Skillen out to beat the odds

StFX defensive star will attempt to play with torn ACL
By Monty Mosher, The Chronicle Herald

THE ST. FRANCIS XAVIER X-Men won’t have to look far for inspiration in Saturday’s AUS football championship game, at least if Dave Skillen has his way.

The fifth-year defensive lineman from Fredericton, the heart and soul of one of the best run defences in the country, will attempt to play in the Loney Bowl against the Saint Mary’s Huskies at Huskies Stadium despite tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in a game against the Bishop’s Gaiters on Oct. 17.

It is an injury that will probably need surgery when the season is over, and that would likely preclude any hopes of landing a CFL deal in the spring. He went to training camp last year with the Montreal Alouettes.

Since his university career would end Saturday with a loss to the favoured Huskies, and his immediate pro prospects are dim with or without surgery, he’d rather have his football season end on the field than on the sidelines.

It’s more than a fantasy. The six-foot-three, 240-pound end practised Monday with the help of a new knee brace and convinced head coach Gary Waterman that he just might be able to beat the odds and play against SMU in their third straight Loney Bowl matchup.

Skillen said it’s all about winning the AUS before his time runs out in Antigonish.

"I’ve been here five years and that’s been the goal all along," the 22-year-old Skillen said Tuesday. "I’m playing for my fifth-year guys; I’m playing for the first-year guys. I’ve been with this team so long I just want to finish it out the way we should finish."

He took the brace out of its box Monday and strapped it on for the first time. The team only conducted non-contact drills.

"I did some drills and it felt pretty good," he said. "So it’s one day at a time. If I get through this week with no problems then I should be good to go."

Waterman’s assessment was succinct. If Skillen can go, he’ll write his name on the roster.

He liked what he saw on Monday. "I was very happy with his movement."

He’s not surprised Skillen won’t quit.

"Of course I thought he was being the eternal optimist, but he said this all along," said Waterman. "I know he’ll put everything on the line. I knew he was getting a brace, but I didn’t think he would be able to move as well as he’s moving."

Skillen helped the X-Men to a 5-0 start. He had 27 tackles, 3.5 sacks and eight tackles for a loss when he went down untouched on a special teams’ play in the second quarter of the Bishop’s game, which ended in 33-12 defeat.

"I was playing on an injured calf, so when I made a cut on special teams to make a tackle my knee gave out because it had no support from the calf," he said.

Pain is not the enemy, though he has some. The issue now is between the ears.

"I can deal with the pain. It’s more mental. It’s the barrier of not being on it for three weeks. It’s really stable with the brace, but it’s just getting over that mental block that it’s not what it used to be. That’s the toughest part."

Waterman said any Skillen is better than none.

"He doesn’t have to be 100 per cent of himself," he said. "If he can be 80 per cent of himself absolutely he can help us. Definitely there would be an emotional lift on the defence."