Omara, Roseway and Dickson compete on East squad in CIS East West Bowl

Three X-Men competed for the East squad in the annual CIS East West Bowl this past Saturday in London, Ont. The all-star game that features CIS players who will be eligible for the following year's CFL draft saw the East defeat the West by a 19-12 margin.

Representing StFX was running back Ashton Dickson, wide receiver Randy Roseway and linebacker Ron Omara.

Fourth year X-Men linebacker Omara, a native of Alymer, Que., had a key interception late in the fourth quarter that he returned for 41 yards to help secure the East victory. The 2013 AUS defensive player of the year and CIS second team All-Canadian also had one solo and two assisted tackles in the game.

Running back Ashton Dickson, a native of Ottawa, was second amongst all East rushers with five carries for 30 net yards in the game. Wide receiver Randy Roseway, also from Ottawa, had three receptions for 16 yards. 

CIS football
East prevails 19-12 in 12th annual East West Bowl

Courtesy of Western University Athletics
 
LONDON, Ont. (CIS) – Three field goals from Acadia Axemen kicker Ryan Begin helped the East team claim a 19-12 win in the 12th East West Bowl, presented by Under Armour, at TD Stadium on the campus of Western University, on Saturday.

With the victory, the East avenged last year's 18-17 loss at the annual CIS football prospects game and has won four of the past five contests, narrowing the West's overall series lead to 7-5.

Begin, from Orleans, Ont., hit field goals from 20, 47, and 17-yards to go 3-4 on the day while adding one extra point and one single for 11 total points. He also handled punting duties for the East, recording averaging 39.1 yards on nine attempts for 352 total yards.

"I thought I improved throughout the week," said Begin, who missed from 29 yards out in the second quarter. "I came in a little rusty off of the winter but overall I think I came out to play today which is the main thing. I'm pretty happy with the way that I played. I missed that one easy field goal but you know these things happen."

The East jumped out to an early 13-0 lead at the end of the first quarter thanks to a pair of field goals from Begin and a 31-yard touchdown pass from Carleton's Jesse Mills to Concordia's Jamal Henry. A safety only eight seconds into the second stanza made it 15-0.

The West bounced back in the second quarter, picking up their first points of the day thanks to a conceded safety 1:25 in, before UBC's Brandon Deschamps scored the team's lone major of the day on a one-yard run at 6:08 to make it 15-9 at halftime.

Following a scoreless third frame, Concordia kicker Keegan Treloar pulled Team West to within three points midway through the final quarter with a 27-yard field goel. However, StFX linebacker Ron Omara picked off a pass from Manitoba quarterback Jordan Yantz on the West's next drive to set up another field goal from Begin. The Acadia kicker added to his point total on the ensuing kickoff, recording a single to round out the scoring at 19-12, with 2:17 left on the clock.

Team West had a glorious opportunity to tie things up or even go for the win on its next drive, making it down to the East's five-yard line thanks in large part to a 52-yard pass from Yantz to Bisons teammate Nic Demski. However a holding penalty and tight defence allowed the East to shut the door and walk away with the victory.

"It was good," said East offensive coordinator and Mount Allison Mounties head coach Kelly Jeffrey when asked about his team's performance. "It seemed to be a game of big plays. A couple times the West was driving and we had some big picks to turn the tide and change field position. We had some very good offensive drives that didn't end in touchdowns but they really changed the tide and field position, got points out of it.

"Both sides were loaded with talent and we were just fortunate there. You know if the game was about ten seconds longer we might have been in trouble."
 
Although it was the East team that emerged with the win, players and coaches know that players from both teams can walk away from East West Bowl week with something to show from taking part in the CIS' annual all-star showcase.

"This is huge," said Begin on getting to showcase his skills in front of CFL personnel. "I know personally that I think I kind of go under the radar a little bit in terms of kickers who get talked about, so I think just trying to put myself on the map a little bit is definitely helpful. It's definitely very big for me."

