Three Dogs Headed East

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Canadian Interuniversity Sport announced Wednesday the rosters for the 11th annual East West Bowl, presented by Under Armour. The all-star showcase is set for Saturday, May 11, 2013 at TD Waterhouse Stadium on the campus of Western University in London, Ont.

Western will host the game for the fifth straight year. The contest was previously held at McMaster (2008), Laval (2007, 2006) and Wilfrid Laurier (2005, 2004, 2003). Kickoff for the 2013 edition is scheduled for 1 p.m.

In addition to the game itself, the week-long event includes daily practices, the Under Armour Combine for participating players (May 7), the Free Agent Combine for players eligible to attend 2013 CFL training camps and not participating in the East West Bowl (May 8), a coaches clinic featuring presentations by nine CFL coaches and two CIS mentors (May 10-11), as well as the annual Friday night banquet (May 10).

For the second year in a row, Laval’s Glen Constantin and McMaster’s Stefan Ptaszek will serve as head coach for the East and West teams, respectively.

Constantin will act as sideline boss at the spring classic for the third straight year and for a record sixth time overall. Last November, he guided the Rouge et Or to a remarkable sixth Vanier Cup title in 12 seasons at the helm of the Quebec City powerhouse.

Ptaszek has led his Marauders to back-to-back appearances in the CIS football final, including the first national championship in program history in 2011.

The East West Bowl showcases – for the most part – CIS players who will be eligible for the following year’s CFL draft.

The East side is comprised of student-athletes representing schools from the Atlantic and Quebec conferences, as well as Queen’s, Ottawa and Toronto. The West contingent is made up of players from Canada West and the remaining OUA universities.

Seven standouts who will take the field on May 11 – four for the East and three for the West – were named CIS all-Canadians last fall, including Laval centre Pierre Lavertu, McGill offensive tackle Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Queen’s linebacker Sam Sabourin, Montreal defensive back Antoine Pruneau, Manitoba running back Anthony Coombs, Saskatchewan receiver Kit Hillis and McMaster kicker Tyler Crapigna.

The East roster also features Concordia linebacker Max Caron, who claimed the Presidents’ Trophy in 2011 as the best defensive player in CIS football.

Quarterbacking the East team at TD Waterhouse Stadium will be Queen’s Billy McPhee and Saint Mary’s Ben Rossong, while McMaster’s Marshall Ferguson and Windsor’s Austin Kennedy will be under centre for the West.

McPhee and Kennedy both competed in the event a year ago. The Queen’s pivot completed eight of 16 passes for 90 yards, while his Windsor counterpart went 18-of-23 for 142 yards and one interception, and also rushed 10 times for a game-high 89 yards.

EAST WEST BOWL NOTES: A few players are expected to be added to the rosters in the coming weeks… The coaching staffs will also be announced at a later date… The East has won the last three editions, including a 24-16 victory a year ago… The West leads the all-time series 6-4… Past East West Bowl participants include Hec Crighton Trophy winners Kyle Quinlan of McMaster, Billy Greene of UBC, Brad Sinopoli of Ottawa, Benoit Groulx of Laval, Daryl Stephenson of Windsor, Andy Fantuz of Western, Jesse Lumsden of McMaster and Tommy Denison of Queen’s… Other notables include current NFL players Cory Greenwood of Kansas City (Concordia), Vaughn Martin of Miami (Western) and Jon Ryan of Seattle (Regina), as well as former Calgary Dino Dan Federkeil, who earned a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Indianapolis Colts in 2007.

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