2019 East-West Bowl Standouts

The 2019 East-West bowl class had been working hard all week long with practices, walkthroughs, meetings, and film sessions. After much anticipation from fans and media alike we finally got to watch the clash of the titans we had been waiting for all week.

Team East versus Team West, some of the best football talent in U SPORTS and the game did not disappoint.

The first half was a closely contested game, team West opened the scoring with York Lions RB Kayden Johnson finding the end zone on a 6-yard run. Team East answered shortly after with a touchdown of their own from Sherbrooke Vert et Or running back William Tremblay-Harnois. Team East added a 21 yard field goal from St.FX X-Men kicker Kieran Burnham and held a 10-7 lead for most of the second quarter. In the dying seconds of the first half team West QB Des Catellier found his University of Manitoba teammate Macho Bockru, who made an incredible catch for the touchdown in the back corner of the end zone. Bockru’s touchdown gave team West a 14-10 lead at half time. Team West started to dominate in the second half of the game. After receiving the kickoff to start the second half, team West scored on their first drive. Team West QB Adam Sinagra found Waterloo Warriors WR Tyler Ternowski in the end zone for the touchdown, giving team West a 21-10 lead over team East.

The second half of the game was all Team West. Guelph Gryphons receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker added a touchdown reception and Waterloo Warriors RB Dion Pellerin powered in a touchdown on the ground. With just under 5 minutes remaining in the game Team East found the end zone to cut into the Team West lead. Acadia Axemen QB Hunter Guenard hit UBC Thunderbird’s WR Trey Kellogg for a touchdown. Unfortunately for team East the late game push was not enough to derail team West. Defeating Team East 35-17, Team West earned their fourth consecutive East-West bowl victory.

Team East MVP: Trey Kellogg

Team West MVP: Adam Sinagra

STANDOUTS

The East-West Bowl is a great opportunity for fans and media to get an early look at some of the most talented names and rising stars in U SPORTS Football. The East-West Bowl also provides the players with a great opportunity to showcase their talents and put their talent to tape. While team West did dominated the game, we can’t let that take away from the fact that each team’s roster was loaded with plenty of talented football players. Here are a few names that had great games yesterday and really stood out.

WR Kian Schaffer-Baker - Guelph Gryphons - Team West

While the talk all week about a receiver to watch was centred around Waterloo product Tyler Ternowski, it was Gryphon’s receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker who stole the show.

Schaffer-Baker was his Quaterbacks best friend in Saturday’s action. Schaffer-Baker was the most targeted (6) receiver for team West hauling in 5 receptions for 126 yards. One of his 5 receptions included QB Adam Sinagra connecting with Schaffer-Baker deep downfield. Schaffer-Baker facing down a defender, put his foot in the ground, made a nice cut and made his way to the end zone for a 46 yard touchdown reception.

The Mississauga, ON native who is listed at 6’4” showed on Saturday that he has the size, speed, hands, and ball skills to be a dominant receiver in the OUA for the 2019 U SPORTS season.

DB Marc-Antoine Dequoy - Montreal Carabins - Team East

After seeing him in practice throughout the week I had a feeling Dequoy was poised to have a big day in Saturday’s game. The one thing you notice about Dequoy right away is his length, Dequoy is listed at 6’3”. Dequoy is a long DB with a smooth backpedal, fluid hips, quick feet, and unbelievable range and closing speed. He is also a physically imposing DB who can be very disruptive to the route running path of slot receivers with his jamming skills. Dequoy finished Saturday’s game with 2 tackles an interception and a fumble recovery. Dequoy also showed he can be a good special teams player, a very important asset to have on tape for a player looking to make the jump to the next level.

Dequoy spent his reps Saturday lined up at cornerback and halfback however, it would have been nice to see him take reps at safety which could be more of a natural position fit for Dequoy at the CFL level. Dequoy had a great game Saturday, I’m excited to watch him in the RSEQ this upcoming season.

RB Dale Wright - Acadia Axemen - Team East

Dale Wright was a player I had on my Names to Know list and a name I absolutely had to bring back for this list after his performance in Saturday’s game. The unfortunate and inevitable reality of the East-West Bowl is the fact that reps do get limited. There is a lot of great talent and every player wants a chance to put reps on tape to show off their talent.

Wright made the most of his opportunity. Wright finished the day with 7 carries, lead the game in rushing with 88 yards and caught his only pass target for a 5 yard gain. In the second quarter Wright made one of the most head turning plays of the day. It was 1st and 10 on team East’s own 12 yard line Wright took a handoff in the backfield stuck his foot in the ground and made a cut to the outside. With nothing but green field in front of him Wright turned on the jets and burned team West for a 63 yard run. Wright was one of the best players on the field for team East and definitely one of the best RBs on the field at the 2019 East-West Bowl. A powerful runner with great burst, I expect Wright to have another big year in 2019 U SPORTS season.

OL Dylan Giffen - Western Mustang’s - Team West

Team West only gave up 3 sacks all game to team East, a team loaded with plenty of talented pass rushers. The Strathory, Ontario native played a large part in the protection of both QB Adam Sinagra and Des Catellier for team West Saturday. Giffen was an absolute force this weekend in the trenches for Team West.

Giffen who is listed at 6’8” is a very powerful blocker with great technique and menacing size. Giffen is a mauler who was rarely caught out of position in Saturday’s game. Giffen showed incredible reactionary skills in response to the variety of pass rush moves and stunts he faced. Giffen has pro caliber size and skill to be a legitimate CFL Draft selection in 2020. With his impressive size, technique, and instincts Giffen is surely going to be one of the most dominant offensive linemen in the OUA, if not the entirety of U SPORTS this season.