No program in AUS football has more Loney Bowl victories than the Halifax-based Saint Mary’s Huskies. The storied school’s 23 conference titles are six more than any other, and their back-to-back Vanier Cup titles in 2001 and 2002 mark the last time an Atlantic school has brought home a national title. They’re also the last team from the AUS to advance to the big game, doing so in 2007.
Head coach Steve Sumarah knows all about the program’s legacy. Born and raised in Halifax, he was on Blake Nill’s SMU staff as offensive coordinator from 1998-2005, and later became the head coach from 2006-11. Over that 14-year span, the Huskies won ten AUS Championships, played in five Vanier Cup Championships, and won back-to-back Vanier Cups in 2001 & 2002.
After ten years as head coach at Carleton, Sumarah came home in 2022, taking the reigns as bench boss once more. With a strong culture and well-instilled values, the Huskies have steadily returned to playoff contention. In 2024, they had their best regular season result since 2018 (4-4), winning their first post-season game in eight years along the way.
One of the keys to SMU’s success in 2024 was their ground game. Utilizing a versatile backfield, the Huskies rushed for a combined 1,161 yards, while averaging 145.1 yards per game.
Eight different student-athletes ran the rock a year ago, led by veteran Malik Williams’ 435 yards and six scores, the latter of which tied for second in the AUS.
Williams, a 6’1”, 225-pound bruiser back, enters his final season with SMU in 2025. An East-West Bowl selection in 2024 with 1,232 career rushing yards for the program, he’s been a key piece during the Huskies’ rebuild, hungry to help the school take the next step towards their former glory.
“I heard a lot about Saint Mary’s, and how they used to be a powerhouse back in 2001, 2002 and winning Vanier Cups. It opened up my eyes at the time to saying yes I want to commit here,” said the Ajax, Ont. native and two-time OVFL All-Star.
“[The progression] started way before last year. It started two or three years ago. [Sumarah] would always talk about how we need to trust the process. Even if the process is slow, eventually you will get there. We started to see that a lot last year. When Sumarah first got there, a lot of us were really young, first or second-year guys. As the process went on, we just kept elevating our game. Every time we went on the field, we got better, eventually making it to those big games.”
‘Everyone elevates each other’
Saint Mary’s showed exceptional resiliency all throughout 2024. They didn’t lose any contest by more than seven points, building week by week into a title contender.
Needing a touchdown in double overtime against Acadia in Week 2, they answered the call, eventually winning 41-33 in triple OT. Then, in Week 7 against Mount Allison, they came from behind with 3:26 to play, marching 76 yards in 1:54 to secure a 15-8 win.
Two weeks later in the AUS semi-finals against St. FX, a tight-knit SMU squad overcame the X-Men 21-17, earning their first victory over the then three-time defending AUS champions in five years.
“We just wanted the rush of winning all of the time. From the first X game where we lost by two, we built up our confidence more and more, which led to the championship game,” said Williams.
“It definitely opened our eyes as a unit, that if we put our mind to something, nothing can stop us at the end of the day, if we’re all working together as a unit.”
The ground game was particularly critical in all three victories noted above.
Against Acadia, SMU rushed for 265 yards, paced by sophomore Nicholas Park’s career-high 137. In the tilt against the Mounties, Williams went off for a career-high 132 yards, while two-time CJFL All-Canadian Reece Wyke added a season’s best 95, along with 74 more against the X-Men in the semis.
With their core at running back intact, expect the Huskies to be a force on the ground once again in 2025.
Along with Williams, Wyke and Park, power back Liam Legge added 135 yards, including 82 against Acadia in the triple OT win, while third-year Eric Henderson is another player to keep an eye on.
No matter who’s running the rock, the unit are supportive of each other. They’re constantly “picking each other’s brains,” learning and growing along the way.
“Every practice and every game we push each other constantly to try and be better. As a collective, when we’re at the top of our game, everyone else is at the top of their game,” Williams – nicknamed ‘beef’ because of his powerful downhill running style – said of the team’s rushing attack.
