Wins have been rare for the Edmonton Elks — and even rarer at home.
Boris Bede kicked three field goals on Sunday as the Elks won their second game in a row, and second of the season, defeating the BC Lions 33-16.
“It’s great to get a win and you can tell there is a vibe in the locker room right now,” said Elks quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who came in for starter Tre Ford when he left with what appears to be a rib injury late in the first half. “We were so close for so many weeks.”
The Elks are now 2-7. It was their first win at home this season, and just the third in their last 31 games stretching back to Oct. 26, 2019.
“The guys are ecstatic right now,” said Elks head coach Jarious Jackson. “The locker room is crazy, there is water everywhere. I’m sure they are going to have a hard time cleaning up after this. It was good, and that is how it should be.
“You can definitely feel the momentum growing. These guys worked their tails off to get to where we are. It’s two wins in a row and they came against the top two teams in the West.”
The Lions are heading in the opposite direction of the Elks, losing their third consecutive game to drop to 5-4.
“It was sloppy. We didn’t execute the way we needed to,” said Lions quarterback Jake Dolegala. “We have to stay on the field and help our defence out. They just can’t be out there all the time.
“We have to convert some of these second downs and when we are down there we have to put the ball in the end zone, it is as simple as that.”
Lions head coach Rick Campbell recognized that his team has been spinning its wheels of late.
“We have hit a rough spot,” he said. “I like our coaches, I like our players, but we are not playing well enough as a team right now. We have shown that we can be a good football team. So we need to get back to putting our players in good positions so they can make plays and we can be on the right side of the scoreboard.”
The Lions were quick off the mark, scoring a touchdown on their opening drive. In for usual starting quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., who suffered a knee injury last week against Winnipeg, Dolegala marched the team downfield before David Mackie pounded the ball in from the one.
Edmonton responded with a single off a missed 38-yard field goal attempt by Bede.
B.C. got a 43-yard field goal from Sean Whyte on its second possession.
Running back Javon Leake picked up where he left off last week for the Elks early in the second quarter, scoring a 12-yard rushing TD.
Ford put together another strong drive to put Edmonton in front 15-10, capped off by a one-yard plunge by backup Dakota Prukop. They added another single on the ensuing kickoff.
Edmonton closed out the first half with a 51-yard field goal by Bede.
Whyte kicked his 44th consecutive field goal early in the third, a 43-yarder.
Ford took a hard hit late in the second and was replaced for the remainder of the game at pivot by Bethel-Thompson, who had a good drive going before being picked off in the end zone by Ciante Evans.
Dolegala marched the Lions all the way down to the Edmonton red zone, but they were forced to settle for an 18-yard field goal from Whyte to remain three points back.
The Elks started the fourth quarter with a 34-yard field goal from Bede.
Edmonton added to its lead with 6:37 remaining as Bethel-Thompson dumped it off to Justin Rankin for a 17-yard touchdown. The two-point convert pass to Dillon Mitchell was successful.
Bede booted his third field goal of the night from 30 yards out to give Edmonton an added cushion.