U SPORTS East-West Bowl: Coaching staffs, roster changes announced

QUEBEC CITY (U SPORTS) – Wayne Harris Jr. of the Vanier Cup finalist Calgary Dinos and Gary Waterman of the AUS champion StFX X-Men were introduced to the media Tuesday in Quebec city as head coaches ahead of the 2017 U SPORTS Valero East-West Bowl.

Harris Jr., who guided the Dinos to their fourth national championship appearance in eight seasons in November, will be at the helm of the West team on Saturday, while Waterman, who led the X-Men to a second straight national semifinal, will be in charge of the East squad – in a coaching rematch of the 2016 ArcelorMittal Dofasco Mitchell Bowl.

The complete coaching staffs and roster changes are available below.

Valero was also introduced as the event’s title sponsor in 2017 and 2018 – with both years being hosted by Laval.

“The U SPORTS Valero East-West Bowl is a great opportunity to showcase the 2018 draft class and a real opportunity for each of the schools and players to represent themselves in a highly competitive game,” said Harris Jr., who defeated Waterman’s X-Men 50-24 in the Mitchell Bowl to advance to the 52nd ArcelorMittal Dofasco Vanier Cup. “It’s a very exciting time for players going into their senior year of football and I know that we all look forward to seeing the high level of skill they’re bringing to camp and the game culminating on May 13.”

“The annual U SPORTS Valero East-West Bowl is always a great event and it should be an exciting week as our game is once again showcased at a high level,” added Waterman. “I am thrilled for the opportunity to work with some of the top student-athletes and coaches in Canadian university football.

The 15th annual prospects game, which features for the most part, U SPORTS players heading into their Canadian Football League (CFL) draft year, is set for Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET at Laval University’s TELUS-UL Stadium in Quebec City, streamed live on the Rouge et Or YouTube channel.

The East team is comprised of players from the AUS and RSEQ conferences as well as Carleton, Ottawa and Queen’s, while the West contingent is made up of student-athletes from Canada West and the remaining OUA universities.

All players took part in combine testing Tuesday morning, with the first practice scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. Two practices a day will then be held throughout the rest of the week. The full U SPORTS Valero East-West Bowl Week schedule is available here.

Sunday night, 56 U SPORTS standouts were selected out of 71 total picks (78.9 per cent) during the 2017 CFL draft, with 36 having been invited to last year’s East-West Bowl, including all six first-round picks. Over the course of the week, eight representatives from CFL coaching staffs will be on hand to assist the sides and get an early look at the 2018 draft class.

Last year, the West defeated the East 29-14 for their first win since 2013, extending their lead in the all-time series to 8-6.

“It’s very exciting to be a part of the U SPORTS Valero East-West Bowl knowing that you’ll be playing with – and against – the very best players that Canada has to offer,” said Regina’s Noah Picton, who will quarterback the West Team after winning the Hec Crighton Trophy last season, thanks to U SPORTS-record 3,186 passing yards. “I expect it to be a very competitive atmosphere, but also a great opportunity to meet and interact with different players and coaches from around the league.”

“Being selected to play in the U SPORTS Valero East-West Bowl is something special! It’s going to be a great experience to be with the best players in the country for a week and see them in action,” said Laval’s Hugo Richard, who will be under centre for the East Team, and was named Vanier Cup MVP last November after throwing for two touchdowns and scoring the game-winning one in the Rouge et Or’s 31-26 victory over Calgary. “It will be interesting to collaborate with coaches other than ours. I’m really happy that this event is in Quebec City because I will be in an environment where I am comfortable. I trust that our fans will take advantage of this unique opportunity to watch football in early summer to start the 2017 season on the right foot and by creating a good atmosphere, like they always do here in U Laval!”

East Team Coaching Staff   
Head Coach: Gary Waterman (StFX)
Offensive Coordinator & Quarterbacks: Benoit Groulx (McGill)
Defensive Coordinator: Jon Svec (StFX)
Receivers: AJ Tufford (Saint Mary’s), Cherif Nicolas (Bishop’s)
Running backs: Sebastien Levesque (McGill)
Offensive Line:  Jeff Cummins (Acadia), Dave Van Den Heuvel (StFX), Mickey Donovan (Concordia)
Defensive Line: Mathieu Lecompte (Sherbrooke)
Linebackers:Shad McLachan (Acadia), Claude Gauthier (Sherbrooke), Kevin Regimbald (Sherbrooke)
Defensive Backs: Jermaine Lewis (Concordia), Scott Brady (Mount Allison)
Special Teams: Ryan Bechmanis (Carleton), Ben D’Andrea (Queen’s)

East Roster Changes

Added:
Wesley Mann, DB (Queen’s)
David Mackie, RB (Western)
Kiel Ambursley, RB (Mount Allison)
Vincent Dubé, K (Bishop’s)

Removed:
Jason Shamatutu, DB (Queen’s)
Jonathan Boissonneault-Glaou, DE (Montreal)
Gustave Sylvestre, OT (Montreal)
Chris Reid, RB (Mount Allison)
 

West Team Coaching Staff

Head Coach: Wayne Harris Jr. (Calgary)
Offensive Coordinator: Ryan Sheahan (Calgary)
Defensive Coordinator: Dwayne Cameron (Laurier)
Quarterbacks: Mark McConkey (Regina)
Receivers: Mark Surya (Toronto)
Running Backs: Tom Flaxman (McMaster)
Offensive Line: JF Joncas (Guelph), Irv Daymond (Laurier)
Defensive Line: Matt Berry (Calgary), Darrell Adams (Waterloo)
Linebackers: Warren Muzika (Saskatchewan)
Defensive Backs: Vince Flamia (Windsor)

