B.C. Lions bob for Apple Bowl redemption, bite Edmonton Elks in Kelowna (& 12 other thoughts)

Photo courtesy: Marissa Buecker/B.C. Liona

The B.C. Lions concluded their stay at the Apple Bowl in Kelowna with their first victory gala of the season, looking honeycrisp in a 36-24 win over the previously undefeated Edmonton Elks that left 19,083 fans feeling red and delicious.

Here are my thoughts on the game (with no further fruit puns, I promise).

Okanagan Regiment of Foot

In the battle to save the B.C. Lions’ season, James Butler deserved the Victoria Cross. His performance against the Elks was hard-nosed and daring, providing a genuine bolt of energy that invigorated both teammates and fans alike.

Prior to Saturday, the Lions had struggled to establish any semblance of a consistent run game, in large part because it is virtually impossible to do so while trailing in the CFL. Butler had just 117 rushing yards through three games, and desperately needed more touches. He wasn’t overburdened by opportunities in this one either, but made almost every single catch or carry count.

Head coach and offensive playcaller Buck Pierce deserves some credit for continuing to feed his star back, as B.C.’s first two attempts were stopped for a loss due to missed blocks by left tackle Kory Woodruff and receiver Hergy Mayala, respectively. Butler instead made himself useful in the passing game, playing a key role on the team’s first touchdown drive.

The explosion came later in the first quarter. Butler remained patient as right guard Chris Schleuger climbed to the second level and covered up middle linebacker Dariel Djabome, then knifed through the heart of the defence for 23 yards. One play later, he followed right tackle Dejon Allen as he pulled inside and turned on the jets for an 54-yard gain. You couldn’t have dreamed up better execution if you tried.

The 31-year-old back didn’t produce another gain of over 15 yards, but don’t confuse that for ineffectiveness. He forced missed tackles from both Tyrell Ford and Justin Pace on his first short touchdown run, and wasn’t going to be denied on his second score either. Several of his best second-half carries came without the benefit of perfect blocking, but he turned what should have been defensive stops into first downs with pure tenacity.

Butler finished with 15 carries for 135 yards and two majors, more than doubling his prior season total. He added three catches for 27 yards, averaging an even nine yards per touch. Most importantly, he was the spark that revived a floundering football team.

Committee of one

The B.C. Lions spent all week in Kelowna, bonding and engaging with the local community. However, their stay in the Okanagan wasn’t all sun and fun, as the organization made the difficult decision to relieve special teams coordinator Cory McDiarmid of his duties last Sunday night.

You hate to see any individual lose their job, but it is an unfortunate reality of pro football. The Lions’ special teams unit has been subpar dating back to 2025, when McDiarmid took over the job, and things have only gotten worse. It’s easy to paint a special teams coordinator as a scapegoat, and it is absolutely true that McDiarmid had to operate with the personnel he was given, but the team’s performance in the third phase against Calgary was an abomination. A message had to be sent that would resonate with players.

That message came at an internal cost, as B.C. elected to fill special teams coordinator duties by committee for this game. While I’m sure every member of the staff played their part, it was embattled defensive coordinator Mike Benevides who appeared to pick up most of the slack and was visibly directing the coverage units. The 58-year-old was an obvious choice, given that he preceded McDiarmid in the role, but that is still a massive amount of added pressure to place on the shoulders of a man already bathed in too much public vitriol.

Special teams certainly weren’t flawless against Edmonton. Javon Leake had a late field-flipping return, Sean Whyte uncharacteristically missed a field goal and had a point-after attempt blocked, and new returner Jaden Williams nearly mirrored his predecessor with a fumble on kickoff, only to be bailed out by Jermaine Jackson. Nevertheless, there were legitimate signs of improvement, and you could feel the elation radiating from the sideline when Williams later scooted for a 37-yard punt return, breaking four tackles in the process.

B.C.’s coaches all deserve credit for responding after being pushed to the max, but Benevides should receive extra kudos for handling two struggling units in the same week and making them both better. No one understands better than him that job security in football is a fallacy and that he will be judged on the quality of the next performance more than the last, but this is why veteran coaches are so valuable. If you are one of the fans who gleefully floods comment sections calling for his job every week, take it as a reminder of the respect he has earned.

Orchard City bushel

The Lions were the last team left in the CFL without a single defensive takeaway, but they’ll leave Kelowna with four of them.

It was Jackson Findlay who finally broke the seal with an interception in the second quarter, swooping in to rescue a football tipped by fellow Vancouver College alumnus Adam Konar. Ronald Kent Jr. made up for some earlier mistakes by tracking down an overthrow intended for Kaion Julien-Grant after the intermission, rookie linebacker Parker McKenna raked a ball loose from Justin Rankin that landed in the lap of Casey Sayles in the third quarter, and Darnell Sankey effectively ended the game by accepting a gift from Cody Fajardo at the goal line in the fourth quarter.

