CIS East West Bowl Wrap-up: Crapigna the difference, Thibault electrifying

On an overcast Saturday afternoon, the East West players took the field at TD Waterhouse in London, Ontario. With the music playing and fans filing in, the players took part in their pregame warm-ups and rituals. Scouts from all over graced the field ready to watch the elite compete in what promised to be an eventful game. The East West Bowl pits the best players 2014 draft eligible players from the CIS against one another to showcase the finest talent Canadian Universities have to offer. With kickoff time approaching the stadium got loud and the level of intensity rose as players were called onto the field.

The first quarter saw the West start with the ball on their own 20 yard line.  Austin Kennedy, the scrambling quarterback from Windsor, led his troops onto the field.  A very uneventful first quarter saw many punts and turnovers for both sides. However, kicker Tyler Crapigna saw plenty of time on the field as he kicked for both the East and the West. He hit one field goal for the East in the first half and two for the West.

With no big plays or true signs of dominance in the second quarter either,  the West took an 8-3 lead with 5:25 left in the second quarter which they held onto until half time.

With the East receiving in the 2^nd half, team West made a vital mistake kicking it to Adam Thibault, the fastest player on the field.  Following two great blocks, Adam was alone and heading for the end zone taking the opening kick 101 yards to paydirt. This seemed to be a game changer, giving all of the momentum over to the East who began their assault on the boys from the West.  Alexander Fox later added to the west lead catching an 8 yard touchdown to give them a 17-8 lead with just over 9 minutes left in the third. The East had a fantastic defensive performance in the 3^rd quarter, allowing no points.

The West mounted a 4th quarter comeback, starting when West running back, Brandon Deschamps plowed through for a 1-yard touchdown to decrease the East lead to 2. The East holding onto the close 2 point lead looked like they were going to run out the clock after both Eric Black and Adam Thibault came down with defensive interceptions. The West fought hard and regained possession and with just over a minute left on the clock.  The offense drove close enough to kick a game winning 42 yard field goal (Crapigna). The East had a valiant effort trying to drive the field with under a minute left, but came up short missing a 42 yard field goal (Crapigna) with 15 seconds left on the clock.

Scoring Summary 2013 East West Bowl
Quarter     Time     Scoring     Play
1^st              9:56        East           Tyler Crapigna, 32 yard field goal
13:30      West          Tyler Crapigna 22 yard field goal
2^nd             6:00        West          Tyler Crapigna 19 yard field goal
9:35        West          Team Safety
3^rd             0:15        East            Adam Thibault 101 yard kickoff return
5:37        East            Alexander Fox 8 yard touchdown reception
4^th             0:10        West          Brandon Deschamps 1 yard touchdown run
13:54      West         Tyler Crapigna 42 yard field goal