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November 4, 2021

Crucial Cat Fight Looms In Steeltown

(Hamilton, ON)- Team bonding goes a long way. Especially with squads such as the 4-7 BC Lions who remain a close, tight-knit group despite falling on hard times in the second half of their season.

In desperate need of a victory to stay in control of their playoff fate, Michael Reilly and company will approach Friday night’s tilt against the 6-5 Tiger-Cats at Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field with the mindset that their backs are against the wall.

After three solid days of practice and a little extra-curricular team activity, they are refreshed and refocused following Saturday’s rollercoaster loss at Toronto.

“Guys are excited. It’s been good being on the road trip in the hotel together,” said Reilly.

Being the only Western club to visit all four Eastern Division cities in 2021, coupled with a short week following the setback at BMO Field, staying over in Steel Town for the duration of their preparation for the Tiger-Cats only made more sense.

“They’re good road trips because you’re just focused on your team and being together with the guys. A normal workday back in Surrey, guys kind of disappear to their own parts of town and stuff like that. Here, we’re all at the same hotel,” the quarterback added.

“It’s kind of like a late-season version of training camp. That’s good for the chemistry and all of that but at the end of the day, we know what’s at stake. We’ve got to get a win.”

Reilly and the offence will look to build on a solid performance where they churned out 364 total yards. Having both Lucky Whitehead and Dominique Rhymes back in the fold paid immediate dividends.

Said Reilly on having all his horses back: “It’s been good. Rhymes obviously showed up big time for us in the game, got the touchdown in the second quarter, Burnham is just doing consistently what Burnham does, it’s great to have Lucky back and get a full week of practice. We’ll get back on the same page and hopefully strike some fear into that defence.”

And the two biggest roster questions were also answered on Thursday. Newcomer Nick Vogel will indeed handle the placekicking duties after Jimmy Camacho’s struggles last week. Vogel arrived in Hamilton on Monday and completed all of the necessary protocols just in time. Vogel arrives up north after posting some impressive credentials at Alabama-Birmingham, ironically, the same alma mater as former Lions’ kicker/punter Ty Long.

As the squad continues to find more consistent production in the return game, fellow CFL rookie Quadree Henderson makes his long-awaited Lions debut in place of Chris Rainey. Henderson was a standout at the University of Pittsburgh, setting a school record with seven touchdowns on returns and also posting a combined 2,437 yards on kickoff and punt returns in 34 contests. He was the first kick returner in school history to be named as an All-American. Henderson is also confident in his ability to perform well.

“I look forward to demonstrating a lot, especially tomorrow,” a jacked up Henderson said.

“You’re going to see a little bit of everything out there. You’re going to see a burst of speed, playmaking, the ability to cut off people and stuff like that and just making plays. I’m a smart returner, so you won’t ever see me make any bad decisions out there. I’m ahead of the game, as far as the return game and stuff like that. I just need to go out there and execute.”

Lions/Tiger-Cats Notebook

  • In his four starts since returning from injury, Hamilton quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has thrown eight touchdown passes to zero interceptions. He has also extended his streak t0 118 consecutive passes without an interception. Masoli’s all-time record against the Lions is 2-2.
  • Running game improving: Over the last two games, James Butler has averaged 6.9 yards per carry and also busted out a season-high 29-yard run against the Argonauts last week.
  • Following his solid showing in a losing effort at Toronto, Bryan Burnham now needs just 31 yards to catch Mike Trevathan for fifth on the Lions’ all-time receiving yards list.
  • Reilly surpassed the 34,000-yard passing mark for his great career last week and now has Dieter Brock in his sights: with just 695 yards, Reilly would catch the former Blue Bomber and Tiger-Cat for 13th amongst CFL all-time passers.
  • 1st quarter dominance the key for Hamilton: in their six victories, they have given up a total of just four points in the opening 15 minutes.
  • Playoffs? Talking about playoffs? Yes, we are. With wins on Friday in Steeltown and next week at home to Calgary, the Lions would be in the driver’s seat to finish third in the West by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker with the idol Stamps (6-6).
  • Should the unlikely happen and BC, Calgary and Saskatchwean all finish 7-7, the Lions would end up in fourth by virtue of a 2-3 combined record against those teams.
  • A Hamilton victory Friday eliminates the possibility of any Western team crossing over to the East. 2015 was the last year no Western team crossed over to the East.