University of Saskatchewan defensive back Ethan Laing had a fourth-quarter interception and Huskies receiver Daniel Kubongo made a diving touchdown catch in the third quarter Saturday as Team West beat Team East 28-27 in the USports East-West Bowl at the University of Waterloo.
Laing’s end zone pick came with 5:22 to play and the East leading 26-25. With a first down on the West’s eight-yard line, East quarterback Trey Reider rolled right and threw for the back corner of the end zone.
But the ball came in behind its intended target and Laing tracked it down, leaving his feet briefly to corral the errant pass.
The play cemented Laing as defensive player of the game, an accolade he received in a post-game ceremony at centre field.
It was also the first of two fourth-quarter scoring play mishaps for the East.
After the West took a 28-26 lead on a 35-yard field goal with 2:15 on the clock, East running back Jonathan Martel-Joseph returned the ensuing kickoff 60 yards to the West’s 47-yard line.
The East then methodically moved the ball forward, getting it to the 10 with nine seconds left and setting up a seemingly routine 17-yard game-winning kick from the right hash mark.
West defensive lineman Ahmad Taylor had other ideas, leaping to get a hand on the ball and sending it wide of the uprights for a single point instead, giving his team the victory.
Team West got out to an early 10-0 lead on a first-quarter safety, one-yard rushing touchdown and kickoff single.
The East replied with a one-yard TD of its own on the last play of the quarter, then added a punt single early in the second to make it a 10-8 game.
Marshall McCray’s second major of the game, this one on a pass from Guelph teammate Tristan Aboud, and a kickoff single two plays later restored the West’s 10-point lead.
But the East would score again just before halftime to pull within three points at the break.
Another touchdown early in the third quarter gave the East its first lead of the game, minutes before Kubongo’s highlight-reel grab – in behind one leaping and one diving defender – put the West back on top 25-23.
The third-year Huskie finished the game with three catches for 49 yards.
Team East regained the lead on a 25-yard field goal just over three minutes into the fourth quarter but could not hang on.
Five players each from the Huskies and the University of Regina Rams were selected for the annual showcase game, which this year featured 107 of the top Canadian university football players eligible for the 2027 CFL Draft.
The other Huskies selected for the game included receiver Dawson Lennea, and defensive linemen Riece Kack and Reece McCormick.
The Rams were represented by offensive lineman William Templeton, defensive lineman Toryn Swystun-Bernes, and defensive backs Max Polischuk, Jacob Tkachuk and Brandon Wong.
Polischuk finished the game with three solo tackles, Wong with two plus one pass defended, and Kack had one solo tackle.
The West side’s staff featured coaches from both schools as well, with Huskies head coach Scott Flory and offensive coordinator Mason Nyhus, along with Rams defensive line coach Kyle Stroeder filling those same roles in Waterloo.
