Harris throws for two TDs as Roughriders hold off Fajardo, Elks 21-18
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The Riders, who improved to 6-1 with a 21-18 victory over the Edmonton Elks on Friday, have had the propensity this season to take an early lead but then allow their opponents to get back into the game. That's exactly what happened against the Elks as the Riders held a comfortable 21-4 lead after the third quarter only to take their foot of the gas and find themselves having to fend off a late Edmonton comeback.
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Quarterback Trevor Harris was visibly frustrated with the Riders failing to put the Elks away when they had the chance.
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'There's obviously some positive things to take away, but I'm sure you guys could probably guess that I'm not happy with the way that we finished the game offensively. You know, if you want to be a championship-calibre team, you've got to put the nail in the coffin and we didn't do that,' said Harris, who completed 25 of his 33 passes for 268 yards with a pair of touchdowns on the night.
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'But that being said, I think this is a team that can take a look in the mirror and get better. It's not like, 'We don't have the guys' or 'We're screwed.' It's just one of those things. We've got to take a look in the mirror and be better toward the end of the game. And we will, you can mark my words.'
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Riders head coach Corey Mace, while sharing some of his quarterback's frustration, also sees glimmers of hope from his players.
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'We can talk about it all we want, we can talk situational football, about having a killer instinct and what to expect in certain situations but ultimately, the players win games. There were a couple of plays tonight where I'm going to look back and think I should have called something better defensively. And yet they made the play look unbelievable, you know? They have that talent, man. So, if we get a call, that's awesome, and they can also be unbelievable. That's where we've got to go, we've got to continue to grow,' said Mace.
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'We just kind of continue to work at that stuff. I don't know if it's physical or mental or if it's a lack of focus. Maybe we're not coaching it hard enough, we could look in the mirror from that standpoint. So, everybody will continue to do it.'
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The Elks, who are now 1-5, made a change at starting quarterback this week, replacing Tre Ford with veteran Cody Fajardo. The Edmonton offence struggled to find a rhythm, especially in the third quarter when they were held to four yards of total offence in three possessions.
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'I think the thought that comes to mind is our defence and how they got off the field. We had the ball around midfield, and then we went two and out, and that crushed us,' said Fajardo, who was dealt to the Elks in the off-season after two seasons with the Montreal Alouettes. 'There was another one of those sacks where it was a run-pass option. I pulled it, I tried to pull up and make a throw, and their defensive ends are athletic and made a good play. If I hand off the ball there, who knows what happens? It was just a terrible read by me, and I've got to be better for this team.'
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CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
After salvaging career, DeBues-Stafford betting on herself to run world 1,500 and 5,000m double
Social Sharing It was June 2024 and Gabriela DeBues-Stafford had arrived in Burnaby, B.C., for the Harry Jerome Track Classic. Her hopes to run the 1,500 metres at the Paris Olympics that summer were "dead in the water" but remained alive in the 5,000. About one hour before the women's 5,000, DeBues-Stafford had a meltdown and felt she couldn't take the start line at Swangard Stadium. After talking with her husband and then-new coach Rowan DeBues, a former assistant with the University of Victoria cross-country and track team, she decided to compete. Late in the race, DeBues-Stafford trailed Alma Cortez by nearly 30 metres but delivered an "insane" final lap, DeBues recalled, blowing past her Mexican opponent and winning by one second in 15 minutes 17.48 seconds. "She knew if she wanted a chance at [qualifying for Paris] she had to go sub-15:20 and win because of the bonus points for winning," he recalled in a recent interview with CBC Sports as DeBues-Stafford prepared for this week's Canadian Track and Field Championships in Ottawa. But coming off two injury-marred seasons, the Toronto native failed to qualify for her second Olympics and first since 2021 in Tokyo by one world ranking point, the