Yantz was the most productive quarterback on the day, throwing for 238 yards on 11 for 23 passing with one interception. His West teammate Jazz Lindsey from the Guelph Gryphons was 6-for-15 with two interceptions and 58 total yards.

On the East side, Sherbrooke pivot Jérémi Roch put up the highest totals for his team, completing 9-of-15 passes with one interception and 124 yards. Mills recorded the East's lone touchdown pass while going 2-for-5 with 34 yards, while McGill's Dillon Kuprowski completed six of seven passes for 27 yards.

Demski lead all receivers with 159 yards on seven catches, while Saint Mary's Melvin Abankwah hauled in three passes for 58 yards to top the East.

In addition to being the day's leading passer, Yantz was also the game's top rusher, picking up 49 yards on five carries. StFX's Ashton Dickson was second with 30 yards on five attempts to lead the East.

Montreal defensive back Anthony Coady led the East with six tackles, while Queen's Brendan Morgan, suiting up for the West team due to a shortage of eligible defensive backs, led all West players with 4.5 stops. Coady's Montreal teammate Jean-Samuel Blanc and Western's Rory Connop each led their respective teams with two sacks.

Overall, despite the final score, the West led in total offensive yards (398-242), passing yards (296-185) and rushing yards (124-101), while both sides had 16 first downs apiece.

GAME NOTES: The East West Bowl showcases – for the most part - CIS players who will be eligible for the following year's CFL Canadian draft... The East side is comprised of student-athletes representing schools from the Atlantic and Quebec conferences, as well as Queen's, Ottawa, Carleton and Toronto. The West contingent is made up of standouts from Canada West and the remaining OUA universities. 
 
SCORING SUMMARY
 
Complete stats: http://english.cis-sic.ca/eastwestbowl/2014/fball/files/EWB0510.HTM
 
EAST 13-2-0-4: 19
WEST 0-9-0-3: 12
 
FIRST QUARTER
EAST – FG Ryan Begin 20 4:20 (EAST 3-0)
EAST – TD Jamal Henry 31 pass from Jesse Mills (Ryan Begin kick) 9:07 (EAST 10-0)
EAST – FG Ryan Begin 47 12:09 (EAST 13-0)

SECOND QUARTER
EAST - Safety 0:08 (EAST 15-0)
WEST - Safety 1:25 (EAST 15-2)
WEST - TD Brandon Deschamps 1 run (Keegan Treloar kick) 6:08 (EAST 15-9)

THIRD QUARTER
(no scoring)

FOURTH QUARTER
WEST - FG Keegan Treloar 27 8:46 (EAST 15-12)
EAST - FG Ryan Begin 17 12:33 (EAST 18-12)
EAST - Rouge Ryan Begin 12:43 (EAST 19-12)

ALL-TIME EAST WEST BOWL RESULTS:
 
2014 (at Western): East 19, West 12
2013 (at Western): West 18, East 17
2012 (at Western): East 24, West 16
2011 (at Western): East 34, West 27 (OT)
2010 (at Western): East 12, West 9
2009 (at Western): West 16, East 7
2008 (at McMaster): East 25, West 12
2007 (at Laval): West 22, East 19 (OT)
2006 (at Laval): West 34, East 26 (OT)
2005 (at Laurier): West 34, East 16
2004 (at Laurier): West 21, East 12
2003 (at Laurier): West 10, East 5

About the 50th TELUS Vanier Cup

Canadian Interuniversity Sport will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the TELUS Vanier Cup throughout the 2014 season. For the first time in history, the championship game will be staged in Montreal - at Percival-Molson Memorial Stadium - on Saturday, November 29, at 1 p.m. ET, live on Sportsnet and Radio-Canada.

For all the information on the 50th TELUS Vanier Cup, visit www.vaniercup.com. 
For ticket information, visit http://en.montrealalouettes.com/page/2014-vanier-cup.

About Canadian Interuniversity Sport
 
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Every year, 11,000 student-athletes and 700 coaches from 55 universities and four regional associations vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, as well as numerous world university championships. For further information, visit www.cis-sic.ca or follow us on:
 
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