Elks’ bad fortune puzzling to Bombers

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/08/2023 (1077 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Sergio Castillo has his itinerary for Edmonton all sorted out.

Before the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-2) take on the winless Edmonton Elks (0-8) on Thursday night at Commonwealth Stadium, the veteran kicker will make a stop, or two, or maybe even three, at his favourite restaurant — Maria Northern Mexican Cuisine.

It’s a 10-minute drive from the stadium.

“Tomorrow I’m gonna go for lunch, and dinner, and then on game day as well. I’m definitely excited about that,” said Castillo after Tuesday’s closed practice at IG Field.

“I always get grilled veggies on a skillet with beef fajitas, rice, and beans with some fresh, homemade tortillas and some good hot sauce. It tastes just like my grandma’s cooking.”

Castillo spent last season with the Elks and would eat there at least once a week. He initially signed a two-year contract, so he figured he’d be getting his weekly fajitas fix again in 2023, but six days before CFL training camp began, he was cut.

“You never know in this business. You got to roll with the punches and learn to not take it personally. And I guard my heart like that because we can be very emotional as human beings,” said Castillo, who’s made 18-of-19 field goal attempts this year.

“There’s a 24 hour rule. If you win, you have 24 hours to celebrate. If you lose, you can be mad about it for 24 hours. That’s the same thing I did, I took 24 hours and then it was, ‘Cool, where is the next opportunity?’ which fortunately was here.”

The Elks went 4-14 in Castillo’s lone season in Edmonton and they’re on pace for an even worse record this year. Their most recent defeat — a 27-0 drubbing at the hands of the B.C. Lions on July 29 — was their 21st consecutive loss at Commonwealth which gives them the longest home-game losing streak of any North American professional sports franchise in history.

Their new kicker, Global player Dean Faithfull, a 36-year-old former soccer pro, is eight-for-11 on field goal tries.

While Castillo has no plans to show any mercy Thursday, he does feel bad for his old locker room. It’s an experience he knows something about as he played for the 2017 Hamilton Tiger-Cats that also started with eight straight losses.

“It’s tough because you’re trying to muster up any kind of hope,” said Castillo.

“I think it’s a mindset type of thing. Things can be going well, but in the back of your mind you’ll think ‘OK, what’s going to happen now to mess it up?’ So, that can linger in the back of the mind for some players. I know I felt like that last year. There were just some bad, unexplainable plays that would happen and it’s like, ‘How does that happen?’ You’re just trying to get over that hump.”

Star defensive end Willie Jefferson will always have a bit of a soft spot for the person in charge of the Elks — head coach and general manager Chris Jones. It was Jones who brought Jefferson to the CFL in 2014 when he was in his first coaching stint in Edmonton. Jefferson also followed Jones to the Saskatchewan Roughriders when he took the coaching reigns there.

The two won a Grey Cup together in Edmonton in 2015.

To see what the modern day Elks have become under the guidance of Jones is a bit of a headscratcher for Jefferson.

“You could tell it’s not solely him. He does take a lot of the responsibility for that team being the GM and head coach, but defensively, the team is really playing good. They have their spurts and things like that, but offensively, they can’t really finish the game, put it away, and stay on top,” said Jefferson, who’s second in the league with eight sacks.

“It’s hard to see a coach like him have the turn out that he’s been having for the last couple years, especially with the players that he’s been having on that team. I’m pretty sure it will change, not this week, but hopefully it will change for him.”

After overcoming a slow start, the Bombers prevailed 28-14 over the Elks at IG Field on July 20. This time around, Edmonton will look different as former CFL quarterback Jarious Jackson will make his debut as the team’s offensive co-ordinator and Canadian Tre Ford will make his first start of the season under centre.

The Bombers stomped the B.C. Lions 50-14 at home last week while the Elks had the week off.

“It’s basically like playing a Week 1 game in Week 10 because they got a new OC and new quarterback so it’s a whole different game,” said defensive back Deatrick Nichols.

“We have to play smart, play fast, and still believe in what we’re seeing. But this is going to be different.”

O’Shea Jr. commits to Bisons

Wide receiver Michael O’Shea, the son of Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea, committed to the University of Manitoba Bisons late last week.

After some success in the junior ranks with the British Columbia Football Conference’s (BCFC) Okanagan Sun, Michael tried out for the Bombers this season as an undrafted free agent.

The 23-year-old, who played high school ball at St. Paul’s, is expected to have a significant role with the Herd.

“It’s good to have him home,” said Mike on Tuesday. “Your kids reach a certain age and you don’t really expect to have them around home for any length of time. So, when you get that opportunity again after you thought you’d never have that opportunity, I think it’s really cool. It’s good for our family.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31