Beauty, atmosphere of Wolfville bring 2 to Acadia

Acadia welcomes two Nova Scotia teammates to their Class of 2017.

Kicker Jarett Saumure and linebacker Zakria Dalloul from Sir John A. MacDonald High School have been teammates for quite some time. There is something special about continuing your journey with those you know and now the two will be heading to Acadia together.

Jarett Saumure

Jarett Saumure is already familiar with the aura of small towns. Hailing from Timberlea, Nova Scotia, the switch to Wolfville won’t come as much of a surprise. In fact, he is looking forward to it.

“The reason I picked Acadia is because I love the idea of being apart of the small town and the way that Acadia is incorporated into the community,” Saumure said.

It’s not just what the small-town setting has to offer that drew Saumure in. The environment the team operates in sparked his interest as well. “The positive atmosphere all around, coming from the coaches and the players, I feel will be a great motivator for me,” he said. “I’m very excited to be apart of Head Coach Cummings’s team.”

He added that his impression of Cummings is that he is not only a kind and good guy, but an even better coach. He is also excited to be working with a coaching staff that he said is well experienced in each position they coach.

Acadia isn’t only for football, however. The potential kinesiology student said that Acadia’s “high calibre” academics was a key factor in his decision.

Standing at 6’2, 185lbs, the kicker and punter has been playing football for nine years. He has played for Timberlea Titans minor football, the Timberlea Renegades (Nova Scotia Football League) and the Sir John A. MacDonald Flames (Nova Scotia Schools Athletics Federation). In 2016, he was a Division 1 all-star kicker.

“I’m very excited to be an Axeman next year. I can’t wait to start,” Saumure said. “I thank all my high school and minor football coaches for helping me develop into the player I am today.”

Zakria Dalloul

Much like his kicking counterpart, Zakria Dalloul was entranced by the school and town. “Acadia has a great campus and the town of Wolfville is beautiful,” he said. “During the tour, it was way better than I imagined.”

There was also a theme Dalloul noticed among the university’s personnel. “The coaching staff are amazing people. Cummings truly cares for the athletes and is always there to help, even if it’s about school or football. No matter what, the coaches are there to help in any situation,” he said.

The future biology student added that the professors are also caring and there to offer assistance. Dalloul, who said he loves studying life, is planning on using biology to enter the health sciences. He wants to further study the human body.

The 5’11, 190lbs eight-year veteran calls Beechville, Halifax, his home. He has suited up for the Timberlea Titans, the Renegades, the Sir John A. Flames and was a two-time Team Nova Scotia participant. In 2014, he was on the U17 team at the Spaulding Cup. The following year, he was on the U18 squad that played in the Football Canada Cup.

When Dalloul reaches Acadia, he will be hungry for a title. In grade ten, he was the Flames’ most improved player. But, throughout high school, his team never captured a championship win.