After delivering first win, Elks now chasing revenge on Lions

Field Level Media|published: Sat 12th July, 17:42 2025

Jun 7, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; BC Lions wide reciever Exechiel Tieide (80) tackles Edmonton Elks wide receiver Arkell Smith (86) during the second half at BC Place Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images

The visiting BC Lions and Edmonton Elks will have a rematch of their season-opening clash on Sunday.

The Lions (2-3) handed the West Division rival Elks (1-3) a 31-14 loss on June 7 in Vancouver.

Both teams snapped three-game losing streaks last weekend, with Edmonton defeating Ottawa 39-33 for its first win of the season and BC winning 21-20 at Montreal for its first victory since Week 1.

Justin Rankin rushed 12 times for 105 yards and a touchdown and caught four passes for 69 yards and another score to lead the Elks against the RedBlacks. Fellow running back Javon Leake returned five punts for 163 yards, including a 94-yard touchdown.

"Thunder and lightning," Rankin told the team website this week of his pairing with Leake. "You ain't never seen nothing like it."

Rankin said he and Leake have been able to carry over their success from last season because there's no jealousy between them.

"When I started to get hot, he's like, ‘You rolling? Go, go, go,' you know?" Rankin said. "When he's hot, it's vice versa. You got the spark, keep being the spark. I don't think there's any selfishness in the room. And when you have depth at a position like that, it's hard to stop."

The Lions found a way to stop them in the first meeting, limiting Rankin and Leake to a combined 29 yards on 10 carries.

The star for BC in the season-opening win was Nathan Rourke, who completed 27 of 36 passes for 324 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Rourke returned from a two-game absence for an oblique injury and threw for 352 yards with one TD and also ran for a score in last Saturday's win at Montreal. Sean Whyte's walk-off 43-yard field goal provided the winning points.

"I think there are a lot of things we can do better, starting with me," Rourke said, per the team website. "Good teams find a way when it's not perfect, and it definitely wasn't perfect today. So, we'll go back to the drawing board and get ready for Edmonton next week."

--Field Level Media

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