The BC Lions haven’t reached the Grey Cup since winning it all in 2011 and the Edmonton Elks haven’t appeared in the championship game since capturing the title in 2015.
One of these teams will end its drought Saturday when the Lions and host Elks play in the West final, with the winner earning a date in the Nov. 15 Grey Cup in Calgary.
Edmonton (13-5 regular season) had a bye last week after winning the West Division, while BC (10-8) rallied from a 14-point deficit to post a 33-26 home victory over defending champion Saskatchewan in the West semifinal.
Lions coach Buck Pierce knows all about the franchise’s 15-year Grey Cup drought but remains focused on the present.
“I understand all that from the organizational standpoint and the fan standpoint,” said Pierce, “but we’re focused on this year.”
The Lions have endured plenty of playoff heartbreak in recent seasons as BC is playing in the West final for the fourth time in five seasons. The Lions lost 24-21 to the Roughriders last year.
“I think we can definitely look at experiences of the past to try to learn from them,” BC star quarterback Nathan Rourke told reporters. “But at the same time, I think we’ve got to realize that you can never step in the same river twice. Things have changed, and I think you’ve got to accept each moment as it is.”
The Lions and Elks split their two regular-season meetings.
Edmonton is playing in its first playoff game since 2019, and the city is loading up on green-and-gold gear.
“There’s a lot of hoopla around the game,” said the Elks’ Mark Kilam, a CFL Coach of the Year finalist with the Lions’ Pierce and the Montreal Alouettes’ Jason Maas. “Once it kicks off, it’s about being who we are and playing our brand of game.”
Edmonton started the season by winning six of its first seven games and kept sailing through the campaign.
“This is what you want in a West final,” Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo said. “… We’ve got a good idea of how they want to play us, but I think both teams have gotten so much better since the last time we faced each other and that’s what’s going to make this game so much more intriguing.”
Fajardo finished fourth in the CFL with 4,788 passing yards. Rourke was fifth with 4,614 (in two fewer games).
Edmonton’s league-leading rushing attack will face BC’s top-ranked run defense, which limited star running back Justin Rankin (1,170 rushing yards) to 19 yards on seven carries in their first meeting and nine on seven carries in the second.
“If it’s zero yards and we win, that’s fine,” Rankin said. “The biggest thing is that we’re winning games regardless of whether the run game is hitting or not.”
–Field Level Media
