CFL.ca Staff
LONDON, Ont. — A third quarter touchdown gave the East just enough to top the West 24-16 at the 10th annual East West Bowl Saturday afternoon at TD Waterhouse Stadium on the campus of Western University in London, Ont. The game marks the third consecutive year that the East has garnered the win.
A quick first quarter had the East and West tied at six points each resulting from two field goals apiece.
The West got out of the gates first as they were able to get within 31 yards of the end zone, putting Western kicker Lirim Hajrullahu (St. Catharines, Ont.) into perfect position. The result: a field goal and a 3-0 lead for the West.
Seconds later, Saskatchewan’s Joel Seutter (Sherwood Park, Alta.) recovered the ball as Laval’s Tristan Grenon (Quebec City, Que.) rushed and fumbled for a loss of eight yards.
The next drive for the West, after one complete and one incomplete pass, resulted in another successful field goal from Hajrullahu.
The six-point deficit was enough for the East.
Two consecutive field goals for the East’s Brett Lauther (Truro, N.S.) tied the affair after the first quarter.
Austin Kennedy (Windsor, Ont.) from Windsor and Billy Mcphee (Burlington, Ont.) from Queen’s started the second quarter in the quarterback positions for the West and East respectively and at the end of two, the East led 12-8.
Three drives later, the East, deep in the red zone once again, attempted another field goal to take a 9-6 lead, one they would not relinquish.
Penalties plagued both teams before the half, and after a 12-yard run for Steven Lumbala (Calgary, Alta.) of Calgary, East conceded a safety, allowing the West to come within one point.
The West tried to gain some ground late in the second with a 26-yard drive, but a late field goal for Lauther put the spread at 12-8 going into halftime.
The first and only touchdown of the game came at 13:16 of the third quarter as Acadia running back Zack Skibin (Edmonton, Alta.) rushed 58 yards. Lauther’s field goal was good for the point after, widening the gap to 19-8.
Manitoba quarterback Khaleal Williams (Winnipeg, Man.) was sacked on the next West drive, and the East gained another two points.
As the West offense pushed the East defensive line back, the East was forced into another safety.
With less than two minutes on the clock in the third, solid rushing from Montreal running back Rotrand Sene (Montreal, Que.) put the East within field goal territory for the fifth and final time. Lauther made the kick.
The West gave the East a run for their money in the fourth with a pair of field goals, but one last attempt at a touchdown was unsuccessful.
The East took the win 24-16.
The East went 16 for 31 in passes, while the West went 27 for 41. Each team had one fumble.
Defensively, St. Fx’s Brett Hubbeard (Peterborough, Ont.) led all players on the field with 9.5 tackles.
For the West, McMaster’s Benjamin D’Aguilar (Hamilton, Ont.) had six solo tackles.
Lauther finished the game with five field goals on five attempts. Hajrullahu went four for four.
NOTES: Western was hosting the event for the fourth straight year. The contest was previously held at McMaster (2008), Laval (2007, 2006) and Wilfrid Laurier (2005, 2004, 2003). The East team was comprised of players representing schools from the Atlantic and Quebec conferences, as well as from Queen’s, Ottawa and Toronto, while the West squad was made up of players from Canada West and from the remaining OUA universities. Stefan Ptaszek from reigning Vanier Cup champion McMaster and Glen Constantin from 2010 Vanier Cup champion Laval were the West and East head coaches, respectively.