equivalent of 0.3 seconds across [her best] three 5,000m [qualifying races]. Six days later, she ran 4:19.38 for ninth place in the 1,500 at the Montreal Classic and was prepared to leave competitive racing. DeBues-Stafford had clocked 4:23.48 five weeks earlier, a long way from her 3:56.12 Canadian record that has stood since 2019. "I felt confused, broken and fell out of love with the sport. I wasn't enjoying it," she remembered. "It's not an easy sport, even when you're fit and healthy. I was very close to [retiring] last June." "In the moment it feels like you're giving up when it reality I don't think I had the fitness to be a factor in the kind of races I needed to be running and the times I needed to be running to be at the level I wanted to be at." DeBues-Stafford felt she owed it to herself to finish the season and ended on a positive note by winning the 5,000 on June 27 at the national championships in Montreal. "It was very difficult when I didn't feel I had any confidence. I gritted my way through it," she told CBC Sports. "[I figured] if I finished the season and did OK, that [gave me] the potential to continue to [receive funding from Nike] for another year and a shot to see if the next year can be better." In July or August, DeBues-Stafford set a goal to race the 1,500 and 5,000 for the first time at a major championship, and the former Bowerman Track Club is on track to do so at the Sept. 13-21 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. WATCH | Sprinters Blake, Leduc, McCreath among storylines entering Canadian championships: What to expect from Canadian Track & Field championships 2 days ago Nearing 4-minute barrier in 1,500m DeBues-Stafford, who placed fifth in the 2021 Olympic 1,500 final, first met the automatic entry standard in the 5,000 for worlds, running 14:47.83 in her first race in the distance this season on June 7 in France. She qualified for the 1,500 three weeks ago, going 4:01.19 at the Morton Games in Dublin. "It's been a bit of a surprise to be so close to my old form," DeBues-Stafford said. "It's tempting to compare myself to the 2019 and 2021 Gabriela, but I have to keep perspective of where I'm coming from and not get too greedy." Having achieved standard, DeBues can secure her spot at worlds with victories in each event this week. The senior women's 5,000 is Thursday evening at Terry Fox Athletic Facility, with the 1,500 semifinals slated for Saturday at 6:48 p.m. ET. The final is Sunday at 11:56 a.m. DeBues stills marvels at his wife's performance at the Harry Jerome Track Classic, wondering if DeBues-Stafford had found more races and an extra week to spare before the qualifying window closed if she would have found the extra ranking points to secure a spot for Paris. The fact she emptied [the tank] in a no-hope situation and pulled out [the win]. She's psychologically tough," he said. "When I saw her [comeback], I knew the fight was there." Looking back, DeBues-Stafford added: "I think Harry Jerome was the race that I realized I still have it in me to be able to race, to want to race, to want to put myself through a lot of pain in order to try to win. It was a slow regaining of trust that I could still be good." Surviving the 2024 summer season of racing, the 29-year-old pointed out, gave her a chance to salvage her career. "When I didn't make the [Paris] Olympics, I was annoyed about it. It showed me I still wanted it," said DeBues-Stafford, who holds Canadian indoor/outdoor marks in the 1,500, mile and 5,000, along with the indoor 3,000. She returned to training last fall at Athletics Canada's West Hub in Victoria, where she lived, working with Mark Rowland, a renowned middle-distance coach in Oregon the previous two decades. DeBues-Stafford cut short her 2022 season due to a stress reaction in her sacrum, a single bone comprised of five separate vertebrae located at the bottom of the spinal column, connecting it to the pelvis. 'Bad running mechanics and patterns' An MRI simultaneously diagnosed her with osteitis pubis, an inflammatory condition of the joint between the left and right pelvic bone. "Mark is very good with form and drills," DeBues-Stafford said of Rowland, who left AC last November to become head of endurance running at the University of Edinburgh in his native United Kingdom. In March, the Canadian runner joined him and moved back to Scotland, where she lived from 2019 to 2020. "With the osteitis pubis and sacrum, I got into bad running mechanics and patterns," said DeBues-Stafford. "I couldn't muscle my way through working hard the way I had been able to previously." DeBues-Stafford added Rowland has a wealth of experience working with older athletes returning from injury who need to relearn good habits such as opening their stride, "We did some running drills and hurdles," she said. "We continued that process when we got to Edinburgh, and it led to speed sessions. The difference in my form from the fall versus