Veteran Lawler shines as Ticats defeat Lions 41-27
HAMILTON – Kenny Lawler knew it was just a matter of time before the Hamilton Tiger-Cats would come calling.
Lawler registered four catches for a team-high 81 yards and a touchdown in Hamilton’s 41-27 home win over the B.C. Lions on Friday night. Lawler had six catches for 75 yards over the Ticats’ first two contests, but rather than publicly demand to get the ball more, Lawler lived vicariously through the achievements of others.
“I know at the end of the day we’ve got guys at every wide receiver position who’re able to make plays,” Lawler said. “To be honest, I find much more happiness when everybody eats … because I know I’m doing my job without the ball.
“We’re just seeing a lot of double coverage and a lot of zones rotating to my side, and I expected it.”
And with good reason, as the six-foot-one, 180-pound Lawler enjoyed a stellar ’25 campaign, his first with Hamilton. The 31-year-old American led the CFL in TD catches (14) and 30-plus yard grabs (14), was second in targets (144) and yards (1,443) and tied for third in catches (86).
But if defences double-team Lawler or swing their coverages his way, that leaves other Ticats receivers with favourable matchups. And Lawler’s teammates have responded as Canadian Kiondre Smith (six catches, 75 yards) and Keric Wheatfall (three catches, 102 yards while Smith added two TD grabs) were Hamilton’s receiving leaders over its first two games versus Montreal and Winnipeg, respectively.
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Lawler delivered a pivotal play Friday night. His 49-yard TD grab not only gave Hamilton a 27-9 lead entering halftime but also immediately followed Stavros Katsantonis’s interception.
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“Just go watch that play,” Mitchell said. “He (Lawler) is five yards behind the defensive backs (and) I throw the ball to a spot (where) I think he can make a play.
“He takes his eyes completely off the ball, runs around the DB, retracks (the ball) and finds it and puts his hands on it. It just shows you who Kenny Lawler really is and the appreciation you should have for some of the great plays he’s made.”
Mitchell said Lawler just reinforces the quarterback’s long-standing belief CFL receivers should never give up on a route.
“It’s something I’ve preached for a long time that as a receiver you just have to run,” Mitchell said. “It’s a huge field and even though they (defensive backs) are back there … and they’re supposed to have that play covered, as a receiver, if you just run, I can put the ball out there and let you go find it.
“Our guys are great at tracking it.”
Mitchell has certainly done his part, completing 68-of-81 passes (84 per cent) for 879 yards with eight touchdowns and only one interception.
On Friday night, Mitchell led Hamilton’s offence to touchdowns on its first three possessions. B.C. also scored on its opening three drives but only field goals before Lawler delivered his decisive TD catch.
However, Mitchell went deep on three of his first four passing attempts. Two were 56-yard completions, while the third resulted in a 47-yard pass interference call against B.C.
“There’s a lot of trust between us (Mitchell and playcaller Milanovich) right now,” Mitchell said. “Just trying to do the right thing, and he (Milanovich) is trusting me to take the shots when I see them.
“I’ve got an amazing receiving crew, every single person can make crazy catches and plays down the field. It makes it tough on DBs and to run zone, but no one will run man against us. It just shows teams know and understand who we are as an offence. If you’re going to come down and give us a chance to go over the top, we will. If you back up, we’ll give the ball to (running back Larry Rountree III) and let him do his thing. Just take what kind of comes to us.”
Milanovich said Hamilton’s offensive game plan calls for downfield shots, but often defensive coverages negate those opportunities.
“Bo has got real good at understanding when to take those and when to check it down and keep the sticks moving,” Milanovich said. “Bo was on fire (Friday night) … you just kind of have to feed him when he’s hot like that.”
Hamilton enters its bye week tied atop the East Division with Montreal (2-1). After a season-opening 30-27 overtime loss to the Alouettes, the Ticats will chase a third straight win when they host Winnipeg on July 5.
“Hopefully we learned a good lesson in that first game,” Milanovich said. “Just keep our foot on the gas, play for 60 minutes, just do our job and make our plays until the game is over.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
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