“Being around guys like Reece and Nick and Liam and Eric and all those guys, everyone brings a different piece to the game in terms of running styles. Me, I’m more of a power back, and Liam is like me, he’s a power back as well. Those other guys are a bit shiftier than me. When you see them do their thing on the field, it excites you to try and do better. Everyone elevates each other. We learn certain moves and stuff and we practice those. Coach basically makes us like one person at the end of the day in terms of our mindset.”
Balancing football, academics, and volunteer work, Huskies running back Malik Williams earned a 3.91 GPA in commerce during the 2023–24 school year. Photo: David Cox/Huskies
That all-for-one mindset extends to the offensive line, where a collective of rising stars – the core of whom are in their second or third year of eligibility – will continue to pave the way in 2025.
The likes of 6’7”, 270-pound Jackob Branton, 6’4”, 350-pound Dalton Cox, 6’4”, 270-pound Kiernan MacDonald, 6’5”, 315-pound Cailob Allaby, 6’2, 260-pound Jake Debow, 6’4”, 300-pound Evan Reece, 6’5”, 305-pound Declan Howe, 6’8”, 340-pound Omar Hashw, 6’1”, 330-pound Braydon Schryer and 6’3”, 315-pound Lukas Thomson are among the notable returnees.
“We’re all young. Last year, our O-line were mostly in their second year. They’re basically all fresh. As the season went on last year, we kept on getting stronger and getting that chemistry,” added Williams.
“When we first started, we didn’t really know each other. As the games went on, we got more and more confident as a unit. As we’ve gone on, all of us have had the mentality of being like a family that can’t be broken at all. They’re just all joyful and cheerful. They always make you feel like family. Being around those guys, we feel like a brotherhood. If one of them go down, it feels like a stab to the chest. You just want to fight for them.”
‘I get that same rush when I give back to the community’
Under the leadership of Sumarah, Saint Mary’s success on the field has been married by immense productivity in the classroom and a dedicated commitment to the community.
In March, members of the football program were among the 120 student-athletes who helped raise a record $27,000 for Special Olympics through the annual MotionalballU event.
Individually, Williams earned the AUS Student Athlete Community Service Award, giving his time to various food banks and shelters, while also lending his athletic expertise with the Bauer First Shift program – helping new-to-hockey families find the proper gear.
Additionally, Williams was amongst the volunteers at the Progress Pride Flag Raising at the Province House, as well as on North Preston Day – a day in North Preston where the community comes together to celebrate their history and each other.
He has also spent time at Mission Mart thrift stores sorting out clothes, as well as with the Nova Scotia Guard handing out brochures and answering questions. More recently, a couple months ago when Williams was back home in Ontario, he helped one of his old coaches with a pancake drive for a school. Williams interacted with the students and met with teachers, engaging and learning their stories.
“You may not think it’s a lot, but to kids, especially being younger, it just makes their world. That’s part of why I like giving back to the community. It feels like a rush sometimes, helping out others,” said Williams.
Heading into his fourth year with the Huskies, Williams is the leader of the offence-by-committe backfield, recording six of the team's 12 rushing scores on the season in 2024. Photo: David Cox/Huskies
“I almost love giving back to the community as much as football. It gives you that same rush. When you go on the football field and you hit someone or make a big play, you get that dopamine rush. I get that same rush when I give back to the community and help others out, knowing that you can support someone, just so that they can feel happier no matter what they’re going through.”
Williams credits Sumarah for helping affirm his passion for leadership and community involvement.
“Coach Sumarah, he started this thing called the Pride Program. It basically combines community, school and football. Before then I wasn’t really a community guy. Once the program started, it opened my eyes to giving back to the community. Once you do that, you see a lot. From that Pride Program, I started helping out all the time. I felt like it was the right thing to do.”
The Huskies will open their season at home on Friday night with a tilt against the Acadia Axemen.