now is night and day. "If you can work on your top speed, then your stride becomes more efficient at all the speeds down. I hadn't been healthy enough to work on my top speed in several years." There have been hiccups along the way, including a right Achilles tendon injury that limited DeBues-Stafford to fewer than 20 kilometres a week in training runs early in her recovery. She also lost a lot of weight from food poisoning or a bacterial infection in South Africa that sidelined her from running for a week. These days, DeBues-Stafford is back averaging around 100 km a week, feeling close to her prior form and excited about worlds. "Fingers crossed. I still need to be named to the [Canadian] team, but I'm feeling good about my odds," said DeBues-Stafford, who is planning to train at altitude following nationals in in the Pyrenees mountains in southwestern Europe. "I feel a lot more connected with my body, feeling a lot more fluid on the track. "The 1,500 on the women's side is way, way, way deeper [than at the 2021 Olympics]. I fancy my odds at getting into the [world] semifinals. If I can get into the final in the 1,500, I feel that would be the biggest coup ever." DeBues believes his wife enters this week's competition with pressure and a target on her back. "All the other women could say, 'Well, I'm not the Canadian record holder,'" he said. "They get to think of themselves as the underdog, even though it was Gabriela who missed being on the [Olympic] team last year. "I risk speaking for her, but I think this year has shown she's not thinking of retirement anymore. Given where we came from last year and how bad January was this year with her health, we've still had a pretty good season.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Edmonton AM host Mark Connolly retires after 37 years with CBC
Anyone lucky enough to have spent time around Mark Connolly knows the story of how he got his unconventional start at CBC. Connolly was 14 years old and helping his father, Mike Connolly, with the family janitor business when he first walked through the doors of the old CBC Edmonton building on 75th Street. Between mopping floors and emptying garbage cans, Connolly got a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the broadcasting business. He thought it looked pretty fun and enrolled in NAIT's radio and television arts program. It was the beginning of an impressive broadcast career, spanning more than four decades and 37 years working at CBC. After the last 12 years hosting the city's top-rated morning radio program, Edmonton AM, Connolly can turn off his 3:45 a.m. alarm. He retires on July 31. During his career, Connolly has become the voice of Edmonton, always a passionate supporter of the city and northern Alberta, said Stephanie Coombs, CBC Edmonton's director of journalism and programming. "Whether he was covering the Olympics, interviewing guests on Edmonton AM or meeting people at community events or live broadcasts, it was always clear that this place, and its people, holds a very special place in his heart," said Coombs. "I know that our listeners felt that with Mark and it's why he connected so well with them." Connolly never did finish that NAIT degree. He was a few credits short when he got a broadcast job in Fort McMurray, doing play-by-play for the Fort McMurray Oil Barons hockey team, alongside now Senator Rodger Cuzner. Connolly worked in private radio in Fort McMurray, Red Deer and Edmonton before starting a part-time weekend job at CBC Edmonton in 1988. WATCH | Mark Connolly's long career with the CBC ends on Thursday: CBC's Mark Connolly is retiring and here's what he wants you to know 23 minutes ago For his first 22 years at CBC, Connolly was a sports reporter, a job that took him to athletic events around the world. Connolly remembers being in the newsroom and getting a very important phone call that would shape his career. He was going to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. "I was almost speechless," Connolly recalls. "I stood up to take the call. It was just one of those moments in your life that you know everything is going to change." Connolly covered 12 Olympic Games in his career, calling tennis, sliding sports and cycling. He also covered numerous world championships, the Commonwealth Games and the Pan Am Games. Olympic bobsledder Helen Upperton remembers Connolly as a journalist who athletes respected and enjoyed talking to. They first met when Upperton was a 22-year-old athlete at the 2004 World Championships in Bavaria. "I remember him being really knowledgeable about the sport and really passionate about the athletes and amateur sport in general, which I think a lot of people would say about Mark Connolly," Upperton said. The pair went on to call bobsleigh together during the 2014 and 2018 Olympics. Upperton trusted Mark as a mentor, a friend and a calm presence when things went sideways. Like the time when Upperton's