WATERLOO, Ont. – The best 107 Canadian university football players from across the country, who are eligible for the 2027 CFL Draft, gathered at the University of Waterloo for this year's edition of the U SPORTS East-West Bowl. The annual all-star game, which saw five University of Guelph student-athletes suiting up on Team West, took place on Saturday, May 9 at the University of Waterloo's Warrior Field with just under 1,000 fans in attendance. Team West, led by Gryphon quarterback
Tristan Aboud, won 28-27 over Team East in the 23rd edition of the showcase event, which began back in 2003.
BOX SCORE
Gryphons quarterback
Tristan Aboud, a management economics and finance major at the University of Guelph, was named '
Offensive Player of the Game' after finishing Saturday afternoon's all-star game with an impressive stat line while leading his Team West to the 28-27 victory. Aboud, a 22-year-old, 6-foot-4 quarterback from Montreal, Quebec, finished the day completing 14 of his 20 pass attempts for 280 yards with 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions. His lone touchdown pass of the game came in the 3rd quarter, with a familiar face on the receiving end. Aboud's Gryphon teammate,
Marshall McCray, lined up as a slot receiver on the play and hauled in the 41-yard touchdown pass. McCray, a human kinetics major at the University of Guelph, has spent the past three seasons playing quarterback for the Gryphons. But the 21-year-old from Niagara Falls was listed as an 'Athlete' during this week's U SPORTS East-West Bowl festivities, and that athleticism was on display with
Marshall McCray also adding a 1-yard touchdown run on a QB sneak earlier in the game. Aboud and McCray were joined on Team West by fellow Gryphons
Willem Arseneau (receiver), Nate Slawter (defensive back) and
Kyle Simon-Guerin (defensive back). Gryphon linebacker,
Jevaun Jacobsen, was also invited to the all-star showcase but was unable to take part due to injury.
Tristan Aboud and
Marshall McCray helped lead an explosive attack for Team West, which finished the day with 487 total yards of offence on 60 plays, averaging 8.1 yards per snap, and converted 22 first downs. The Gryphons 2026 football season is just 112 days away from kicking off, with the Gryphons opening the 2026 season on the road on Saturday, August 29 when they visit the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in Waterloo. The Gryphons will then return home on Labour Day weekend for a Sunday afternoon (Sept. 6) matchup with the McMaster Marauders at U of G's Alumni Stadium. Tickets for the Gryphons 2026 football season will go on sale in June. For
more information on the 2026 U SPORTS East-West Bowl, visit usports.ca.
Gryphons taking part in 2026 East-West Bowl:
Tristan Aboud (QB)
Nate Slawter (DB)
Marshall McCray (ATH)
Willem Arseneau (REC)
Kyle Simon-Guerin (DB)
Jevaun Jacobsen (LB) * injured, unable to play in game *
Coaches:
Mark Surya (Team West – Quarterbacks)
Joe D'Amore (Team West – Running Backs)
