Three Rams to play for Canada Under-19 at International Bowl
OTTAWA, Ont. – Football Canada announced Saturday nightthe first wave of players who will compete for Canada’sUnder-19 National Team at the 2015 International Bowl, includingUniversity of Regina Rams linebacker Danny Nesbitt and defensivelinemen Grey McKen and Eric Wicijowski.
Featuring games between Canada and the United States at fivedifferent age groups, the 2015 International Bowl will culminatewith the Under-19 game on Saturday, Feb. 7 in Arlington, Texas atMaverick Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas atArlington. The Under-18, Under-17, Under-16, and Under-15 gameswill be played the previous weekend in Dallas.
McKen, Nesbitt, and Wicijowski were the only players besidesrunning back Atlee Simon to step straight out of high school intothe Rams’ lineup in 2014.
Wicijowski had arguably the greatest impact of the three,playing in all eight Canada West games and starting at defensiveend in each of the team’s final three contests including thepostseason game at Calgary. Wicijowski finished the conferenceschedule with five solo tackles, six assisted tackles, and twotackles for loss including a 10-yard sack in the team’s Week7 win over Manitoba.
Nesbitt also played in all eight conference games for the Ramsand earned his first career start in the team’s Canada Westsemifinal game. He had four solo tackles and four assisted tackles,much of which came on special teams as he played a key role on kickcoverage all season long. This will be the second consecutiveseason Nesbitt has played in the International Bowl, as he helpedCanada to a 53-9 win over the United States in last year’sUnder-18 game.
McKen ended up with four games played in his rookie season,making his Canada West debut in the Week 4 game againstSaskatchewan. He dressed for each of the team’s next threegames before an injury forced him to miss the final conference gameand the semifinal at Calgary.
The three Rams are part of 23 players that were named Saturdayto the Under-19 team, which is guided by York University head coachWarren Craney. Football Canada is expected to announce theremainder of the team in the coming weeks.
-30-