Football Canada finalizes U19 national team roster in preparation for 2016 International Bowl
Canada’s U19 national team face US on Jan. 31 at AT&T Stadium in Texas
Photo credit: USA Football / Ron Jenkins
Football Canada has added LUKAS BRENNAN, SAMUEL MARANDA-BIZEAU and AMEN OGBONGBEMIGA to Canada’s U19 national team roster in preparation for their 2016 International Bowl game against the U.S. national team on January 31 in Arlington, Texas.
Games will take place at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, and are a collaboration of the sport’s national governing bodies in each country – USA Football and Football Canada – featuring top student-athletes in football’s greatest annual international competition.
Niagara Spears product and current Guelph Gryphon defensive lineman LUKAS BRENNAN represented Ontario at the 2014 Football Canada Cup in Saskatoon, helping the province to a national championship.
Notre-Dame-de-Foy defensive tackle SAMUEL MARANDA-BIZEAU was named a division 1 collégial all-star this past season, recording 36.5 total tackles, 7 quarterback sacks and 13 tackles for loss.
One of the top ranked Canadians in the 2016 recruiting class, AMEN OGBONGBEMIGA is a 3-star linebacker from Calgary’s Notre Dame High School who is verbally committed to the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Canada’s U19 national team will be coached at the International Bowl by the Junior National Team coaching staff for a second consecutive year.
Canada’s under-18 national team will also be taking part in the 2016 International Bowl with games on January 31 against the U.S. U19 Selects followed by the U.S. U18 national team on February 3. Canada’s under-18 national team was selected from participants of the 2015 under-18 national tackle football championship, the Football Canada Cup, which took place July 13-19, in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec.
Canada’s U18 and U19 national team programs represent a pool of identified players in preparation for the 2016 worlds. Based on player’s performances at this year’s International Bowl, a roster of 45 players will be selected to represent their country at the 2016 IFAF U19 World Championship in China.
The International Bowl, held to coincide with NCAA’s National Signing Day, was established in 2010 as an annual Team USA versus the World game until it transitioned into its current format in 2014.
More information is available at www.footballcanada.com or www.InternationalBowl.com.
Canada’s U19 national team, 2016 International Bowl
| Name / Nom | Pos. |
Team in 2015 – Commitment / Équipe en 2015 – engagement |
Hometown / Ville natale |
| Lukas Brennan | DE/AD | Guelph | St. Catharines, Ont. |
| Samuel Maranda-Bizeau | DT/PD | Notre-Dame-de-Foy | Québec, Qué |
| Amen Ogbongbemiga | LB/SEC | Notre Dame (Calgary) – Oklahoma St. (NCAA) | Calgary, Alta. |
| Giordy Belfiore | QB/QA | Canada Prep – Carleton | St. Catharines, Ont. / Vancouver, BC/C.-B. |
| Dimitri Morand | QB/QA | Cégep St-Jean-sur-Richelieu | Gatineau, Qué. |
| Jesse Amankwaa | RB/DO | York | Toronto, Ont. |
| Adam Machart | RB/DO | Saskatoon Hilltops (CJFL) | Saskatoon, Sask. |
| Dynell Pierre | RB/DO | Cégep Vieux Montréal | Montréal, Qué. |
| Julien Bourassa | WR/RÉ | Cégep Vieux Montréal | Laval, Qué. |
| Colton Hunchak ** | WR/RÉ | York | Calgary, Alta. |
| Jacob Janke * ** | WR/RÉ | York | Edmonton, Alta. |
| Nikola Kalinic | TE/AR | York | Etobicoke, Ont. |
| Chris Osei-Kusi | WR/RÉ | Queen’s | Brampton, Ont. |
| Jason Price | WR/RÉ | Saskatoon Hilltops (CJFL) | Saskatoon, Sask. |
| François Rocheleau * | WR/RÉ | André-Grasset | Saint-Basile-le-Grand, Qué. |
| Alex Salytchev | WR/RÉ | The Taft School (CT) | Cambridge, Ont. |
| Drew Desjarlais | OL/LO | Windsor | Belle River, Ont. |
| Jesse Gibbon | OL/LO | Waterloo | Hamilton, Ont. |
| Liam Jensen | OL/LO | Regina | Watrous, Sask. |
| Samuel Lefebvre * | OL/LO | Cégep Levis-Lauzon – Laval | Saint-Lambert-de-Lauzon, Qué. |
| Pier-Olivier Lestage | OL/LO | Cégep St-Jean-sur-Richelieu | Saint-Eustache, Qué. |
| Philippe Robitaille | OL/LO | Cégep Levis-Lauzon | Montréal, Qué. |
| Spencer Roy ** | OL/LO | Calgary | Calgary, Alta. |
| Isyah Obas-Cahuaza | OL/LO | Vanier | Saint-Laurent, Qué. |
| Zack Williams * | OL/LO | Manitoba | Winnipeg, Man. |
| Jack Cassar | LB/SEC | Canada Prep. | Mississauga, Ont. |
| Kean Harelimana * | LB/SEC | Vanier | Laval, Qué. |
| Lowhya Lako ** | LB/SEC | Windsor | Windsor, Ont. |
| Cody Peters | LB/SEC | Saskatoon Hilltops (CJFL) | Saskatoon, Sask. |
| Deshawn Stevens * | LB/SEC | Kent School (CT) | Toronto, Ont. |
| Eric Thakurdeen * | LB/SEC | Saskatchewan | Saskatoon, Sask. |
| Ben Whiting * | LB/SEC | Saskatchewan | Saskatoon, Sask. |
| Nathan Cherry | DL/LD | Aden Bowman – Saskatchewan | Saskatoon, Sask. |
| Nicholas Dheilly | DE/AD | Dr. Martin LeBoldus HS | Regina, Sask. |
| Liam Dobson | DL/LD | Canada Prep. | Ottawa, Ont. |
| Connor Guillet | DL/LD | Saskatoon Hilltops (CJFL) | Humboldt, Sask. |
| Skye King | DL, OL / LD, LO | Calgary Colts (CJFL) – York | Calgary, Alta. |
| Payton Hall * | DB/DD | Saskatchewan | Caronport, Sask. |
| Elijah Hamilton * | DB/DD | Guelph | Brampton, Ont. |
| Stavros Katsantonis | DB/DD | UBC | Vancouver, BC/C.-B. |
| Ted Kubongo | DB/DD | Notre Dame (Calgary) | Calgary, Alta. |
| Jay Yausie | DB/DD | Saskatoon Hilltops (CJFL) | Saskatoon, Sask. |
| Greg Hutchins * | K/B | N. Mexico St. – transf. UBC | Bedford, NS/N.-É. |
| * | Alumni of 2015 U18 national team at International Bowl |
| ** | Alumni of 2015 U19 national team at International Bowl |
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