Huskies on a roll

Palardy sets record with four field goals in victory over Acadia

By MONTY MOSHER Sports Reporter

October 31, 2009

TRURO’S Justin Palardy has another AUS football record thanks to four field goals and the Saint Mary’s Huskies are rolling into the post-season.

The CIS No. 6 Huskies clipped the Acadia Axemen 21-7 Friday night before a drowsy 1,800 at Huskies Stadium for a 7-1 regular-season record and a seven-game winning streak. The Axemen enter the playoffs 2-6.

In Friday’s other regular-season finale, the St. Francis Xavier X-Men toppled the Mount Allison Mounties 31-18 at Oland Stadium. St. F.X. finished 6-2 and the Mounties 0-8.

Neither game had a bearing on the post-season positions. Acadia visits St. F.X. for the conference semifinal next Saturday at 1 p.m.

The semifinal winner faces the Huskies on Nov. 14 at Huskies Stadium for the Loney Bowl and the right to represent the conference in the Uteck Bowl against the Canada West champion.

The Huskies were anxious to get in some work and get out healthy. The starting offence played into the fourth quarter with quarterback Jack Creighton completing 19-of-26 for 219 yards.

"It’s a half-and-half kind of game," said head coach Steve Sumarah. "Overall, the biggest thing about a game like tonight is just getting through it. I think we’re reasonably healthy and that’s the main thing."

The team with the bye has never lost the championship game since the format began in 2002.

The SMU defence had four sacks, two by Jeff Hecht, and eight tackles for losses.

Palardy booted three field goals in the first half as the Huskies built an 18-0 lead. His third field goal of the half, a 23-yarder with 35 seconds on the clock, gave him his 22nd field goal of the season, passing former Axemen Jim Direnzo.

Palardy, four for five against the Axemen, is 23-of-27 this year and will start the 2010 season five from the CIS record of 70 owned by Western’s Frank Jagas. Palardy broke the AUS record for field goals in a career, along with all-time records for converts and scoring, earlier in the year.

The Huskies used Tristan Jones and Craig Leger as their running backs with Devon Jones out with a three-game suspension for a hit in last week’s game against St. F.X. The Huskies will have their appeal heard on Monday.

Salmon River’s Leger answered with a big game, sprinting for 119 yards on 14 carries. Tristan Jones added 92 on 12 carries, some out of the wildcat formation for the first time.

"I thought Craig and Tristan ran the ball really well and I thought Reed (Anderson) did a really good job at fullback helping us out," he said. "We had some young guys on the offensive line and I thought they held their own."

SMU defensive back Mark Holden said the Huskies needed work on both sides of the ball and the Axemen gave them a fight.

"We took the week seriously, just like it was any other week," said the Halifax native, with an interception in the first half. "Acadia is a good team and hopefully we got better going into the bye week."

The Axemen were looking for some positives to take into Antigonish.

"I think we played pretty well," said Acadia running back Brett Haenni, with 80 yards on 11 carries. "We’re hitting a high note going into next week."

Acadia led 5-0 after the first quarter on a conceded safety and a 16-yarder from Palardy.

Leger broke a 65-yard run in the second quarter, leading to Tristan Jones’s two-yard dive for a 12-0 lead at 5:37. Austin MacLennan’s pickoff and return to the Axemen 29 led to another Palardy boot from 31 yards at 8:14.

Acadia put together a good drive in the fourth quarter and finally got rewarded when scrambling pivot Kyle Graves, part of Acadia’s two-QB rotation, ran in from the four at 6:21.

The Huskies put it out of reach shortly after when the Axemen fumbled inside their 30. Palardy followed the turnover by stroking his fourth field goal from the 37 at 9:15.

X-Men 31, Mounties 18 — Under the new lights at Oland Stadium, Mount Allison receiver Gary Ross, now the clear front-runner for a Hec Crighton nomination, broke two AUS records and added to another on what may have been his final varsity game.

Ross caught 11 passes for 156 yards, breaking the previous marks for receptions and yardage in a career held by former Acadia slotback Grant Davy. Ross, who hopes to be in dental school next year, has 172 catches and 2,582 yards in his four years with the Mounties.

He added to his single-season record for catches he broke last week. He finished the year with 60 for 818 yards.

X-Men tailback James Green had his best rushing game of the season, sprinting for 109 yards and a 16-yard touchdown. Steve Snyder, Sean Atkins and Jeremy Mraovic also added short touchdown runs.

X-Men receiver Akeem Foster caught six passes for 146 yards.

Mount A quarterback Jake Hotchkiss threw for 308 yards.