Football | 5/7/2026 10:00:00 AM
The York University Lions football team is sending a Pride of players and coaches to Waterloo this weekend for the 2026 U SPORTS East-West Bowl. The game is an opportunity for the top third- and fourth-year eligible U SPORTS student-athletes to play in front of CFL scouts ahead of their draft year.
The game goes Saturday, May 9 at Warrior Field in Waterloo, with kickoff slated for 12:30 p.m. A new add for 2026, the East-West Bowl Test the Best Combine-Camp, which gives high school players a chance to showcase their skills to scouts and coaches from all 27 U SPORTS teams. That event will take place Friday, May 8.
The Lions will send three players and two coaches, including head coach Dexter Janke, to this year's event. The five is believed the most members of the Lions invited to the game since its inception in 2003. In addition to Janke, who will serve as Team East's running backs coach, first year offensive coordinator Jamie Cook will join Janke on the East staff as their offensive coordinator. The three Lions athletes to be selected to the game are wide receiver Cairo Berry and long snapper Maxime Sansfaçon, who will suit up for Team West, and linebacker Riley Berfelo, who will dress opposite his teammates for Team East.
Berry, a third-year receiver from Dartmouth, N.S., is entering his third year at York and is coming off a strong 2025 season which saw him return from injury to become an important piece in the Lions receiving corps. After being limited to just a single game in 2024, Berry played in all eight games a season ago and made 17 catches, fifth-most on the team, for 235 yards. He was also utilized as a kick returner, bringing back eight kickoffs for 126 yards, an average of 15.8 yards per return.
Sansfaçon, a third-year long snapper from Sherbrooke, Que., comes into his fifth and final season at York poised to be the starter at the position for the second consecutive year. He took over the role after not dressing in 2024 and serving as the backup in his first year as a Lion in 2023. He made one solo tackle and one assisted tackle on special teams last season.
Berfelo, a fourth year linebacker from Victoria, B.C., dressed in all eight games in 2025, doing so for a second straight season. He was credited with 14 solo tackles and 18.5 total, which ranked seventh on the team. He also reeled in his first career OUA interception in the Lions final home game, picking off Western quarterback Eva Hillock. This comes after he burst on the scene in 2024 to make 26.5 total tackles – including five for a loss, second-most among Lions – to go along with a sack. Those 26.5 tackles slotted him fourth on the team.
You can visit the East-West Bowl Landing Page to get your tickets or watch the game FREE on the Waterloo Warriors YouTube Channel.
