San Antonio, TX – January 9, 2011– The 2nd annual Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl features some of the United States’ top youth football talent; however it was the team from Canada that came out on top in an exciting last minute 42-37 thriller at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The USA-Canada Youth Bowl is the newest addition to the Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl lineup, which features North America’s top U15 football players against one another in an all-star format.
The players from Canada got off to a slow start and their nerves were showing with two quick turnovers that allowed a talented U.S. team to take a 14-0 lead. On the following kick-off, B.C. native and Provincial champion, Marcus Davies returned the kick 100 yards to give some hope to the cheering Canadian fans! The American squad answered the return with a scoring drive of their own to take a 21-7 lead. After a stalled drive, the Canadians gave the ball to the U.S only to have it quickly returned with an interception by Scarborough, Ontario’s own Marcus Badley. The momentum had swung and the red and white proceeded to drive the ball into the endzone on a 31 yard pass from Hamilton’s Jacob Marquette to Victoria’s Brian Dowds to make the score 21-14. Following another big stop by the Canadian defensive MVP, Pickering High’s Matthew Boateng on 4th down, Canada drove down the field to score on a 1 yard plunge by B.C.’s Maleek Irons to bring the score to 21-21 with a few minutes to half. The sleeping giant was awoken as the U.S. responded with a great drive down the field to add a field goal before half to make it a 24-21 game. Clearly, the American fans were shocked to have a game this close. You could see the worry on their faces as the Canadian squad refused to quit. After a few halftime adjustments and a great speech, Team Canada Head Coach Paul Orazietti, an assistant coach for the U.B.C. Thunderbirds, led his players and staff out for round three. This was a slugfest.
The U.S. came out hot marching down the field to add a touchdown to their 3 point lead to make the score 31-21. As if the score angered the offense, it proceeded to score 21 unanswered points. Some big plays by Offensive MVP, Marcus Davies, like the 82 yd TD catch from Ashton Mackinnon, broke the Americans back. The defense also chipped in with 5 total sacks in the second half from the Defensive End from Durham, Ontario, Kyle Forde, Nova Scotia’s Shaun Robinson, and Winnipeg’s Marshal Klein. With the score now at 42-31, the sense of urgency from the U.S. kicked in and they picked up a score by stripping the Canadian running back and taking it into score with 48 seconds remaining in the game. All Canada could do is recover the onside kick and victory was theirs for the taking. After a great kick, Kyle Forde’s 6’1” 205 lb body swallowed the ball and victory was ours! It truly went down to the last minute, and our national pride took a step higher, in its journey to the top.
The game’s Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Game was Marcus Davis from Victoria, British Columbia, who totaled 316 yards on the day. He had 112 receiving, seven rushing, 141 on kickoff returns and a 56-yard punt return. The Defensive Player of the Game was Matthew Boateng of Ajax, Ontario, who had five tackles, an assist, and a pass break up to go with some crucial stops and big hits.
The Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl consists of three East vs. West all-star games, one for the top 40 7th graders with a 175- pound limit, one for the top 40 8th graders with a 185-pound limit and a third game featuring the top 40 8th graders with no weight limit. New this year is the fourth game—the USA-Canada Youth Bowl. The games are modeled after the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, which was played yesterday at the Alamodome.