West Roster Changes
Added:
William Maxwell, WR (UBC)
Ian Lawrence, DB (York)
Ben Koczwara, OL (Waterloo)
Étienne Moisan, WR (Laval)

Removed:
Tyler Ledwos, WR (Calgary)
Rees Paterson, CB (York)
Andrew Pickett, OG (Guelph)
          

CFL Coaching Staff

Montreal Alouettes:
Greg Quick (senior defensive assistant)
Billy Parker (defensive assistant)
Jason Hogan (defensive assistant)
Saskatchewan Roughriders:
Craig Dickenson (special teams coordinator)
Craig Davoren (defensive assistant)
B.C. Lions:
Dan Dorazio (offensive line coach)
Mike Lionello (assistant running backs Coach)
Calgary Stampeders:
Brent Morrison (linebackers coach)

TEAM ROSTERS

Name	Position	School
CFC100 Nate Hobbs	QB	Queen’s
CFC100 Hugo Richard*	QB	Laval
CFC100 Christopher Amoah	RB	Laval
Jordon Socholotiuk*	RB	StFX
Leonardo Mantuila	RB	Saint Mary’s
David Mackie	RB	Western
Kiel Ambursley	RB	Mount Allison
CFC100 Joel Houle	H-Back	McGill
Tanner Green	H-Back	Concordia
CFC100 Benoît Gagnon-Brousseau	WR	Laval
Michael Nelson	WR	Bishop’s
CFC100 Régis Cibasu	WR	Montreal
Dashaun Smellie	SB	Bishop’s
CFC100 Bryce Vieira	SB	Ottawa
CFC100 Tyrone Pierre	SB	Laval
CFC100 Antony Dufour	SB	Laval
Matthew Ouellet De Carlo	OT	Bishop’s
Keiler Cherry	OT	Acadia
KC Bakker	OG	Carleton
Nolan McGreer	OG	Carleton
Jacob Czaja	OG	StFX
CFC100 Marc-Antione Sévigny	C	Concordia
CFC100 Zacary Alexis	CB	Montreal
Wesley Mann	DB	Queen’s
David Polynice	CB	McGill
CFC100 David Fortier	HB	Sherbrooke
Mandella Loggale	HB	Saint Mary’s
CFC100 Gabriel Ouellet	HB	Laval
Alexandre Renaud	HB	Concordia
Brandon Jennings*	FS	Acadia
Matthew Nettle	SAM	Acadia
CFC100 Nate Rostek	SAM	Mount Allison
Mickael Côté	LB	Concordia
Kene Onyeka	LB	Carleton
Adam Kuntz	LB	StFX
CFC100 Jackson Bennett	LB	Ottawa
Nelkas Kwemo	LB	Queen’s
Sébastien Chénier-Dionne	LB	Sherbrooke
Ousmane Guindo Jr.	DE	McGill
CFC100 Rémy Deschamp	DE	Sherbrooke
Tresor Buama-Mafuta	DT	Saint Mary’s
Mathieu Breton	DT	Bishop’s
CFC100 Jeremy Rioux	DT	Carleton
Vincent Dubé	K/P	Bishop’s

WEST TEAM

Name	Position	School
CFC100 Noah Picton*	QB	Regina
Kyle Siemens	QB	Saskatchewan
CFC100 Atlee Simon	RB	Regina
CFC100 Tyler Chow*	RB	Saskatchewan
CFC100 Alex Taylor*	RB	Western
Mitch Kernick	H-Back	Waterloo
Dallas Boath	WR	Calgary
William Maxwell	WR	UBC
CFC100 Étienne Moisan	WR	Laval
Richmond Nketiah	SB	Waterloo
Will Watson	SB	UBC
Mitch O’Connor	SB	McMaster
CFC100 Dan Petermann	SB	McMaster
CFC100 Ryan Sceviour*	OT	Calgary
Ryan Breadner	OT	Saskatchewan
CFC100 Mark Korte	OT	Alberta
Ben Koczwara	OL	Waterloo
CFC100 Justin Lawrence	OG	Alberta
Dakoda Shepley	OG	UBC
CFC100 Darius Ciraco*	C	Calgary
Sam MacMillan	C	Toronto
Godfrey Onyeka*	CB	Wilfrid Laurier
Robbie Yochim*	CB	McMaster
Ian Lawrence	DB	York
Lekan Idowu	HB	Windsor
CFC100 Isaiah Guzylak-Messam	HB	Wilfrid Laurier
CFC100 Jayden McKoy	HB	Manitoba
AJ Blackwell	HB	UBC
CFC100 Nick Parisotto*	FS	Guelph
CFC100 Houston Rennie	SAM	Manitoba
Paul Kozachuk	SAM	Toronto
CFC100 Royce Metchie	SAM	Guelph
Boston Rowe	SAM	Calgary
CFC100 Jean-Gabriel Poulin*	LB	Western
CFC100 Daniel Nesbitt	LB	Regina
CFC100 Micah Teitz*	LB	Calgary
Eric Mezzalira	LB	McMaster
Courtney Ellis	DE	Windsor
Matthew Skoko	DE	York
Rashari Henry	DE	Wilfrid Laurier
Matt Kozun	DT	Saskatchewan
Brett Wade	DT	Calgary
Hassan Barry	DT	McMaster
CFC100 Eric Wicijowski	DT	Regina
Gabriel Ferraro*	K/P	Guelph

 

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