BC Lions Kick-Off 2019 Versus 'Bombers on Saturday Night Presented by Kal Tire

June 12, 2019 - Canadian Football League (CFL)
B.C. Lions News Release

BC Lions quarterback Mike Reilly
(B.C. Lions)

(Vancouver) Vancouver's most successful professional sports organization is set to begin its 66th season with a key West Division battle as the BC Lions take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Saturday night at 7:00 pm presented by Kal Tire.

The extremely popular Kid's tickets return again in 2019 presented by London Drugs starting at just $10 per game all season. Seats in the popular general admission Beach Party Zone are only $25.

The first 5,000 fans through the gates will receive a Mike Reilly bobblehead courtesy of BC Place and with an unclaimed 50/50 prize from last season, Saturday's jackpot is expected to exceed $50,000. Fans across the province can get in on the winning right too as the BC Lions 50/50 draw presented by Belairdirect has also gone on-line and province-wide for the first time and is available now for purchase - click here for more info.

Before the players hit the field inside BC Place, there's no better way to get ready for the game than to take-in all the festivities outside the stadium such as the expanded and relocated Kid Zone at Gate F, click here for a rundown.

Game Preview

A month to the day that first-year hopefuls hit the field in Kamloops for training camp, the revamped and new-look BC Lions under the leadership of GM Ed Hervey, first-year head coach DeVone Claybrooks and quarterback Mike Reilly are set to take the first step in a six-month journey ending in what they hope is a very special season for the club.

Numerous changes on both sides of the ball not to mention nine new coaches means a certain amount of time would normally be required for a team to truly jell, but in the ultra-competitive West Division the Leos need to hit the ground running with Saturday's game versus the Bombers followed quickly by road games in Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto.

While the talk of the off-season has been of Hervey's free agent shopping spree that brought onboard Reilly, receiver Duron Carter, lineman Sukh Chungh and a host of other offensive weapons, it might be the Lions' defence that raises a few eyebrows in 2019. Look for Odell Willis and Davon Coleman to cause some problems in the trenches while T.J. Lee and Aaron Grymes headline the ball-hawks in the secondary.

Make no mistake however, the Lions have reloaded in 2019 with a high-octane offensive attack featuring Reilly at the controls and some heavy hitters at receiver including Bryan Burnham, Duron Carter, Lemar Durant and Shaq Johnson. Veteran smash-mouth running backs John White and Brandon Rutley will be a tough two-headed monster behind a offensive line that's brimming with equal parts of skill and nastiness.

The 'Bombers are penciled-in by many as the team to beat for top-spot out west after making it as far as the Western Final in 2018, so the Lions have to be ready from the opening whistle to take on Andrew Harris, Adam Bighill and rest of a very talented Winnipeg roster.

It's the Lions and Blue Bombers in a Saturday night brawl which could quite possibly set the tone for a pair of clubs who have eyes on the Grey Cup.

BC Lions season tickets start at just $29.90 per seat. Single game tickets for all home games are also on sale now.

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BC Lions quarterback Mike Reilly

Canadian Football League Stories from June 12, 2019

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