The British Columbia Lions, led by Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke of Victoria, British Columbia, are in the West Final of the 2022 Canadian Football League playoffs. On Sunday at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Rourke completed 22 of 30 passes for 321 yards and two touchdowns, along with one rush for five yards as the Lions defeated the Calgary Stampeders 30-16 in the West Semi-Final.
Rourke’s first touchdown pass was for 13 yards to Alexander Hollins with two minutes and 43 seconds left in the first half, which put the Lions up 12-6 at the time. Rourke’s second touchdown pass was for 10 yards to Bryan Burnham with three minutes and 41 seconds left in the game, which put the Lions up 26-9.
British Columbia will now play the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the West Final on Sunday. In the East Final on Sunday, the Toronto Argonauts will play host to the Montreal Alouettes at Bank of Montreal Field in Toronto, Ontario. In the East Division semi-final on Sunday, the Alouettes defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 28-17 at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium in Montreal, Quebec.
Rourke meanwhile is one of four Canadians to be nominated this year for CFL Awards. He is being nominated for top Canadian, where he is up against Argonauts wide receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. of Ottawa, Ontario. The other two are Tiger-Cats offensive lineman Brandon Revenberg of Essex, Ontario (top offensive lineman), and Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea of North Bay, Ontario (top coach).
