Parisotto, Metchie & Ferraro Impress at 2017 East-West Bowl

QUEBEC CITY, QC - It was a memorable week in Quebec City for a trio of Gryphon football players. On Saturday afternoon (May 13) at TELUS-UL Stadium on the campus of Laval University, Nick Parisotto, Royce Metchie and Gabe Ferraro took part in the 2017 Valero East-West Bowl. It marked the 15th edition of the annual prospects game which features some of the top university football players from across the country who are eligible for the 2018 CFL Draft. All three Gryphon players in attendance suited up for Team West, which won 37-13 over Team East.

2017 Valero East-West Bowl:
Team West 37
Team East 13
Full Recap
Box Score
Official Website
All-time East-West Bowl Results

Saturday's East-West game officially wrapped up week-long festivities, which ran from May 8-13. Initially, the Gryphons had four players invited to attend the 2017 East-West bowl with offensive lineman Andrew Pickett also earning an invitation. However, Pickett, a two-time OUA All-Star, had to be removed from the Team West roster due to injury. Pickett's injury is not considered serious and the 6-4, 296lbs guard is expected to be fully healthy in time for the 2017 season. A pair of Gryphon coaches were also serving as part of the Team West coaching staff, with U of G's offensive coordinator Jean-Francois Joncas coaching the offensive line, while Gryphons defensive coordinator Adam Grandy helped coach the Team West linebackers.

With scouts, coaches and front office members from all nine CFL teams in attendance, the players were given their first opportunity to make an impression on Tuesday, which featured a full slate of combine drills. After official measurements for height and weight were recorded, players were put through a series of tests including bench press, the 40-yard dash, vertical and broad jumps, as well as the shuttle drill. A total of 92 players took part in Tuesday's combine, but nobody had a faster time in the 3-cone shuttle drill than Gryphons defensive back Nick Parisotto. Parisotto, who was named a 2nd Team All-Canadian in 2015 and a 2nd Team OUA All-Star in 2016, showed off tremendous agility while clocking the best 3-cone drill of any player at the combine with time of 6.94.

FULL COMBINE RESULTS

Gryphon Combine Results at the 2017 East-West Bowl:

Nick Parisotto (Defensive Back):
40-yard dash = 4.70
Vertical = 31.6 inches
Broad Jump = 9 feet, 3 inches
3-cone shuttle = 6.94 * fastest 3-cone shuttle time recorded at the 2017 East-West Bowl *
Bench Press = DNP

Royce Metchie (Defensive Back/Linebacker):
40-yard dash = 4.78
Vertical = 31.4 inches
Broad Jump = 9 feet, 5.5 inches
3-cone shuttle = 7.25
Bench Press = DNP

Gabe Ferraro (Kicker/Punter):
40-yard dash = 4.90
Vertical = 25 inches
Broad Jump = 8 feet, 4.5 inches
3-cone shuttle = 7.40
Bench Press = DNP

After four straight days of practices and meetings, the two teams were ready to kickoff the 15th edition of the East-West Bowl. Gryphons kicker Gabe Ferraro had a phenomenal day finishing a perfect 2-for-2 on field goals, including a long of 42, while also going 4-for-4 on extra points. Ferraro, who was named a 2nd Team All-Canadian in 2015, also impressed in the punt game, averaging 39.6 yards on 7 punts including one punt inside the opponents 20-yard line. Ferraro also added a touchback on a kickoff to account for 11 of Team West's 37 points on the day.

Defensively, Nick Parisotto and Royce Metchie contributed to a dominant performance by Team West, who kept Team East out of the endzone on the day. Parisotto anchored the back end of the Team West secondary at free safety while Metchie saw time at outside linebacker. "Nick was solid at free safety and did a great job keeping things organized on the back end," said Team West linebackers coach and Gryphons defensive coordinator Adam Grandy. "Both Royce and Nick rallied to the ball and both guys also made some nice contributions on special teams as well," added Grandy, who was coaching in his fourth East-West Bowl. Metchie finished with 3 tackles while Parisotto finished with 2.

All three players will be entering into their fourth season with the Gryphons when the 2017 season kicks off on August 27 at Alumni Stadium.

For more information on the 2017 Valero East-West Bowl, visit www.usports.ca.

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