LONDON, ONTARIO — McMaster’s Tyler Crapigna booted a 42-yard field goal with 1:06 left to play as the West won 18-17 on Saturday in the East West Bowl, the annual CIS football prospects game.
Crapigna, a senior from Nepean, Ont., handled kicking duties for both teams. He was good on 3-for-4 field goal attempts for the West, while going 1-for-2 for the East. Unfortunately for the East, he missed a 45-yard attempt with three seconds left which would have changed the outcome.
"It was good kicking field goals for both teams," said Crapigna, who kicked the game-winning field goal in overtime in the 2011 Vanier Cup against Laval to lead the Marauders to their first-ever national title.
"I found out early in the week that it would be the case. It gave me a chance to showcase my talent on the field even more than expected so I really didn’t have any complaints."
The score was tied at 3-3 at the end of the first quarter following a pair of Crapigna field goals, including a 32-yarder for the East at 9:56 and a 22-yarder for the West at 13:30.
The West went into the locker room at halftime with an 8-3 lead thanks to another successful kick by Crapigna, this one from 19 yards out at 6:00, and a safety touch conceded by the East at 9:35.
In the second half, the East dominated the third quarter 14-0 to take a 17-8 advantage after 45 minutes of play but the West responded with 10 unanswered points in the final frame to steal the victory.
Adam Thibault of the reigning Vanier Cup champion Laval Rouge et Or provided the highlight of the day on the first play of the second half when he returned Crapigna’s kickoff on 101 yards for the game’s first touchdown.
"I called it yesterday. I said if I could do only one thing today it would be to take one back, and I did it," said the Quebec City native.
Thibault, who stars as a receiver for Laval, was asked to play defensive back this week. He finished the contest with 2.5 tackles and an interception at the East 25-yard line with three minutes left in the game.
"It was definitely a different experience, especially going against such good players, but the coaches did a great job this week at teaching me all the different techniques," said Thibault. "They also told me to rely on my athleticism, and I guess it turned out OK."
Five minutes after Thibault’s spectacular score, Bishop’s Alexander Fox caught an eight-yard touchdown pass from Queen’s Billy McPhee to make it 17-8 for the East.
Ten seconds into the fourth quarter, UBC running back Brandon Deschamps brought the West back to within two points on a one-yard run.
The score remained 17-15 for the East until Crapigna’s game-winning kick with 66 seconds left on the clock.
"We tried to keep the game plan pretty generic," said winning head coach Stefan Ptaszek, the 2012 CIS coach of the year from McMaster.
"This game is not about coaches trying to outcoach each other, it’s about letting the players showcase their talent so we keep it basic and let the guys play."
Allison’s Kelly Jeffrey called the plays for the East even though Laval’s Glen Constantin was officially the team’s sideline boss.
"Towards the end there we just needed a couple more first downs but we couldn’t get them, and the West took advantage," said Jeffrey.
McPhee finished the game with 14 completions on 23 attempts for 114 yards, one major and one interception. His East teammate Ben Rossong from Saint Mary’s was 2-of-4 for 42 yards and was sacked three times.
On the West side, McMaster’s Marshall Ferguson went 10-of-22 for 99 yards with a pair of interceptions, while Windsor’s Austin Kennedy completed five of 12 passes for 71 yards. Kennedy was also the game’s leading rusher with 56 yards on 10 carries.
Windsor’s Evan Pszczonak and York’s Zack Davis caught three balls apiece for the winners and finished with 57 and 46 receiving yards, respectively.
Laval’s Pascal Lochard was the top rusher for the East with 28 yards on five carries and added 13 yards on three catches. Fox ended up with 46 yards on a match-high five receptions.
Defensively, McMaster linebacker Aram Eisho led the West with six tackles, while Western lineman Dylan Ainsworth was dominant with four total tackles, including three for a loss and two sacks.
For the East, Concordia linebacker Max Caron, a former Presidents’ Trophy winner as CIS defensive player of the year, led the way with 6.5 tackles.