Three Gaels represented Queen’s at the 15th annual Valero East-West Bowl earlier this May. Despite boasting a highly skilled roster, the East was unable to defeat the West, with final score 37-13 at Laval University’s TELUS-UL Stadium.

The annual U Sports Valero East-West Bowl began in 2003 as a match showcasing the top 90 prospects for the following CFL draft year.

Queen’s quarterback Nate Hobbs, linebacker Nelkas Kwemo, and defensive back Wesley Mann were the trio selected to play for the East this year. Queen’s defensive coach Ben D’Andrea, a former defensive back for the Gaels, was selected to coach the East Special Teams.

This is not the first time D’Andrea represented the Gaels at the East-West Bowl, as he went as a player in 2010. He commented on his experience as both a past player and coach; “I loved it as a player, and being involved in coaching definitely brought back some great memories. It’s a really fun experience to hang out with players from other teams and compete with the best,” D’Andrea said.

D’Andrea was happy with the Gaels performance, saying, “They did an excellent job showcasing their talents during testing, in practice and meetings and played exceptionally well during the game. They definitely deserved to be there.”

Despite the positives shown by the Gaels throughout the game, the East fell behind 20-7 at the half, and were never able to recover. At the end of the showcase, the West was victorious 37-13.

During the game, players continually shifted from the field to the sideline to give everyone an opportunity in front of the scouts. In his action, Hobbs threw for 89 yards, completing 10 of his 17 passing attempts. Mann had a solid game on defense, registering two total tackles. 

The standout for Queen’s was Kwemo. On the day he led both teams defensively with eight solo tackles.

Kwemo’s stellar performance suggests he was well prepared for the contest, which could prove to be critical to his future CFL draft prospects. He attributes much of his success as a player to Queen’s Defensive Coordinator Greg Marshall, who has been with the Gaels since 2014, the same year Kwemo came to campus.

A hurdle that the Gaels seemed to overcome quite well was meshing with their teammates.  

Kwemo commented on the team dynamic, saying that “on the defensive side, we clicked pretty quickly.”

One of the best parts of the whole experience for Kwemo was seeing all the different players from across Canada play. By being a part of the OUA conference, often the only way to see other players would be through nationally televised games — which only happens during the U Sports playoffs. “The best part of the week was having the opportunity to compare ourselves to our competition around the league and learn from every individual present,” he said.

Kwemo is looking forward to his 4th year as a Gael. When asked his thoughts on the upcoming season, he commented, “I believe we have a solid group of veterans returning next year and a tremendous amount of talent on this team. I am very confident in our chances this upcoming fall.”

The East-West rivalry will continue in 2018 once again at Laval University. But for now, the Gaels will continue to prepare for their 2017 campaign that begins August 26, against the Carleton Ravens at Richardson Stadium.