REGINA – The Calgary Stampeders and Saskatchewan Roughriders have quickly become experts in providing the ingredients for an instant classic.
This time it was the Stamps who pulled off an impressive win, as kicker Rene Parades sent a 50-yard field goal through the uprights to cement a 33-31 victory over the Riders at Mosaic Stadium.
The basket capped off a night that saw two touchdown returns from Saskatchewan’s Mario Alford and a huge Mary Miracle reception from Raiders receiver Tevin Jones left fans at Mosaic convinced their team had another win of the season. On Saturday night, it was the Stamps who avenged their overtime loss to the runners in Week 3.
The bad news ran deeper than just the Riders’ loss. Trevor Harris suffered a leg injury that forced him out of the match. Mason Fine completed 6-8 passes for 122 yards and two rushing touchdowns from Harris. He passed Jake Meyer 26-37 for 315 yards and two touchdowns with an interception for the Stamps, who lost two in a row.
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The Knights ran on special teams to open the scoring. Mario Alford collected Cody Grace’s 67-yard kick and showed great patience as he approached the end zone waiting for the blockers to let him keep his run alive. The 2022 Special Teams Player of the Year showed why he won the award, blocking the sideline to stay in bounds and throwing himself into the end zone. Brett Luther’s conversion made the game 7-0 at 5:12.
Meyer and the Stamps had a chance to tie the game late in the first quarter. After connecting with Luther Hakunavanhu for a 48-yard gain to reach the Riders 22-yard line, Meyer was unable to connect with Reggie Begelton in the end zone. Rene Paredes’ 28-yard field goal made it 7-3 with five seconds remaining in the first quarter.
After Lowther kicked a 36-yard field goal at 3:03 of the second quarter to extend Saskatchewan’s lead to seven, Paredes responded with a 51-yard field goal in the fifth to put his team within reach of the Knights. Meyer, with his fine offense in the first game, turned it around in the next production.
Meyer drove 11 plays, 92 yards, which he finished by finding Tomille Lewis for a seven-yard touchdown. The first CFL wide receiver. Paredes converted at 12:23 and put the Stamps ahead for the first time at 13-10.
The Stamps offense continued to hum, as Meyer led his team on another touchdown to close the half. Pushed due to a forced turnover by defensive lineman James Vaughters and caught by teammate Mike Rose, Meyer needed seven plays to cover 43 yards to get back into the end zone. He found Luther Hakonavanho open in the end zone for his second TD shot of the game. Paredes’ extra point with four seconds left on the clock gave Mosaique’s guests a 20-10 half-time lead.
The Stamps thought they had opened up an even bigger lead early in the third quarter when Lewis reached the end zone on a kickoff return, only to be called out on an illegal block. As the night began to take shape into a back-and-forth brawl race, Alford and the contestants came back with their own effort.
Alford took another Stamps kick at 8:11 of the third quarter. The 92-yard return was flawless as he remained intact in the end zone. The confident returner also lived up to his expectation at the end of the first half. With his team falling behind and pushing Stamps hard, he told TSN’s Brett Dort that he would score again in the game.
“It’s okay,” he said, “I’ll be right back.” I’ll put more points on the board. »
He certainly had his back up in the end zone for the second time in the game. Lowther’s conversion gave Calgary a 20-17 lead that extended into the fourth quarter.
Needing a big play, the Raiders defense made their first interception of the game. Deontay Williams fell back to start the game after a pass from Meyer hit Jeremy Clarke’s chest. With runners facing second and 17, Harris ran for the first time. He sprained his leg when he was lowered and required immediate attention afterwards.
The veteran QB walked off the field to a standing ovation from the fans at Mosaic Stadium. He took a quarterback fine.
The drill ended with the team turning to Lauther for a 54-yard field goal attempt to tie the game, but the veteran kicker was a little wide. Stamps freshman Clark Barnes delivered a huge missed field return, getting the Stamps 86 yards on first down, to the Riders 24-yard line. Taking advantage of the short field, Diederick Mills kicked the ball for his first touchdown of the evening. Paredes’ conversion extended Calgary’s lead to 10, 27-17, with less than five minutes to play.
The knights, with their backs to the wall, show that they are fighting. Fine led runners down the field and got a great work from running back Jamal Morrow, who fumbled a fullback on just one play, then ran the ball into the end zone to complete a six-play, running 61 yards with a six-yard catch. Lowther’s conversion cut the Stamps’ lead to four, at 27-23 with under three minutes remaining.
Needing a big game, Meyer designed one. He pounced and found Bigleton wide open for a 39-yard catch. The drill ended with a 34-yard field goal from Paredes that doubled the Stamps’ lead to six with 95 seconds left in the game. The Stamps wisely fired Alford, which led to Frankie Hickson, who brought the Knights to their own 29-yard line. The punters traveled 15 yards, bringing them to their own 54-yard line.
Stamps’ line of defense came through for them, hitting a two-run fine to leave the Knights on third and 24-of-40. That was all the Knights needed. Fine’s despondent pass ricocheted off the Stamps’ fullback and into Jones’ hands. He ran the ball on a 69-yard touchdown that rocked the Mosaic field. Luther’s conversion gave the Knights a 31-30 lead with 42 seconds left in the game.
Working against the clock, Meyer looked deep at Marquin Michel but threw the ball out of bounds on the sideline. In the second half, he found Hakunavanhu to keep the drive alive, reaching the 51-yard kick line. With seven seconds left, Meyer found Tre Odoms-Dukes to drive to the Riders 43-yard line, which set up Parades for the game-winning 50-yard attempt. The seasoned player pulled it in, sucking the air out of the crowded stadium and capping off a raucous night.
The Knights are back in action on Saturday, July 22nd when they travel to BC Place to take on the Lions. The Stamps is hosting the Ottawa RedBLACKS Festival on Sunday, July 23.
