EDMONTON – The Edmonton Elks are showing signs that they may finally have found out.
Vincent Blanchard kicked four field goals as the Elks continued their great start to the CFL season, holding on for a 19-17 victory over the BC Lions on Friday.
The Elks, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2019, moved back into sole possession of first place in the West Division at 5-1.
“I’m glad the guys found a way, but that game felt pretty ugly to me. Sometimes you have to find a way to win those games,” Elks head coach Mark Kilam said. “Our defense was outstanding. They’ve carried this team for a long time.”
Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo also praised the Elks defense, which recorded four tackles.
“Everybody can say what they want about our offense, but we’re a 5-1 football team,” Fajardo said. “This team can win in three different phases, tonight it happened that our defense stood on its head for us and we will be the ones to shine.
“But we did enough offensively to win the game. We had a turnover and won the turnover battle. I don’t want to sit here and never apologize for a win because it’s so hard to win in this league.”
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Fajardo threw for 282 yards, but league-leading back Justin Rankin was held to just nine yards rushing after getting just 19 the next time they faced BC.
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The Lions finished last in the West, falling to 1-4. BC’s lone win came against Edmonton, a 36-24 win on July 4 in Kelowna, BC
“The boys battled to the end,” Lions coach Buck Pierce said. “It was one of those games where both sides of the ball played physical. We knew it was going to go down.”
After Lions starting quarterback Nathan Rourke left the game with a shoulder injury when he was sacked on the first play, Edmonton’s defense came up big before the five-minute mark as BC defender Chase Brice had his arm clipped on a pass and the ball rose into the air before landing in the waiting arms of kicker Gavin Meyer, leading to a goal.
The Lions came roaring back as Keon Hatcher made a beautiful 40-yard catch to set up a one-yard TD plunge by Zander Horvath.
Edmonton regained the lead midway through the second quarter after an interception by Tyrell Ford eventually set up a four-yard pass from Cody Fajardo to TJ Luther.
The Elks extended their lead on their next drive as a 54-yard pass play to Joshua Cephus led to a 26-yard Blanchard field goal.
Brice left JJ Ross for the third time, leading to another Blanchard field goal to end the first half with Edmonton up 16-7.
Blanchard hit his fourth field goal from 16 yards out late in the third.
The Lions marched again early in the fourth quarter and got an 11-yard TD catch from Hatcher.
BC’s defense then made a big play as they forced a fumble that was recovered at the Edmonton 19 by Matt Spatny. Sean Whyte kicked a 19-yard field goal to cut the Elks’ lead to 19-17.
Edmonton had a big defensive stand to turn the ball over on downs with 41 seconds left, allowing them to run out the clock.
“I thought we all played really hard and showed a lot of heart out there,” Brice said. “We just fell short. Definitely a lot of missed plays and a lot of mistakes on my end. We just have to look at the tape and see how we can fix it and move on.”
UP NEXT
Lions: Host the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday, July 25.
Elks: Visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Thursday.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 17, 2026.
&copies 2026 The Canadian Press
