Edmonton Elks defend ‘concrete castle of the North’ with loudest statement yet

Photo courtesy: Edmonton Elks

For the past several years, Commonwealth Stadium has been the vacuous, crumbling ruin of a once-great empire. Organizational decay, pitiful football teams, and drooping attendance left it an echo chamber for faded nostalgia and modern melancholy.

Not any more.

The Edmonton Elks’ sudden return to the top of the West Division standings has breathed new life into the 48-year-old stoneworks, as well as giving it a new name.

‘This is the concrete castle of the North, man, and that’s what we think, and we defend it as such,” Elks head coach Mark Kilam coined on Friday night. “You can brand that. Let’s start calling it that.”

There was a promising crowd of 22,805 fans on hand to witness the Green and Gold’s latest home stand, a 22-19 walk-off win against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Week 12. The team that, just a few years ago, set a record in North American professional sports for the longest-ever home losing streak is 5-1 at Commonwealth this season.

The result didn’t come naturally to the Elks at times, as they were dominated in the first half and fell behind 16-0. They flipped the script after the break, holding their opponent to just three points amidst a surging comeback.

“At halftime, there were some words said in that locker room, and guys came out fired up. It just goes to show the championship mentality that we have to not play our best ball in the first half, find a way to win a game against a divisional opponent,” quarterback Cody Fajardo told reporters post-game.

“The first time we clinched a series against a Western opponent. This game had huge implications, so for us to find a way the way that we did, that’s what we do. We find a way to find a way. It’s not always pretty, but they don’t ask you how; they ask you how many at the end of the year.”

After bludgeoning the Argonauts in a 30-point blowout the week prior, Fajardo proudly touted it as a “statement win” and insisted that it meant the Elks were a “great team” rather than a good one. It would seem he spoke too soon. The former Grey Cup MVP believes that result pales in comparison to what they accomplished against Winnipeg.

“This says way more than last week’s win. Divisional opponent, a lot on the line. Us with a bye week looming. Sometimes your mind’s elsewhere. I’m looking forward to seeing my kids, my family. You’ve got to just put it on the line for 60 minutes,” he explained. “Started slow, but I think this will give us confidence going throughout the rest of the season and the rest of the schedule. I hope it doesn’t happen, but knowing that if we don’t play our best ball, we can get ourselves out of a funk.”

The 34-year-old signal caller, who finished with a modest 259 yards through the air while throwing for one touchdown and rushing for another, said he challenged his team amidst a two-game slide to reach 8-3 ahead of their Week 13 bye. They’ve responded in a big way, ensuring the franchise will remain at the top of the standings during the break.

While some may be wary of a 17-day hiatus killing their considerable momentum, Fajardo noted that the time away is badly needed. For weeks, the Elks have been fighting against challenges few fans recognize.

“We played 10 straight, and we limped into this one. We have a lot of guys gutting through some injury things that just said, ‘One more game, one more game.’ A lot of guys, including myself, just finding a way to get through this game so that we can have those 17 days,” Fajardo said. “I think those 17 days are going to be a way for us to physically and mentally reset, just kind of recharge our batteries and come back for a really strong second half push of the season.”

“These guys earned it, man,” Kilam echoed. “We went 10 straight with some short weeks, and even coming off of last week where it was a rebound week, big win total, and then you easily could have relaxed. Obviously, we were on our heels for 30 minutes of football tonight, but they’ve earned it. It’ll be a good reset for everybody.”

The Elks (8-3) will return to action on Monday, September 7, for the Labour Day Classic against the Calgary Stampeders.

J.C. Abbott is a University of British Columbia graduate and high school football coach. He covers the CFL, B.C. Lions, CFL Draft and the three-down league’s Global initiative.