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Jeff and Tara Miller for Bison Sports

Football

Five Bison football players selected to the 2018 Valero East-West Bowl

Shai Ross, Derek Dufault, Jamel Lyles, Jesse Walker, and Zack Williams will represent the Bisons in the 16th annual showcase of players who will be eligible for the 2019 CFL Draft.

Five Bison Football players have been selected to play in the 2018 U SPORTS Valero East-West Bowl, which features U SPORTS football players heading into their CFL draft year. The 16th annual prospects game will be played at TELUS-U.L. Stadium at Laval on Saturday, May 12 at 11:30 AM. The selections and their teams are as follows:

TEAM EAST
Zack Williams, OT

TEAM WEST
Shai Ross, REC
Derek Dufault, DE
Jamel Lyles, RB
Jesse Walker, REC

Williams has played three seasons with Manitoba. The 6'5", 305 lb. offensive lineman played in all eight games for the Bisons in 2017. He was selected to play on the Canada Junior National Team for the 2016 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) U19 World Championship.

Ross has played four seasons with Manitoba. The 6'0", 175 lb. receiver played in six games in the 2017 season, tallying 220 yards, two touchdowns, and averaging 36.7 yards/game. Ross' 12.2 yards per catch were good for 12th in Canada West in 2017.

Dufault has played three seasons with Manitoba. The 6'2", 250 lb. defensive lineman played in all eight games during the 2017 season, with 30 tackles. His 3.5 sacks and 20 sack yards were good for seventh in Canada West and led the Bisons.

Lyles has played two seasons with Manitoba. He was the Canada West Rookie of the Year for the 2015 season before playing one season in junior football with the Westshore Rebels and returning to the Bisons for 2017. The 5'11", 210 lb. running back had a standout campaign, amassing 691 rushing yards (4th in CW) and four touchdowns (T-2nd in CW) in eight games. His 110 rush touches were third in the conference and 1,382 all-purpose yards led the Bisons.

Walker has played three seasons with Manitoba. The 6'2", 197 lb. receiver had 318 receiving yards in 2017, with one touchdown. The 39.8 yards per game mark was good for 18th in Canada West and 23 total receptions led the Bisons.

A national committee of U SPORTS and CFL head coaches and scouts select the players for the East-West Bowl after their respective teams nominate them. All 27 U SPORTS football schools are represented in the East-West Bowl. The objective is to showcase future CFL stars to scouts, coaches and fans through a week of practice, testing and evaluation.

Find more information on the East-West Bowl in the U SPORTS press release from this morning.
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