The Edmonton Elks (13-4) hosted the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-9) on Friday night at Commonwealth Stadium in their third and final meeting of the season.
In the first quarter, Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo attempted a 57-yard field goal, but he missed wide left. Later, Winnipeg had the ball on the 39-yard line. Seven plays in, quarterback Zach Collaros threw a 20-yard pass to Dorian Singer to the 13-yard line. On the next play, Collaros threw a touchdown pass to Nic Demski for a 7-0 lead with 4:39 left on an eight-play drive for 70 yards.
Edmonton had the ball for the rest of the first quarter. They moved the ball to the eight-yard line before kicker Vincent Blanchard made an 18-yard field goal. The Elks trailed the Blue Bombers 7-3 to end the first quarter. Winnipeg’s offense had 77 yards, six first downs, and 3 for 4 on second downs. Edmonton’s offense had 69 yards, 5 first downs, and went 2 for 4 on second downs.
In the second quarter, Winnipeg had the ball on the nine-yard line when Zach Collaros’s pass intended for Dorian Singer was intercepted by Kenneth Logan Jr. for a 10-yard return to the nine-yard line. Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo threw the ball to ShunDerrick Powell for the touchdown. The Elks took a 10-7 lead with 9:53 left.
Midway through the second quarter, Winnipeg had the ball on the 32-yard line. Zach Collaros threw five passes for 41 yards, and Brady Oliveira rushed for five yards to the 32-yard line. On the next play, Collaros threw a dart into the hands of Ontaria Wilson for the touchdown. The Blue Bombers led 14-10 with 5:20 left on a seven-play drive for 78 yards.
Late in the first half, Winnipeg had the ball on the 43-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the one-yard line, where Bryce Perkins scored the touchdown for a 21-10 lead with 54 seconds left on a nine-play drive for 67 yards. Edmonton returner Montrell Washington returned a 62-yard kick return for 65 yards to the 27-yard line. Cody Fajardo threw two passes for 23 yards to the four-yard line before throwing a touchdown pass to Austin Mack. The Elks trailed the Blue Bombers 21-17 at halftime on a four-play drive for 27 yards.
Winnipeg’s offense had 208 yards, 15 first downs, and 8 for 11 on second downs. Quarterback Zach Collaros went 16 of 20 for 179 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and one carry for seven yards. Running back Brady Oliveira had six carries for 19 yards, while quarterback Bryce Perkins had two carries for three yards and one rushing touchdown. Wide receiver Ontaria Wilson made six catches for 74 yards and one touchdown, while Dorian Singer made two catches for 34 yards, and Nic Demski made three catches for 21 yards and one touchdown.
Edmonton’s offense had 125 yards, 9 first downs, and 2 for 7 on second downs. Quarterback Cody Fajardo went 6 of 11 for 41 yards, two touchdowns, and four carries for 58 yards. Running back Justin Rankin had four carries for 26 yards, while ShunDerrick Powell had one carry for five yards, two catches for nine yards, and one touchdown. Wide receiver Joe Robustelli made one catch for 20 yards, while Austin Mack made two catches for 10 yards and one touchdown.
Edmonton got the ball to start the third quarter at the 47-yard line. Justin Rankin began the drive with four carries for 27 yards to the 36-yard line. Two plays later, he had two more carries for seven yards, plus a facemask penalty against Winnipeg, moved the ball to the one-yard line. On the next play, Cody Fajardo leaped over his linemen to score the touchdown. The Elks took a 24-21 lead with 10:28 left on an eight-play drive for 63 yards.
On the kickoff, Edmonton kicker Vincent Blanchard kicked the ball 84 yards into the endzone, where Trey Vaval conceded the single point. It was now 25-21. Late in the third quarter, Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo made a 23-yard field goal. The Blue Bombers trailed the Elks 25-24 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo had a chance to give the Blue Bombers the lead. But he missed a 55-yard field goal when the ball hit the left upright. Edmonton had the ball on the 40-yard line. They moved the ball to the 44-yard line before kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 52-yard field goal for a 28-24 lead with 8:40 left.
Winnipeg had the ball on the 40-yard line. Zach Collaros threw a seven-yard pass to Ontaria Wilson, and Brady Oliveira rushed for 13 yards to the 35-yard line. Edmonton’s defense brought pressure on the next play, forcing Collaros to throw the ball intended for Nic Demski, which was intercepted by linebacker Nick Anderson to the 15-yard line with 7:03 left.
Edmonton running back Justin Rankin had 10 carries for 69 yards, eating up the clock as the Elks moved the ball to the two-yard line. On the next play, Cody Fajardo scored the touchdown for a 35-24 lead with 1:39 left on a 13-play drive for 95 yards.
Late in the game, Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo made a 53-yard field goal. It was now 35-27 with 48 seconds left. Winnipeg attempted an onside kick, but Austin Mack got the ball to end the game. The Elks beat the Blue Bombers 35-27 to clinch first place and host the Western Final. They also completed the season sweep.
Edmonton’s offense had 302 yards (120 passing yards, 212 rushing yards, 30 yards lost), 24 first downs, 11 of 20 second downs, 4 for 5 in the redzone, and the team was penalized eight times for 100 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 12 of 17 passes (70.5%) for 120 yards, two touchdowns, eight carries for 72 yards, and two rushing touchdowns. Running back Justin Rankin had 23 carries for 123 yards and one catch for 10 yards, while ShunDerrick Powell had two carries for seven yards, two catches for 12 yards, and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Joe Robustelli made three catches for 36 yards, while Austin Mack made three catches for 35 yards and one touchdown, and Joshua Cephus made two catches for 35 yards. The defense made 39 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, and two interceptions. Linebacker Nick Anderson made eight tackles and one interception.
Winnipeg’s offense had 375 yards (331 passing yards, 49 rushing yards, 5 yards lost), 22 first downs, 11 of 18 on second downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized nine times for 101 yards. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 28 of 33 passes (84%) for 331 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and two carries for nine yards. Running back Brady Oliveira had nine carries for 37 yards, and two catches for 18 yards.
Wide receiver Ontaria Wilson made 11 catches for 120 yards and one touchdown, while Dorian Singer made five catches for 85 yards, and Nic Demski made four catches for 29 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 44 tackles, one tackle for loss, and two sacks.
Next Friday, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers visit the B.C. Lions at 10 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Edmonton Elks visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday at 3 pm on TSN and CFL+.
