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| Three Bison football players selected to the 2012 East West Bowl roster | | Posted Thursday, April 5, 2012 12:55 PM |
| Three Manitoba Bisons football players plus the team’s head coach have been selected to participate at the tenth annual East West Bowl, presented by Under Armour, being held on Saturday, May 12, 2012 at TD Waterhouse Stadium on the campus of the Western University in London, ON.
Bison quarterback Khaleal Williams, defensive lineman Lauren Kroeker and offensive lineman Scott Johnson will be competing at the Bowl game for the West roster. In addition, Bison Football head coach Brian Dobie will also be part of the West coaching staff in the role of coaching punt and kickoff return.
Williams, 24, finished his third season at Manitoba with CIS career highs in passing yards, completions rate and rushing yards. In 2011 season, the 6’1”, 210 lbs. pivot posted 136-237 (57.4% - fifth highest in Canada West) with eight passing TDs for 1927 yards (second highest in Canada West) along with 260 rushing yards on 49 attempts (5.3 average) while starting in all eight conference regular season games. The Winnipeg native has been the starting QB for the last two seasons and started at the pivot position for 16 consecutive games while passing for 3744 yards in three seasons with the Bisons.
Kroeker, 20, completed his second season with Manitoba in 2011 and had a strong season at the defensive lineman position. In 2011 season, the 6’5”, 245 lbs. player was first on the team and sixth in Canada West with 42.5 tackles (28 solo). The Stonewall, MB native was also tied for second on team and tied for seventh in conference with 3.0 sacks plus first on team and ninth in Canada West with 7.0 tackles for loss and added three break-ups with one fumble recovery while playing in all eight conference regular season games. All totals from 2011 were CIS career highs for Kroeker.
Johnson, 23, played his third season with Manitoba in 2011 and continued to be a solid presence on the ‘O’ line. In 2011 season, the 6’3”, 190 lbs. player started and played at the guard position for all eight conference regular season games and opened up running lanes for the second highest rushing team in Canada West plus gave pass protection for Williams that led to his best CIS season and contributed to the second highest conference passing team.
Bison football head coach Brian Dobie completed his 16th season in 2011 and commented, “It is a great honour for all three players and a well deserved opportunity to compete and play with the best of the best at the national level during the East West Bowl game. This is a chance to show their skills and talents to numerous CFL teams.”
In addition to the game itself, the week-long event includes daily practices, the Under Armour Combine for participating players (May 8), the CFL Free Agent Combine for players eligible to attend 2012 CFL training camps and not participating in the East West Bowl (May 9), a coaches clinic featuring presentations by eight CFL coaches (May 11-12), as well as a banquet featuring guest speaker Duane Forde from TSN (May 11).
A National Committee of CIS and CFL head coaches and scouts selected the players who were first nominated by their respective teams. All 26 CIS football schools are represented each year in the East West Bowl. The East West Bowl is designed as a showcase for CIS players who will be eligible for the 2013 Canadian Football League draft; the rosters have been complimented with players entering into their second, third and fifth years that have not yet been drafted.
The objective of the East West Bowl is to showcase future CFL stars to CFL scouts, coaches and fans through a week of practice, testing and evaluation. It culminates in the East West Bowl game where the players get to compete on a national stage against the CIS’s best.
East West Bowl results:
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 |
| | | For more information, contact:
Chris Zuk
Bison Sports Information Officer
Sport and Active Living Centre
zukc@cc.umanitoba.ca
Phone: (204) 474-7492
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