![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/8daa1b5a281f7494424e5b479b69ac396d72c29d61c33f3917aa7e0ae55834e3-300x200.jpg\")
Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Samuel Emilus, left, is knocked down by BC Lions’ Darnell Sankey (53) during the second half of a CFL football game in Vancouver on Sunday, August 23, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Ethan CairnsVANCOUVER \u2014 Darnell Sankey has felt the rush of hoisting the Grey Cup above his head.\nMany of his B.C. Lions teammates have not \u2014 and they\u2019re itching to change that.
\n\u201cI think that makes this team even more deadly,\u201d said Sankey, who won a CFL championship with the Montreal Alouettes in 2024.
\nB.C.\u2019s road to the title matchup begins Saturday when the Lions (10-8) host the defending Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders (10-8) in the West Division semifinal.
\nThe winner of Saturday\u2019s game will advance to face the Edmonton Elks (13-5) in the West Division final on Nov. 7 at Commonwealth Stadium. The Grey Cup will be held in Calgary on Nov. 15.
\n\u201cNo disrespect to Saskatchewan, but I just feel like a hungry dog is always going to find a way to eat,\u201d Sankey said on Friday. \u201cThe guys that we have here, I feel like I don\u2019t have to preach much to (them) about being hungry. I think that it\u2019s proven. I think that our season and kind of how it started and how it\u2019s been going, I think that it shows.\u201d
\nThe Lions stumbled out of the gate, going 1-5 before rebounding with nine wins in 10 games.
\nB.C. was second in both overall net yards (416.7 per game) and rushing yards (118.7), and finished third in passing yards (314.9) as Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke threw for 4,614 yards and 24 touchdowns.
\nRourke is \u201ca hell of a player,\u201d said Riders head coach Corey Mace.
\n\u201cI\u2019m sure he\u2019s going to make some plays out there (on Saturday). It\u2019s just we\u2019ve got to make sure that we limit the really big ones and make sure that defensively we end up making one more play than their defence does,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cSo we\u2019re expecting a heck of a game defensively versus their offence. They\u2019ve proven it all year, man. They\u2019re explosive. They\u2019re an excellent bunch. But I know our guys are ready to rise to the occasion.\u201d
\nThe Lions and Riders come into the contest with identical records in regular-season play.
\nB.C. earned hosting rights by taking the season series 2-1 with a 31-24 home victory over Saskatchewan on Sept. 25.
\n\u201cSaskatchewan is a team of playmakers,\u201d Sankey said. \u201cI respect them. I\u2019m not going to sit here and act like they\u2019re not a great team. But I just feel like we\u2019re better.\u201d
\nThe Riders have bounced the Lions from the playoffs two years in a row, including with a 24-21 victory in the West final last season.
\nRourke doesn\u2019t believe he and his teammates were good enough in certain plays in that contest.
\n\u201cWe know that in playoffs it comes down to the final plays and it comes down to the last couple of drives, and they just made more plays than us. So we understand the significance of it,\u201d he said. \u201cHopefully we can make those plays this time around. And I think whoever ends up making the most plays at the end of the day, probably comes away with the win.\u201d
\nGetting the win will require the Lions to limit Riders quarterback Trevor Harris, who logged a CFL-leading 5,370 passing yards in regular-season play.
\nThe 40-year-old American seems to get better every season, said B.C. head coach Buck Pierce.
\n\u201cI think as a quarterback that\u2019s seen every defence, played in every big game, what is really impressive is his relationship with his receivers, continuing just to be on the same page with those guys,\u201d said Pierce, himself a former CFL quarterback. \u201cHe\u2019ll almost blindly at times know where guys are going to be. That\u2019s how he gets the ball out so fast.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s impressive because I know how hard that is. And he invests a lot of time getting to know his receivers. He\u2019s a competitor, he\u2019s tough. It\u2019s impressive what he\u2019s done. He\u2019s one of those guys that when you watch, you\u2019re in awe.\u201d
\nSaskatchewan\u2019s season this year has had its ups and downs, but Harris said he\u2019s always had a deep-rooted conviction in his team.
\n\u201cI\u2019m just not ready for the season to be over,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s gone so fast. I think probably everyone can attest that. It probably feels like just yesterday we all just kind of reported to camp, and here we are \u2026 it\u2019s playoff time.
\n\u201cAnd I want to go play another week. So let\u2019s do it.\u201d
\nThis report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2026.<\/p>\n