B.C. left another couple of turnovers out on the field. McKenna had a more impressive forced fumble earlier in the game, but offensive lineman Carter O’Donnell was able to jump on it. C.J. Coldon made a brilliant interception in the fourth quarter that was erased by a marginal roughing the passer penalty against Mathieu Betts. Leake muffed two returns for Edmonton, but was able to pick up the ball before the cover teams arrived.

That’s not to say that there weren’t a couple of the obvious errors that we’ve come to expect from the secondary. Kent and Coldon were each flagged for pass interference on impactful deep shots, both of which could have been avoided with slight tweaks. Kaion Julien-Grant had a laugh while hauling in two touchdown passes, as the Lions inexplicably played off-coverage at the goal line on the first one and then completely busted on the second. Austin Mack took advantage of some soft zones when moving the chains and out-muscled Coldon for a 24-yard major.

All plays were worthy of criticism, but here’s the thing: they all came in the first half. When it mattered most, the Lions defied their reputation, kept plays in front of them, and forced timely turnovers or knockdowns. The result was that the Elks managed just three points in the final 30 minutes, which made any semblance of a comeback impossible.

Box score illusions

Nathan Rourke was credited with more interceptions thrown than touchdowns against Edmonton, but statistics don’t tell the whole story. Neither turnover was really his fault, both coming as a result of deflected passes.

You could argue that Rourke should have exhibited better timing and ball placement when dumping the ball off to Jermaine Jackson in the first quarter, but I choose to credit linebacker Joel Dublanko with an exceptional play. Jackson was open for the checkdown until he wasn’t, as the former first-overall CFL Draft pick anticipated the QB’s decision and closed the window with violence. It was hardly a suicide pass, but a murderous hit caused the ball to pop up into the air, where Dariel Djabome was waiting for his first career interception. That set up Edmonton’s first touchdown.

Rourke wasn’t picked off again until the fourth quarter, this time on a play where he was entirely blameless. He put the pass right between Justin McInnis’ numbers, but the Canadian receiver bobbled the reception and Dublanko dove to grab it. It’s plays like that that give box scores a bad name.

All things considered, Rourke played a very respectable game, completing 27-of-36 passes for 320 yards and a touchdown. His longest throw of the night came on a trick play, as B.C. lined up for a short-yardage sneak with Zander Horvath under centre before the snap went between his legs to the quarterback, who hit fullback Riley Pickett for a 38-yard gain. Other shots down the field to Keon Hatcher and Hergy Mayala were equally well-delivered.

At this point, we haven’t seen an otherworldly performance from the reigning Most Outstanding Player in 2026. We haven’t seen a bad game either. He continues to be efficient and effective, which is all that matters when you’re back in the win column.

Covering the stench

If the vote for Most Outstanding Player was held entering Week 5, I would have cast my ballot for Elks running back Justin Rankin. The CFL’s leading rusher was off to a torrid start not seen since Kory Sheets and posed a major threat to the Lions’ defence.

That did not come to fruition, at least in the first half. Rankin was, well, rank in the early going, as B.C. held the point of attack nearly perfectly. At the break, he had just four carries for negative three yards. He’d finish the game with seven carries for 19 yards. What a feat from the Lions’ front seven!

Rankin did rack up yardage through the air, primarily in the second half, catching 10 passes for 100 yards. However, that production was the byproduct of a defence forcing checkdowns, rather than a symptom of ineptitude. You can’t hope to stop a player like Rankin, only contain him. The Lions did that as well as anybody ever has.

Delayed gratification

The Lions made two high-profile free agent additions this offseason, but neither linebacker Darnell Sankey nor defensive tackle Casey Sayles had delivered on the buzz prior to Saturday. That changed big time against Edmonton, where the All-CFL pair proved their worth with exceptional performances.

Sankey, who is widely regarded as one of the league’s best run defenders, was the catalyst for rendering Rankin ineffective early. He triggered downhill on a pair of gorgeous tackles for loss, and finished with six total takedowns. His late-game interception took little playmaking ability, given that Fajardo drilled it into his chest as he stood still, but it was still an emphatic cherry on top of a brilliant night.

Sayles earned most of his money by disrupting passing lanes, batting down three balls — more than any defensive back for either team. His fumble recovery was also more luck than skill, but a second-half hit on Fajardo came at full value. It was a textbook tackle, clean and in the strike zone, but the quarterback will be feeling it for days to come.

Missing in action

Last week, Justin McInnis was obviously hampered by an injured ankle and became something of an afterthought in the game plan. The Canadian target was not listed on the injury report at all ahead of this game, but the result was exactly the same.

McInnis had four catches for 32 yards against Edmonton, tying him with Nick Cenacle for third on the team. He still seemed to be down a gear, struggling to separate down the field and looking for pass interference calls to bail him out in tight coverage. That’s a stark contrast from the dynamic difference-maker we’re accustomed to.

I’d wager that the ankle is still a problem for the two-time All-CFL selection. Fortunately, a bye week comes at the perfect time to get him healthy.

