Canadian safety Nelson Lokombo grabbed his first career Canadian Football League interception at a clutch time for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the West Semi-Final.
Lokombo picked off B.C. Lions quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. in the fourth quarter to takeaway potential points from the visitors.
"I was playing the deep third, I saw that three-by-two formation and then I could see the climb [route] coming from the boundary side off the corner of my eye, so I could get depth," Lokombo explained.
"Vernon didn't see me so he threw it up, I went and got the ball. We knew they were gonna take their shots. We prepared to be ready for those shots and be able to play top-down and let anything behind us. That was a goal for the week and we did a good job throughout the game."
Saskatchewan intercepted three Adams Jr. passes in the game, Marcus Syles and Rolan Milligan Jr. recorded the other two picks. The Riders closed out the game as the Green and White secured a 28-19 win to advance to the West Final.
"We've all been waiting on it. There was no better time for it. I think Yoshi [Hardrick] carried him off the field. The kid was dialed, played some of his best ball. Looking for him to build off that," head coach Corey Mace said.
The 25-year-old Lokombo was selected in the first round, second overall during the 2021 CFL Draft. He suffered a torn Achiiles during a pre-training camp workout in 2021 and missed his rookie season. He returned to play 16 games in 2022 and 2023 then Mace moved him to safety in his first year as bench boss in Riderville.
"I've taken pride in being able to play different spots, so I knew switching to safety was probably gonna happen. Since I've been in the league I've played corner, half and free," Lokombo said. "I've been used to playing different spots and seeing things from different perspectives, different spots on the field. Growing pains at the start of the year but I'm settling in, becoming comfortable with leading,calling the shots and communicating with everybody."
The University of Saskatchewan graduate played all 18 regular season games in 2024. He started at field side cornerback in Week 1 and moved to safety in Week 2 where he's been ever since. The five-foot-11, 190-pound cover man made 44 tackles, one sack and forced one fumble in 2024. Lokombo added two tackles to go along with his INT against B.C.
"It felt great to be out there making plays and helping the team win," he said.
Saskatchewan travels to Princess Auto Stadium on Saturday for the West Final against the Blue Bombers. Countdown to Kick-off begins with Justin Dunk and Wes Cates live at 2:30 p.m. Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder join at 4:30 p.m. with kick-off to follow at 5:30 p.m. on the Co-operators Roughrider Radio Network.
