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X-Men defeat Huskies 20-17 on last second touchdown
Posted: Sep 20, 2025

X-Men defeat Huskies 20-17 on last second touchdown

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ANTIGONISH, NS - A last second touchdown pass gave the STFX X-Men a dramatic 20-17 win over the U SPORTS #6 ranked Saint Mary's Huskies in Atlantic University Sport football action on Saturday afternoon at STFX Stadium in Antigonish.

The X-Men opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 37-yard field goal by kicker Payton Plesh (Barrie, ON), but the Huskies responded two drives later with a 36-yard field goal from Adam Johnston (Rothesay, NB) to tie the game at 3-3.

Late in the quarter, STFX scored the first major of the game, with quarterback Silas Fagnan (Bonnyville, AB) finding receiver Zachary Houde (Falardeau, QC) who broke through the Huskies defence for an 80-yard touchdown score, giving the hosts a 10-3 lead after the first quarter.

Johnston's second 36-yard field goal of the day cut the X-Men lead to 10-6, with the X-Men adding a rouge off of a punt for a single point.

Late in the second quarter, the X-Men were moving downfield before Fagnan was picked off by Huskies defensive back Ryan Butler (Mississauga, ON) for his league-leading third interception of the season.

Butler's interception set up the Huskies with good field position, and running back Malik Williams (Ajax, ON) did the rest, rushing in to the end zone from nine yards out. Williams' AUS leading sixth rushing touchdown of the campaign gave the Huskies a 13-11 lead at the half.

The Huskies opened the third quarter with a safety to extend the lead to 15-11. In a defensive battle, big plays were hard to come by, but the Huskies found one when Justin Shibley (Ottawa, ON) connected with Cherokee Robinson (Halifax, NS) for a 44-yard gain in the third quarter, but the Huskies offence stalled out, forcing another punt.

With just over three minutes remaining, the Huskies forced another safety to extend the lead to 17-11, but quickly conceded a safety of their own, bringing the score to 17-13 with just over a minute remaining.

That's when the experienced Silas Fagnan won the game, scrambling for 21-yards before connecting with Payton Plesh for a 23-yard gain. The X-Men took a shot into the end zone, forcing a defensive pass interference penalty, and giving them the ball on the Huskies two-yard line with two seconds remaining, where Fagnan connected with Devaughn Blackwood (Kanata, ON) for the game winning score.

The Huskies offence was led by 103 total rushing yards led by running back Reece Wyke, who took nine carries for 41 yards, and Malik Williams, who had five carries for 29 yards and a touchdown. Saint Mary's struggled to find much success with the passing game, with Justin Shibley completing 17/25 passes for 168 yards and an interception, mostly to receivers Cherokee Robinson and Trydell Mintis who each caught three passes for 51 yards.

Defensively, the Huskies were led by linebacker Isaiah Okoli's 7.5 tackles, and Ryan Butler's 5.5 tackles and an interception. 

STFX was led by Silas Fagnan who completed 20/38 passes for 251 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, with Zachary Houde catching four passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. Malcolm Bussey paced the rushing game with 55 yards on 11 carries. 

The X-Men's defence was led by veteran linebacker Owen Watrych's 12.5 tackles, while defensive back James McGill had 2.5 tackles and an interception.

The Huskies and X-Men both stand at 3-1, as do the Bishop's Gaiters after four games played - Saint Mary's currently sits a top the standings with a +90 point differential, as they still lead the AUS in points scored (131) and points allowed (41).

The X-Men have a bye next weekend and will return to action on Friday, October 3, for their Homecoming game against the Acadia Axemen. Kickoff is 7:00 pm at STFX Stadium. 

The Huskies will be back on the road next weekend as they visit the Acadia Axemen (1-3) on Friday, Sept. 27 at 2 p.m. in Wolfville. Saint Mary's will be back on home field on Friday, October 3, as they host the Mount Allison Mounties for their homecoming game. GET TICKETS

Recap by Allan April / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
Photos by Bryan Kennedy / STFX Athletics