Elks beat BC Lions 28-16 in Western Final, end Lions' season

Nathan Rourke's rushing touchdown pulled the BC Lions level at 16-16, but the Edmonton Elks scored the game's final 12 points to win the CFL Western Final 28-16 at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday, Daily Hive reported. The loss ended the Lions' season in front of 40,182 fans.

For Lions fans, it stretches a long wait. The team has not reached the Grey Cup since winning it in 2011, a gap Daily Hive describes as the CFL's longest appearance drought. The Lions have made the Western Final four times in five years, and Daily Hive says they lost all of them.

Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo scored the game's first touchdown with 1:16 left in the third quarter and rushed for a game-high 84 yards. He later threw the game's only touchdown pass, to Austin Mack with 6:59 left. Fajardo completed 25 of 30 passes for 274 yards with no interceptions. Rourke was 23 of 39 for 328 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions.

Edmonton, seeking its first championship since 2015, reaches the Grey Cup for the first time since that year. The Elks will face the Montreal Alouettes, who beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 32-23 in the Eastern Final earlier Saturday, in the 113th Grey Cup in Calgary on Sunday, Nov. 15.