SURREY, B.C. – A key defensive weapon for the B.C. Lions has had his season cut short by a knee injury.
Head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell confirmed Wednesday that linebacker Josh Woods is done for the year. The 26-year-old from Ontario, Calif., went down in the first half of B.C.’s victory over the Edmonton Elks on Thursday and had to be carted off the field.
“He’s going to require knee surgery and he’ll be out for the year,” Campbell said at the team’s training facility in Surrey, B.C. “We’ll fully support him. And he’s going to be around here rehabbing and doing his thing, contributing in any way that he can. We will absolutely miss him.”
Woods posted on social media, saying there was no need for “any pity or sympathy.”
“I’m at peace and motivated,” he wrote. “I’ve been through it before and I know I can do it again.”
The six-foot-two, 234-pound athlete had a strong start to the campaign, registering 22 total tackles in B.C.’s first three games of the season. He sits among the top-10 CFL players in that category so far this year.
The Lions won’t be able to completely fill Woods’ hole in the lineup, Campbell said, but his teammates will come together to keep the defence strong.
“We’re very lucky in the fact we have a lot of veteran linebackers here and guys that have played a lot of football,” he said. “All those guys are guys that have been around the block and know how to play, so they’re going to carry the load for us.”
One player who will miss having Woods on the field is B.C. linebacker Ben Hladik. The duo both started with the Lions in 2021 and have steadily worked their way up the depth chart over the past three seasons.
“We’ve been waiting to play together for three years now,” Hladik said. “We kind of came together in our first year and now we got the opportunity. But he’ll be back next year. We’ll get another chance to do it, hopefully.”
Hladik leads the Lions with 27 total tackles, including three for a loss. He also had a big interception in B.C.’s 26-17 win over the Calgary Stampeders on June 15.
The 25-year-old Canadian credits Woods with helping him find another level to his game.
“He sets the tone out there,” said the six-foot-four, 235-pound Hladik. “I see him doing it and I just want to do it too. I just want to be more physical when I see him being physical out there.”
Defence has been an important part of the Lions’ early season success.
B.C. has given up an average of 343 offensive yards per game, the second fewest in the CFL behind the undefeated Montreal Alouettes (332).
The defensive corps has had a knack for making plays all year, said Lions quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.
“They’re all together, they’re communicating on the field. They’re aligned right and doing what they need to do,” he said. “They’re just doing what they’re supposed to do, getting us the ball back and giving us the opportunity to go down and score with the ball. So shout-out to the defence.”
The Lions will look to stretch a three-game win streak on Sunday when they visit the struggling Tiger-Cats (0-4) in Hamilton.
The Ticats are a team with a lot of veteran players on their secondary who know how to confuse quarterbacks, Adams said.
“That’s a good team, man,” he said. “Whatever their record is, it doesn’t matter. They’ve been in every game they’ve played.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2024.