husband, Jesse Lumsden, was racing in the four-man bobsleigh at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. Hopes were high for team Canada to get on the podium. The men had a solid start in their second heat of the day. They zipped down the track at speeds exceeding 100 km/h when the sled came out of turn 11 slightly wrong and flipped, skidding upside down on the track. "He [Connolly] reached over and put a hand on my arm because I think he knew I might swear during the broadcast," said Upperton. "I just took a breath. He gave me a second to collect myself and we continued on." Connolly took the lead during the broadcast and they made it to a commercial break. Connolly turned to Upperton and said, "You did great." Upperton thought, "No, you did great, thank God you were there." In between his Olympic adventures, Connolly's leadership and good-humour was a welcome part of the Edmonton newsroom. Connolly began co-hosting the CBC Edmonton supper-hour news with Portia Clark in 2010. Kate Scroggins, now a senior broadcast producer at The National, was starting her career at this time. Scroggins recalls Connolly's mentorship as she was learning the ropes during her first full-time journalism job. "Mark has an impressive way of putting those around him at ease and building up his colleagues to bring out their best," Scroggins said. "He's generous with his time, advice and even his things. My father still has a CBC Sports winter jacket that Mark passed on. It made me the star of Christmas gift giving that year." Connolly's generosity extended beyond his colleagues in the CBC building. He was the face and voice of many fundraisers over the years. He had a passion for charities supporting children and sports, including Kids with Cancer, Free Play for Kids and KidSport, where he served as a board member for six years and still volunteers. "We are truly grateful to get the opportunity to work alongside such a reliable, generous and kind-hearted volunteer," said Dayna Josdal, executive director of KidSport Edmonton. "Mark always shows up with big ideas and an even bigger heart. Because of Mark, more than 25,000 kids had the opportunity to grow through the power of sport, regardless of their family's financial circumstances." Current CBC radio listeners will know Connolly best as the host of Edmonton AM, a job he started in 2013. Almost immediately, Connolly knew this job was a great fit. He loved the intimacy of radio and how invested people were sharing their stories with him. In his retirement, Connolly will sleep in, play even more golf and spend time with his wife, Alyson, and his two sons. But Mr. Edmonton will still be a force for good in his hometown. In August, Connolly plans to call the Servus Edmonton Marathon and will host a charity dinner for The Man Van, a mobile men's health clinic run by the Prostate Cancer Centre. "I'm not going to be sitting in a rocking chair," Connolly said. "I plan to work, but what form that will take, I'm not sure. People will still see me out in the world, doing different things."
CTV News
14 hours ago
- CTV News
Carney, Mitchell named top defensive, offensive players in CFL's honour roll
Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell (19) passes the ball as B.C. Lions' Deontai Williams (9) gets his hands up to try and knock the ball down during the first half of a CFL football game, in Vancouver, on Sunday, July 27, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck TORONTO — Malik Carney of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Bo Levi Mitchell of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats were named the top defensive and offensive players Tuesday in the CFL's honour roll. Carney, a defensive end, earned a grade of 88.7 for his play in Saskatchewan's 21-18 win over the Edmonton Elks, registering four tackles and two sacks over 37 total defensive snaps. He also earned a grade of 85.5 on 31 rush snaps. Mitchell received a grade of 85.1 in leading Hamilton past the B.C. Lions 37-33. The veteran quarterback completed 34-of-41 passes (82.9 per cent) for 389 yards with three TDs to earn his second selection this season. Hamilton's offensive line had the best group rating of 77.0, with the top three performers being Liam Dobson (78.8), Coulter Woodmansey (74.6) and Brandon Revenberg (64.5). Dobson also registered the top individual grade for offensive linemen. The CFL honour roll highlights players in nine positions based on data points registered and compiled by Pro Football Focus, an American sports analytics company. The other individual winners included: B.C. running back James Butler (74.4); Toronto Argonauts receiver Damonte Coxie (85.0); Argos linebacker Cameron Judge (83.2); Lions defensive back Robert Carter Jr. 87.3); Hamilton returner Isaiah Wooden Sr. (69.2); Edmonton punter Cody Grace (85.6); and B.C. special-teams player Jacob Bond (89.5). This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2025.
