With Lulay still nursing shoulder injury, DeMarco to remain Lions’ starting QB

SURREY, B.C. – Thomas DeMarco is getting another shot to lead the B.C. Lions.

The second-year quarterback steered the club to back-to-back road wins in his first two CFL starts in place of injured No. 1 pivot Travis Lulay.

But the Lions (9-7) have lost three straight games against West Division opponents since, including Saturday’s 35-14 blowout at the hands of the Saskatchewan Roughriders that saw DeMarco intercepted four times.

Lions head coach Mike Benevides said after Tuesday’s practice that DeMarco would start Friday night’s home game against the Edmonton Eskimos (3-13).

Veteran quarterback Buck Pierce, acquired from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers last month, has served as DeMarco’s backup the last five games.

Lulay has been out since suffering an injury to his throwing shoulder in a 36-14 win over the Montreal Alouettes on Sept. 15.

The Lions are locked in to the third seed in the West Division with two games remaining in the regular season schedule.