LANGFORD- The visiting Edmonton Elks dressed nearly a full lineup and got contributions from both starters and hopefuls on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Starlight Stadium. The result was a 34-16 victory over the BC Lions in our pre-season opener in front of a sold-out crowd of 6,126 fans. Despite how it read on the scoreboard, the Lions can head back to Kamloops knowing they got some decent contributions from a few exciting youngsters. Winning is always nice, but there will be plenty to take from this one.Now for some game takes.
Elks Pull Away In 2nd Half
The hometown Lions trailed 17-10 at the break and couldn’t muster any momentum. Edmonton got three touchdowns through the air, one of those to Austin Mack late in the second quarter. Another major came on the ground from quarterback Cole Snyder. It being pre-season, there was the odd miscue. Defensive back D.K. Kaufman had an interception wiped out due to a roughing the passer call. That third-quarter infraction led to another three points for Edmonton.
At the end of the day, this one will be about evaluation. There were certainly a few noteworthy performances. First-round pick Nate Demontagnac made a couple of good plays before going down with a shoulder injury. Buck Pierce was mum on the severity, but the playmaker was seen smiling after the game despite having his arm in a sling. Another impressive member of the draft class, Pierre Kemeni, had the Lions’ lone takeaway on an interception of Taylor Powell in the second quarter.
Kaidon Salter got a bulk of the work behind centre, playing the second and third quarters. It was Chase Brice who started at quarterback and played the opening quarter, finishing 8/10 for 71 yards and a touchdown pass to Hergy Mayala that gave the home side its first lead of the afternoon at 7-3. The opening touchdown drive was kick-started by Jaelon Darden’s nifty 33-yard punt return to set them up with decent field position. Later on, Dardon busted a 40-yard return. Jarret Doege rounded out the quarterback duties in the final quarter. Salter was the only Lion quarterback dressed who had yet to see any real live game action in the CFL. He was asked about his performance afterwards.
“I felt like I did okay. I’ve just got to hang in the pocket a little longer on some of those reads and stuff like that,” said the quarterback.
“Overall, I feel like I’ve done okay. I’ve got to get back to the drawing board and get a whole lot better. I feel like I’ve got lots of learning to do. So I have to get behind Chase, get behind Nate, continue to learn the offence, continue to learn the defences and the pressures they have in this league. That’s good right there.”
As is usually the case at this stage of pre-season, the players who make their mark on special teams will be the ones making the roster decisions even more difficult for the brass over the next 7-10 days. Dardon is another one who has proven to be versatile. Jayden Williams led all Lion receivers with 53 yards on only three receptions. Middle linebacker Ralen Goforth led the defenders with seven tackles. The evaluation process will only heat up from here on in.
“A lot of things you expect in a pre-season game,” added Buck Pierce.
“From an evaluation standpoint, I thought a lot of guys shone. I thought some guys showed up. Throughout the course of training camp, you’re watching guys make plays, and you’re hoping that translates to the game. I thought some guys did that.”
As for the play of his starter and current number two quarterback, Brice, the head coach had this to say:
“I thought he did well, thought he executed the offence well. It looked like he was moving the pocket well. He stood in there and made some tough throws. We were excited to see him get the start and get a couple of series under his belt. I thought he looked well.”
The Big Stat
450- The Elks’ net offence in this one. Cody Fajardo got the first series at quarterback. Powell finished 13/14 for 160 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Next Up
The Lions return to Kamloops for three full days of training camp practice, followed by a walkthrough and trip to Winnipeg to conclude pre-season. Next Friday, May 29, is a 5:30 pm PT kickoff against the Blue Bombers.