Two members of the Ravens football team represented Carleton at this year’s East-West Bowl on May 9 in Montreal. This was the 13th year of the event.
Ravens offensive lineman Bobby Thomson and defensive lineman Stefan Carty both saw plenty of field time under coach Danny Maciocia’s victorious Team East.
Drew Burko (University of Saskatchewan) and Brandon Leyh (Mount Allison University) combined for 333 passing yards and three touchdowns for the East, which took the East-West Bowl by a score of 29-21.
“The whole week was a really great experience,” said Thomson, an offensive lineman who spent his rookie season in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) at the University of Manitoba before coming to Carleton.
“We were there with all of the best players around the nation, and all the best coaches—I know that I myself had offensive line coaches from Laval, Mount Allison, and Queen’s, and they all helped me out,” Thomson said.
Team East’s coaching staff looked to rotate players evenly into the game to maximize visibility to Canadian Football League (CFL) scouts.
“It was a great weekend all around, a great opportunity to get better,” reflected Carty, a Toronto native entering his fourth year at Carleton. “It was a good learning experience, facing different players from different teams.”
The two teams were led by the coaches of this past season’s Vanier Cup finalists, with Montreal Carabins head coach and former Grey Cup champion Danny Maciocia.
Maciocia lead Team East against Team West, who was led by Manitoba head coach Brian Dobie.
While both teams bonded by the end of the week, Carty admitted there were some bizarre interactions between new “teammates” at the beginning of their week together.
“There was definitely some tension between players, just because of certain wins and losses during the season, but by the end of the week we all realized that we were all there for the same reason: to get better,” Carty said.
The East-West Bowl serves as the CIS’s annual prospects game, and the week leading up to the game featured daily practices, two combines in front of CFL scouts, and a clinic for the coaches.
“As much as you want to show yourself off and prove that you can play at the next level, it was also [about] what’s at the root of football: fun,” said Carty, who registered a tackle-for-loss on Calgary Dinos superstar running back Mercer Timmis in the fourth quarter.
With expectations high for the Ravens’ 2015 football season, both players said they know the stakes heading into summer training. Thomson said he has large expectations, adding that the Yates Cup is the goal.
“We went from 0-8 to 4-4, and I think we’ve definitely got some big things planned for next season,” Carty added.
The Ravens football season kicks off August 30, against the Queen’s Gaels.
