Jake Thomas gets sack against McGill

WOLFVILLE, NS - Four Axemen football players will head to Toronto for the CFL E-Combine this coming March 4-6. Senior fourth year players include the AUS Most Valuable Player Kyle Graves (Barrie, ON), JP Metras Nominee and AUS Most Outstanding Lineman Jake Thomas (Douglas, NB), All-Star Offensive Lineman Tyler Honeywood (Oro-DeMonte, ON) and Brett Haenni (Midhurst, ON).

The four were invited to attend the evaluation camp that prepares CFL scouts for the ensuing CFL Draft on May 8.  Head Coach Jeff Cummins is thrilled to see as many as four attending. “In my 11 seasons we have had a handful of players attend the E-camp. This year we have a handful in one year… It’s rewarding to see our players recognized for all of the hard work they put in during the season and in the winter. I think all four very talented players are being given a great opportunity to fulfill their  boyhood dreams of playing professional football.”

Graves led the league in passing yards (1,856), completions (121), passing TD's (17) and punting average (36.7 yards per punt).

Kyle threw for over 300 passing yards on three occasions this year and added another 179 yards rushing on 32 attempts including a major on the ground. He also had a 29-yard touchdown reception in a week three win over the StFX X-Men.

His 17 passing touchdowns in 2011 were one shy of the Acadia school record of 18, set by former Axemen QB Larry Jusdanis in 1995.

Thomas wraps up his fourth season with the Axemen program with 17.5 career sacks, the second most in conference history.

The 2011 season saw Jake register 29.5 tackles, a forced fumble, a career-high 9.0 sacks and his 14.0 tackles for a loss led the Atlantic conference.

Thomas is excited with the opportunity of competing infront of the CFL scouts. "Being invited to the e camp is probably my biggest honour so far in my university career. It's a giant step forward to being able to hopefully one day playing in the CFL. Ever since being a child I have dreamed about playing in the CFL and winning the Grey Cup. Its going to be a great opportunity to expose myself to the CFL teams. It's really exciting going through the process with three other teammates, especially when it comes to all of the training and preparation that we have been doing together.

Tyler Honeywood and Brett Haenni are senior players in their draft year. While Haenni was injured for part of the season, the 6'1" 230 lbs. running back has attracted attention from the CFL scouting circles. Honeywood, who was an AUS All-Star offensive lineman this past season is one of the more athletic offensive linemen in the AUS and knows the game well, suiting himself up as a potential CFL centre.