HAMILTON, ONT – McMaster quarterback
Andreas Dueck found Waterloo receiver
James Basalyga with a 14-yard touchdown pass with 3:33 remaining to take the lead in what ended as an 11-8 Team West victory over Team East in the 2022 U SPORTS East-West Bowl played before 1,000 at Ron Joyce Stadium, Saturday.
The contest featured two McGill linemen playing for the East, namely
OL Alexandre Marcoux of Levis, Que., and DL
Nicholas DeFrancisco-Paul of LaSalle, Que.
After taking a 9-8 lead, Dueck called his own number on a two-point conversion to secure the victory for the West.
ALL-TIME RESULTS
Following a two-year hiatus, McMaster played host to some of the best prospects in U SPORTS football in the 18th edition of the annual showcase game.
The event featured a week-long slate of festivities including the players combine that put both rosters of players to the test in front of Canadian Football League scouts.
The week also involved a CFL draft night watch party, as well as developmental and professional opportunities for the local community with a coaches clinic and CFL free-agent camp.
Both sidelines were guided by veteran coaches, with the East led by
Gary Jeffries, 10-year former bench boss with the Laurier Golden Hawks. The West was led by
Brian Towriss, who led the Saskatchewan Huskies for 34 years. The duo went head-to-head more than a decade ago in the 2005 Vanier Cup game when Jeffries' Golden Hawks defeated Towriss and the Huskies 24-23.
Most of the scoring took place in the fourth quarter, as Team West headed into the final frame with a narrow 3-1 lead in the low scoring affair following a rouge and safety prior.
Running back
Adam Williams of the Toronto Varsity Blues scored the first TD of the game at 10:33 in the final frame after punching in a one-yard rush to push the score to 8-3 in favour of the East before Dueck's late-game heroics turned the tide for the West.
The result marked a fifth consecutive win for the West at the bowl game, improving their overall record to 12-6 since the event began in 2003.
