SACKVILLE, N.B. — The Mounties are on a roll and have their eyes set on the playoffs following a solid 23-12 win over the St. Mary’s Huskies in Halifax on Friday night.
The victory followed a 36-11 win over the St. FX X-Men a week earlier, and the team appears to have found a new offense, which emerged during a late comeback loss to Acadia Axemen prior to that.
And a major reason for this sudden upsurge in power has come from the brilliant running of Sackville’s own Jack Estabrooks, who wove, cut and slashed for 188 yards on 35 attempts from the tailback position. This added to the 148 yards he put up a week earlier, giving him 336 in two games and setting him apart from the other backs in the AUFC.
The former Titan star, who was named high school league MVP during his final season – mainly for his defensive play – took last year away from the game but says the pull of the sport was simply too great. He joined the Mounties in camp and has risen on the depth chart quickly to become the “stud” of the team, the man who gives his team an all new dimension.
During his time with the Titans, his main offensive contribution came in the 2017 finals against Moncton High when he came on in the fourth quarter to score a pair of touchdowns to seal the championship.
With the best defense in the conference and now with a diverse offense, the odds favour the Mounties reaching the finals for the first time in three seasons. They are receiving brilliant play from both the offensive and defensive lines, while the Cormier brothers continue to set the pace in the secondary with Lucas pulling off another interception on Saturday.
With another bye week, coach Peter Fraser will have extra time to prepare and have some of the injuries heal for Oct. 19 when they host Bishop’s Gaiters. Then they wrap their campaign with the final home game against the Acadia Axemen on the 26th. Wins in both may be necessary in order to reach the next round but the team has played well on Alumni Field and fans should be in for some treats.
But the Mounties still suffer especially in two areas – they have a tendency to find first gear until the second quarter and continue to take far too many costly penalties – actually they allowed 45 yards in penalties as the Huskies drove for their lone TD. Perhaps this may be partially due to the number of first-year starters in the lineup. But it has been proven that a team that wins plays the full 60 minutes.
On Saturday, the Mounties outplayed the Huskies in all departments, dominating on the statistical sheet. They led in first downs (23-12), in offensive yardage (336-207), rushing (237-199), and possession (35-25).
In addition to the display put on by Estabrooks, it was quarterback David Patry who ran for 42 yards, while Jelani Yorke led receivers with a pair for 57.
And it was in the turnover department that the winners continued their fine play. It began early when Lucas Cormier snared an errant pass, while Graeme Stevens and Skyler LeBlanc also pulled in an interception apiece. Vince Frangione, Aaron Rose and Marsall Esonpunwu each recorded a sack.
Huskie homecoming fans got to celebrate early as the Mounties conceded a safety early and then O’Brien notched their only TD to take a 9-0 edge.
The Mounties continued to struggle in the red zone until James Parker nailed a three-pointer and then Hunter Sturgeon scored from the 2 to give the Mounties a lead they never relinquished. It was Estabrooks and Parker handling the fourth quarter, scoring to bring home a key win.
The local squad is now playing solid football – better than for the past 3 to 4 years – and promise to provide aid in keeping Mount Allison in the number one rankings for time to come.
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