It was a chilly day in London which meant that the winds were freezing at T.D. Waterhouse Stadium on the University of Western Ontario campus.  It wasn’t just the weather that was cold but so were the All-Star offenses as they put on the second lowest scoring game in CIS all-star game history.  However, the West All-Stars did just enough to earn the win by a score of 16-7.

It may have been a special game but with no competitive football having been played since November there was a fair amount of rust on display. The rust was best evidenced by East quarterback, and 2008 Hec Creighton award winner, Benoit Groulx who went 8-for-17 and gave up the only two interceptions during the game. Meanwhile, the West was led by UWO Mustang quarterback Rob Faulds who went 15-for-25 to tally 185 yards. That was enough to lead the West to victory and give Faulds West All-Star MVP honours. Nick Riva was the East All-Star team MVP with 10 tackles (nine of which were solo tackles).

The West got out front in the first quarter on a Laurence Nixon touchdown run which capped off a four play drive. Nixon, the quarterback of the Saskatchewan Huskies, called his own number on a third down and bulled his way in for the score. Rob Faulds guided the West to a pair of field goals in the second quarter to stretch the lead to 13-0.

The East looked like they would take control of that game when they scored the game’s second touchdown. Sherbrooke Vert et Or running back Pascal Fils made a five yard run to score a major and cut the lead to six. The West defence buckled down which is all that they needed to preserve the win.

The East/West Bowl is part CIS football all-star game and CFL Draft exhibition. The majority of players in the game are eligible for the 2010 CFL Canadian Draft. CFL scouts were paying close attention to the game and the week’s worth of practice and workouts leading up to the big show for a preview of the 2010 CFL draft class.

Scoring Summary:
West – 1st 1:23 – Laurence Nixon 1yd Run (Rob Maver kick)
West – 2nd 13:01 – Rob Maver 31yd Field Goal
West – 2nd 6:15 – Rob Maver 31yd Field Goal
East – 3rd 6:26 – Pascal Fils 5yd Run (Dan Village kick)
West – 4th 7:36 – Rob Maver 35yd Field Goal