Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca
VANCOUVER — It was the third quarter of the Western Semi-Final and Emmanuel Arceneaux, already playing on an injured ankle, would stop at nothing to try and pull his team back from a 16-point deficit.
That’s the kind of player the BC Lions’ leading receiver of 2016 is, and while Arceneaux couldn’t come up with the catch on that first-down play in the Bombers’ end zone, the 29-year-old’s efforts left a resounding mark on the football game.
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Arceneaux, after laying on the turf for some time following the ensuing hit by Bombers defensive back T.J. Heath, left the field to a chorus of 20,000 standing Lions fans chanting the name ‘Manny’.
“For the fans to be that concerned,” said Arceneaux, asked about the incident during Mark’s CFL Week back in March, “I had more messages than when it tells you it’s your birthday on Facebook, or on LinkedIn when you have a new position.”
Two plays later, the Lions were in the end zone. They went on to win the football game 32-31, erasing the 26-12 deficit they faced at the time Arceneaux left. And while Manny couldn’t return, his determination on that play was the obvious turning point.
For Lions fans, Arceneaux’s effort only confirmed what was already well-known in the Vancouver area. Arceneaux himself, meanwhile, learned just how deep the connection really is that he’s built with Lions fans since signing with the team in 2009.
“It was very special,” said Arceneaux. “It just shows you that you’re not just out there running around catching footballs and people are drinking beer, doing whatever it is . . . it shows that you’re a valuable part of what the fans stand for as season ticket holders.”
Emmanuel Arceneaux is walked off the field by team staff during last year’s Western Semi-Final (CFL.ca)
Over the last few years, Arceneaux has become invaluable to the Lions. Last season he led the team with 1,566 yards and a league-leading 13 touchdown. The Lions’ top receiver has also become a can’t-miss target for young passer Jonathon Jennings.
“[Jonathon Jennings has got to] put the ball on receivers that are going to make big plays for him,” said Head Coach and General Manager Wally Buono. “If you look at Manny’s success last year, that was the number one thing — a lot of times he was covered, yet his size, his strength, his determination to go make a play allowed Jonathon to put the ball in a position where he could make a play.”
Buono notes that Arceneaux has made strides since showing up as a raw, wide-eyed receiver eight years ago. Jennings, meanwhile, has not only leaned on his No. 1 receiver as a pass-catcher but has also learned from him as a professional.
“He brings that intensity every day to work,” said Jennings. “Even when he’s hurt, it kind of shows you his relentlessness. He never stops. He never stops pressing to go as hard as he can and set a prime example for the rest of the teammates.
“When you’ve got a guy showing leadership by example like that, it encourages everyone else to rise up to his level,” Jennings added. “Obviously when he got hurt in that game, in the Semi-Finals, it was a big momentum jolt for all of us because we wanted to support our brother and a guy that just does everything he can for the team.”
After going 7-11 and barely squeaking into the playoffs in 2015, Buono returned to the sideline in 2016 to lead the Leos to a 12-6 record — the second-best in the league. Buono’s presence initiated the culture shift but Arceneaux has played a leading role in the Lions’ leadership core.
“I really appreciate that, for the connection I have with [the fans] . . . I wasn’t just another number, I was actually a part of what we’re building and having going on here.”
Lions receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux
Emmanuel Arceneaux has become not only an elite receiver but a leader as well (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
“Manny works extremely hard and pushes himself to get better,” said Buono, “and when you look at our club, how we got better from the beginning to the end, a lot of it had to do with leaders like Manny.
“Fans respect that,” he added. “Fans respect players that will go out, play hard every week, give a good effort every week and that’s who Manny Arceneaux is.”
In that Western Semi-Final, Arceneaux played through a bad ankle injury that he says took all winter to heal. But with that in his mind and his team down 16 points, nothing was going to stand in the way.
Arceneaux returned to play following the Lions’ win that week, although the team went on to lose to the Calgary Stampeders in the Western Final.
If history does forget that afternoon between the Lions and Bombers, Arceneaux won’t.
“It was really big for me. I really appreciate that, for the connection I have with [the fans]. It showed during that moment,” said Arceneaux.
“Fans can watch guys take a brutal injury and they just throw them on a cart and it’s on to the next play — if you go to watch a lot of games, they do that. But just being one of the stars and one of the guys [the fans] actually believe in — ‘we’re going to put this thing on hold to make sure your health is okay’.
“I wasn’t just another number, I was actually a part of what we’re building and having going on here.”
