. We are extremely excited to have them join our X-Men football family.”
Vernon Sainvil is a 6’6”, 315-pound offensive lineman from Boston, MA who played at Malden High School, and then with Holland College in P.E.I.
Kris Butt is a 6’2”, 270-pound offensive lineman from Ottawa, Ont. who has a great deal of football experience, playing at Mother Teresa High School, as well as with the Nepean Redskins and the Ottawa Myers Riders. He is a two-time NCAFA all-star.
Running back John Shields (5’10”, 200 lbs) played with the Huronia Stallions and Park Street Collegiate, and hails from Orillia, Ont.
Nolan O'Reilly is a 6’1”, 170-pound receiver from Chestermere, Alta. who played at Western Canada High School and with the Calgary Falcons midget program.
Six feet, 185-pound receiver Alex Dee played at Leo Hayes High School in Fredericton, NB and Lake Travis High School out of Austin, Texas. Alex was a 2012 NBIAA All-Star. Waterman notes,
Quintynn Parsons is one of three Nova Scotians amongst the X-Men recruiting mix. Hailing from Halifax, Quintynn is a 6’1”, 165 pound receiver who was the 2012 Scotia division offensive MVP at Halifax West High School. He also won the top special teams player award for the division.
Nick Beale (6’1”, 185 lbs) hails from Saint John, N.B. where he played receiver for Harbour View High School. A member of the 2012 U-18 Team New Brunswick, and a two-time NBIAA all-star, Nick is a dynamic athlete. Accordingly to Coach Waterman,
Ryan Baker is a 5’11”, 170 pound defensive back from Calgary, Alta. who played at Central Memorial High School.
Mitch Graves (6’2”, 180 lbs) is another defensive back to join the StFX squad. A native of London, Ont., he played at St. Thomas Aquinas High School.
Kyle Sovie is a 6’2”, 215 pound defensive end from Kingston, Ont. He played at Holy Cross Secondary School and also with the Kingston Grenadiers. Kyle was an OVFL all-star with the Grenadiers in 2011. Waterman mentions,
A native of Ottawa, Ont., Scott Ferris (6’3”, 225 lbs) is a defensive end who played with the Bel-Air Lions and the Ottawa Myers Riders. His Riders experience includes three seasons in the OVFL and this past season in the CJFL.
Defensive end Kaeto Okafor is 6’3”, 227 pounds and hails all the way from Nigeria, having played most recently with Holland College in PEI. Waterman comments,
David Bond is a local product from Antigonish, N.S. The 6’3”, 285 pound defensive lineman played with Dr. J. H. Gillis High School and was a member of the 2011 U-18 and 2010 U-17 Nova Scotian teams
Defensive lineman Alex Penney (6’4”, 265 lbs) comes from Shearwater, N.S. and played at Cole Harbour High School. Alex was an NSSAFFL all-star at multiple positions (DL and FB) in 2012.
Rounding out the defensive recruits is 6’1”, 225 pound linebacker Aaron Brownlee. Aaron is a native of Kingston, Ont. who played with the Kingston Grenadiers and Holy Cross Secondary School.
