StFX adds skill and speed to defensive core with two commits

St. FX adds an international and provincial commit to their team.

Defensive lineman Joshua Feaster from Holland College and defensive back Jordan Forrest from Charles P. Allen High School have taken different paths to reach the same place, the St. Francis Xavier X-Men.

Jordan Feaster

Jordan Feaster has come a long way to play football in Canada. Before settling in the Maritimes, he called Freeport, Grand Bahamas, his home.

“I chose to go to St. FX because of its high academic reputation and great football program, and it’s a nice, small town that reminds me of back home in the Bahamas,” Feaster said, who is interested in marketing.

Before playing football with the Holland College Hurricanes (Atlantic Football League), the 6’2, 265lbs athlete was terrorizing opponents on the rugby pitch. He also spent time in the Boys Youth Football league with the Warhawks.

“His time with the National Bahamian Rugby team has made his pursuit relentless and he very aggressive to the ball and hits and tackles with intensity,” Hurricanes’ head coach Ross Young, said of Feaster.

“It has been awesome teaching him the game of football, easy transition from rugby to ball,” Young added. “But like many of our Bahamian athletes, his natural athleticism and positive attitude allowed him to develop quickly.”

It’s not a stretch to say Feaster may not have much problems acclimatizing to St. FX football. “The coaching staff are great. They believe in culture like myself and they have a great program that I feel I can transition into smoothly,” he said.

“Feaster is a big, strong, fast athlete who can come off the edge with speed and ferocity. He is very coachable and his new teammates will find an easy friend in him,” Young said. “His coaches at X will enjoy working with him. He brings confidence and a winning attitude and will lead by example with his work ethic and relentless desire to make big plays.”

In his two seasons with the team, Feaster has received academic and athletic achievements awards. He was also a 2017 AFL all-star. “Josh was recognized as an all-star for his relentless pursuit and disruption in the opposing backfield and was a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks with his pass rush ability and quickness to the ball carrier,” Young said.

“He is a quick study to the game and will bring passion, ferocity and energy to X’s defense and will have the strength and quickness needed in the AUS to shut down opposing drives,” Young added. “Hurricanes Football wishes him well and we believe ST FX will be very happy to have him.”

Feaster has come a long way in his short football career, but he knows he couldn’t have done it without two very special people. “I would have never made it without the support of my parents, Ivan and Vanessa Feaster,” he said. “I owe them the world.”

Jordan Forrest

When Jordan Forrest joins the X-Men, he won’t have to change his wardrobe all that much. “I want to stick with my colours, the white and blue,” he said, having played with the blue and white clad Charles P. Allen Cheetah (Nova Scotia Athletic Federation Football League).

“I chose to commit to StFX because I know it’s an amazing program with a great coaching staff,” Forrest added. “They were very welcoming when I committed, and they made me feel like I was apart of the family and I haven’t even started playing yet. It’s a winning and dominating program.”

Forrest is a twin in a family of seven that hails from Bedford, Nova Scotia. “I wouldn’t be here without my mom. She’s helped me with everything to get to where I am,” he said.

Interested in law, the 5’11, 165lbs back also played with the Bedford Sackville Saints (Nova Scotia Football League). In 2015, he was a defensive MVP and a division one second-team all-star with the Cheetahs.

“My defensive back coaches, Nico Jordan and Ian Archibald, are the reasons I have the skills I have,” Forrest added. “They taught me a lot in my last year, which really helped me grow in the sport.”