The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

IN his senior collegiate season, Demetrius Ferguson hopes to position himself for a career in pro football following his tenure with St Francis Xavier University X-Men.

The X-Men have opened with a 1-1 start in the Canadian Inter-University Sports standings recently, but Ferguson continues to emerge as a top flight defensive back in the league. He has racked up eight tackles and one fumble recovery on the young season thus far.

Ferguson made one of the key plays in the season opener to help the X-Men defeat St Mary’s University on the road in the Huskies Stadium for the first time in 16 years. He recovered a blocked punt and returned it to the St Mary’s eight-yard line.

The X-Men would go on to score on the drive and win 31-7. They fell in the second game of the season to the Mount Allison Mounties, 27-25. St Francis Xavier will try to get back in the win column when they face the Acadia Axemen on September 20.

In his sophomore season, Ferguson came to the X-Men and registered a career high 33.5 tackles, six passes broken up, one forced fumble, one half sack and an interception which he returned for a 78-yard touchdown.

As a junior, he finished with 20.5 tackles, three passes broken up, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and a career high three interceptions.

In a September 14 game against the Concordia Stingers, Ferguson had a career day. He finished with 4.5 tackles, one forced fumble, and two interceptions, one of which he returned for a 103-yard touchdown score. It was the second interception returned for a touchdown in Ferguson’s two year CIS career.

In his debut with the X-Men, Ferguson intercepted a pass midway through the third quarter which he returned for a 78-yard touchdown.

This year, 26 university teams are scheduled to play CIS football, the highest level of amateur Canadian football.

The X-Men are a member of Atlantic University Sport (AUS) – a regional membership association for the CIS.

Ferguson comes from a Holland programme which has become a pipeline for Bahamian football student athletes in Canada.

At Holland, he led the Hurricanes to an AFL Championship and won the Hilton Trophy as the team’s MVP after finishing with 10 touchdowns, including seven on kick returns, two on interceptions and one rushing, despite playing with a cast on his wrist this season.