It’s not always a good thing when defensive backs are two of the top three tacklers on a football team, but that was the case Saturday when the St. Francis Xavier X-Men dropped a 31-15 decision to Acadia in the opening game of the Atlantic conference university season in Wolfville, N.S.

In this particular case, the two DBs in question are both graduates of the Kingston Grenadiers.

Hayden Peters, the Sydenham High School grad in his fourth year at St. F.X., had eight solo tackles in the game, he sacked the quarterback once and intercepted a pass. Dylan Bell, the former Grenadiers quarterback from Brockville beginning his second season in Antigonish, had five solo tackles in the losing cause. He also forced a fumble and broke up a pass.

The X-Men were tied 15-15 at halftime, but surrendered three unanswered touchdowns in the second half.

Three other former Grenadiers are in the X-Men program: freshman quarterback Dylan Fisher, a Sydenham grad, and first-year DL Tristan Grosman, from Holy Cross, and offensive lineman Tyler Priest, the former Frontenac Falcon who is in his second year at X.

Three former Gaels are on the coaching staff. Bob Mullen is the defensive co-ordinator, Bob Howes tutors the defensive linemen and long snappers, and Jim Daley, the former Ottawa Gee-Gees coach who for many years coached in the CFL, is the special teams co-ordinator.