Pour me a draft

I’ve been critical of the Lions’ depth this season, and believe there are significant deficiencies on their roster. However, you can’t deny that they’ve hit some absolute home runs in recent CFL Drafts, and Saturday was an especially good night for assistant general manager Rob Ralph, who handles Canadian scouting.

We already knew that 2025 second-round pick Jackson Findlay was a stud, but another interception certainly helped to reinforce it. Defensive end Hayden Harris, who was taken five picks earlier in that same draft, saw the majority of action with Levi Bell injured and continuously flashed, finishing with a sack. 2026 fourth-round pick Pierre Kemeni added another special teams tackle to his growing resume, and fifth-rounder Nick Cenacle delivered a spectacular toe-tapping grab that bailed out a questionable decision from Rourke.

Even much-maligned 2024 first-round pick Anu Una had positive moments when he stepped in after an eye injury to right tackle Dejon Allen, though he did get beat like a drum by Noah Curtis on Edmonton’s only sack. When Zander Horvath was held up at the goal line by five defenders, it was the Windsor product who cruised in late to topple the pile. Until the CFL starts calling tandem blocking penalties, I vote that we start handing out assists to offensive linemen for any touchdowns of that nature.

The limits of positive thinking

Struggling football teams have to do everything in their power to remain optimistic. Mathieu Betts may have stretched that concept past its limit in the fourth quarter.

After a swing pass to Justin Rankin fell incomplete, the two-time Most Outstanding Defensive Player rushed to recover the ball. It was a smart play, given that there was a chance the pass could have been backwards, but he took the remainder to the extreme. Despite grabbing the pigskin off the ground while on his knees with an Edmonton player all over him — down by contact by any definition — Betts stood back up and ran all the way to the end zone, drawing a roar from the crowd despite how obvious it was that the play would be called back.

This is the second time this season that Betts has run in an obvious non-touchdown on a play that should have been whistled dead. If he keeps selling it, maybe they’ll eventually let him keep one.

Emotional range

I’ve sometimes questioned whether head coach Buck Pierce exhibits enough fire on the sidelines, or whether he has the demeanour needed to drag his team out of tough circumstances. A lack of emotion certainly wasn’t an issue when he addressed his team after this win, as he exploded with the elation only possible after pent-up frustration.

“Damn, that feels f***ing good,” he screamed, bouncing around the raucous locker room.

I also experienced an aspect of Pierce’s emotional range that I had never previously seen, as I broached the topic of the Lions’ tense relationship with Kelowna-based reality TV show Canada Shore — tune in tomorrow for more on that story. The head coach shut down the line of questioning with a death glare that could wither certain important organs. Generally, that look can only be deployed effectively by disappointed mothers and scorned girlfriends, but kudos to him for mastering the unexpected.

Though I’d like to say I’ll avoid such eye-daggers in the future, this ain’t that kind of column. I may tread more carefully, though, when musing about whether Pierce has the necessary edge to kick struggling players into gear.

Apple crop

With Saturday’s result, the Lions depart Kelowna with a 1-1 record at the temporary Apple Bowl. It was fantastic to end the mid-season field trip on a winning note, as the team received a ton of support from the local community and hosted a myriad of events throughout the week.

Tickets didn’t quite sell out for the second game at the venue, but reported attendance dropped by just 25 people. There were only a few empty seats visible, which is pretty remarkable considering how few visiting fans showed up compared to last week. The Elks turnout was positively pitiful compared to the robust contingent of Stampeders faithful that made the seven-hour drive. Edmonton may be two hours further away, but that is a terrible excuse for being outnumbered by Riders fans at your own game. As someone who grew up draped in the Green and Gold, and whose own father was playing turncoat in the stands, I will endure no excuses about name changes or previous losing seasons. There is no legitimate defence for an Edmontonian with any pride to be outclassed by Calgary.

The result was a greater percentage of the stadium wearing B.C. jerseys. A weekend trip to the Okanagan is an easy sell for travelling fans, but back-to-back road trips or a week’s vacation takes more convincing. That is exacerbated when your team is winless. People still showed up, whether local or visitor, ensuring that a blazing hot day didn’t dampen the atmosphere. That crowd was loud and engaged throughout.

The Lions held up their end of the bargain, delivering several improvements on the game-day experience and notching a decisive victory. A second round of kudos for all involved, as this team has once again proven that their staff and event planning ability is a cut above the rest.

Sigh of relief

The Lions can finally put the 2011 talk in the rearview mirror, and will have 13 days to bask in their first victory, before a rematch with these same Elks on July 17. The bye week will offer a chance to reset, get healthy, and plug some holes. Pierce and general manager Ryan Rigmaiden won’t get much rest, as they now begin the search for a new special teams coordinator.

B.C. has much more to prove before they can regain their Grey Cup contender title, but we may look back on this week in Kelowna as a turning point. Much like training camp, players were sequestered together and forced to bond, but this time many brought their families along for the ride. The community feel on the field post-game was palpable and may prove integral in the weeks to come.