VANCOUVER - With the Lions' receiving corps banged up by injuries, rookie Nick Cenacle hopes to step up and help make a difference when the B.C. hosts the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday in Kelowna, B.C.
Cenacle proved his value with nine catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns in the Lions 41-27 loss to Hamilton last Friday.
B.C. receivers Jevon Cottoy, Seven McGee and Stanley Berryhill are all on the six-game injury list. Veteran Keon Hatcher Sr. remains a game-time decision for the battle of 0-2 teams with a thigh ailment.
鈥淚t鈥檚 unheard of to see that many people down this early in the season,鈥 Cenacle, a Montreal native who the Lions selected in the fifth round of the 2026 CFL draft from the University of Hawaii, said after practice this week.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a next man up mentality. They (told) me to just do you out there. I just can鈥檛 wait to prove myself again every game.鈥
Quarterback Nathan Rourke likes what Cenacle has shown.
鈥淗e鈥檚 got great energy,鈥 said Rourke, last year鈥檚 CFL outstanding player and top Canadian. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a very positive guy, has been learning very quickly.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a guy that we feel can get to the right spots and be where you need him to be.鈥
Cenacle said his 44 games at Hawaii, where he caught 122 passes for 1,295 yards and nine touchdowns, helped prepared him for the CFL.
鈥淏eing in a high-powered, high-passing offence in college helped me a lot to be accustomed to this game,鈥 said the 24-year-old. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a bigger field, there鈥檚 bigger holes. I feel like I can exploit that.鈥
With BC Place Stadium being used for the FIFA World Cup the game will be played at the Apple Bowl in Kelowna, which has been expanded to over 18,000 seats.
The Lions will also host a July 4 game in Kelowna against Edmonton.
Rourke is looking forward to a different sort of home experience.
鈥淥bviously we鈥檙e not in BC Place, so it鈥檚 going to be a little bit strange,鈥 said the Victoria native, who has completed 42 of 72 passes for 621 yards, a touchdown and an interception in two games. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited about the opportunity and I鈥檓 expecting a lot of energy.鈥
Neither the Lions nor the Stampeders have started the season the way they envisioned.
Calgary dropped its opening game of the season 30-28 to Winnipeg then lost 40-37 in overtime to Saskatchewan last week.
After an opening week bye the Lions lost 21-27 to Saskatchewan in Week 2.
The Stampeders also have injuries to deal with. Wide receiver Reggie Begelton is on the six-game injured. Defensive back Adrian Greene and linebacker Eric Rascoe have been ruled our for the game.
Dave Dickenson, Calgary鈥檚 head coach and general manager, said his team needs to put a full game together and not make mistakes.
鈥淲e haven鈥檛 played a good 60 minutes of offence,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to get going right away and we鈥檝e got to continually lock in and focus.鈥
He also sounded like a hockey coach when talking about the 10 penalties for 100 yards Calgary took against the Riders.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to try to stay out of the penalty box,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 thought we had some focus penalties, some false starts. We can鈥檛 have self-inflicted wounds.鈥
The Lions have struggled on both sides of the ball.
BC鈥檚 offence is second-last in the league averaging 27 points a game, while the defence is also second-last giving up 36 points a game.
The Lions are tied with Calgary for giving up five quarterback sacks while having managed just one sack all season.
Defensive co-ordinator Mike Benevides didn鈥檛 mince words about his unit鈥檚 performance.
鈥淲e鈥檝e just got to play better football right now,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he last two games are inexcusable, not good enough. We鈥檝e got to be better.
鈥淎t the end of the day, the performance relies on me. It鈥檚 my responsibility to make sure we perform and we haven鈥檛. That鈥檚 me, not the players. I have to make sure I put them in a position to do the best they can.鈥
Defensive back Jackson Findlay said the Lions need to tighten up their play.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had too many deep shots, too many receivers making plays on us,鈥 said the second-year player from North Vancouver, B.C. 鈥淭hat just comes down to being confident in our scheme and our abilities as a unit.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a full defensive effort, we need to be better and I think we will.鈥
Buck Pierce, B.C.鈥檚 head coach and offensive coordinator, said it鈥檚 still early in the season.
鈥淣obody is happy with where we are right now,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to get better. It鈥檚 got to start in all phases.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to continue to fight and claw. We believe in what we鈥檙e doing and have make sure we鈥檙e doing it in the right way.鈥
This report by 国产诱惑福利 was first published June 26, 2026.
