Calgary jumped out to a 10-0 lead early in Saturday night’s tilt against the visiting Alouettes at McMahon Stadium, but the visitors scored on a last-second field-goal to force OT where the teams would would both kick a pair of field-goals.

The tilt ended 19-19.

The Stamps are now 4-8-1, while the Als are 10-2-1

STAT PACK 

QB Jake Maier – 27-for-37, 236-yards, 1 touchdown

RB Dedrick Mills – 21 rushes, 122-yards

REC Marken Michel – 6 receptions, 73 yards, 1 touchdown

The Als fumbled the ball on their first possession of the game, giving the Stamps excellent field position on the 31-yard line.

And they cashed in.

Michel caught an 18-yard strike from Maier and Rene Paredes – who went 4-for-6 on the night, missing a pair of field-goal attempts – added the point after to give the Stamps an early 7-0 lead.

Things You Love to See pic.twitter.com/kvvq0uZ5h4

— Calgary Stampeders (@calstampeders) September 14, 2024

On the ensuing kick, James Letcher Jr. fumbled the ball and the Stamps got possession again deep in Montreal territory, with Paredes booting a 14-yard field-goal to give the homeside a 10-0 lead just 7:47 into the contest.

The Stamps were trapped deep in their zone to start the second quarter, with Cody Grace forced to punt right on the goalline. Sean Thomas-Erlington blocked it and then took the ball into the endzone for a major but upon review, Thomas-Erlington was given 15-yard penalty for roughing the kicker, giving the Stamps the ball back and a first down.

Not long after, Walter Fletcher broke off a 55-yard run down the middle to set Montreal up with a first and goal and Fajardo then kept it and scampered in on the next play to make it 10-7 with 11:47 to go in the half.

The Stamps looked poised to add to their lead when they marched down the field and with the ball on the two-yard line, Tommy Stevens came in looking to punch it home but fumbled the snap, giving the Als the ball.

Calgary started on their own 10-yard line after as short return for the last drive of the first half, Mills busting off runs of 15 and 12 yards as Calgary made their way down the field looking to add to their lead before halftime. But Maier was then sacked and lost the ball, with Montreal’s Mustafa Johnson picking up the ball and rumbling 31 yards down the field but was stopped five yards short of pay dirt as the clock ran out.

Paredes put three more points up on the board with 3:10 to go in the second quarter after Calgary rattled off 13 plays for 71 yards to give the kicker a short 16-yard chip shot.

The Als answered back with a field-goal of their own, Jose Maltos just getting a 53-yarder through the uprights before the quarter expired.

Paredes rang one one off the left upright with a 51-yard attempt in the fourth quarter.

Calgary was driving late to salt the game away but back-to-back major penalties pushed them away from the end zone and gave them a 2nd and 40, before Paredes missed a 52-yard field-goal attempt wide right which gave Montreal life en route to the late tying field-goal.

NEXT UP

The Stampeders hist the Roughriders Friday night at 7:30 p.m. Click for tickets

THEY SAID

It’s what makes it magical.

And boy did we get one Friday night.

The nearly 20,000 fans at McMahon Stadium were front and centre to see a play that not only brought them out of their seats, but was the culmination of a dream that came to fruition through dogged determination (a little play on words from a great quote later), and a unwavering belief in oneself.

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Cam Echols – playing in his first CFL game – scored an absolute highlight reel touchdown catch with 2:45 to go in the half.

He caught a pass from Jake Maier – in triple coverage – and then, just for good measure an added the ‘wow’ factor, by hauling it in with one hand.

That major, of course, was a pivotal moment in the Stamps season-opening 32-24 victory over former Stamps legend Bo Levi Mitchell and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Speaking of those Ticats, it just so happened Echols was signed by them in 2018 and added to their practice roster. He re-signed with them in 2019 but was released in May.

From there he headed Stateside to the USFL for two seasons with two different teams.

Then on Jan. 31, he inked with the Red & White.

So, in the opening game of this season Friday, he got the chance to suit up in the CFL for the first time in a game.

And he made that play that is, quite frankly, some validation for all the perseverance and dedication he’s displayed.

“It is, man, it is,” he agreed. “I never sat there and saw myself scoring like that, but however I can score I’ll do it. The ball just came my way and I plucked it.”

What makes this tale of triumph even better, he said, was that same catch is one he failed to haul in on the McMahon turf earlier this year.

“It always feels better when you get a W,” he said. “I just tried to go out there and do what coach asked. It was actually funny because I dropped that exact pass, just like that, in practice. And just for me to come out there and catch it, that’s what I do – I make plays, but I got to give it to the other 11. I wouldn’t have made it if it wasn’t for them.”

Echols heaped praise on the O-line for their play, along with every other teammate that was on the field for the catch.

“I believe I said this maybe like a week or so ago but if you ask me, I’m gonna say I feel like we have the best receiving corp in the league,” he stated. “I’m not the only frisbee-catching dog out there (hence the above canine reference), as you can see. We all catch all of our passes and that’s just one thing we do.”

He was then asked what he saw from Maier, who finished the night 21 of 26 for 252 yards and no INTs.

“What I’ve seen all camp,” he quickly answered, “a true warrior, a true gunslinger, a QB 1.”

CAM pic.twitter.com/HdE6YQAhxj

— Calgary Stampeders (@calstampeders) June 8, 2024

When the rest of the media that had surrounded his locker turned off the cameras, I asked him what it was like to not only haul in the TD but have such a well-rounded game from start to finish.

He was cool, calm, collected – and confident – from the opening play when the first pass of the Red & White’s season went to him, but was overthrown.

The next one he saw, he came back on a scramble to haul in a 26-yarder. He was targeted twice more, including the TD, and finished with 40 yards of total offence.

After all the trials and tribulations of his pro career to date, this game must have been, well, a dream come true.

“If we’re being honest, I worked for this,” he said. “I prayed for this – you could say I’m destined for this. All my work is starting to show and that’s just a true testament to my off-season work and work in the summer and everything I’ve been working on to get here – you know, my journey’s been long.

“All I can say to everybody who is watching and paying attention, just don’t quit. I just didn’t quit.”

And is this a good omen – a harbinger of things to come when it comes to hauling in majors and helping the team win?

“I would hope so,” he smiled.

The Stampeders opened the preseason with a 41-6 victory over the BC Lions Saturday at McMahon Stadium in front of 18,440 fans.

Shawn Bane scampered for a 74-yard punt return TD with 27 ticks left in the second quarter, and Keiran Burnham booted a pair of field-goals to put the homeside up 13-0 at the half.

Photo taken by David Moll

The flood gates opened for the Red & White in the second half, with Dedrick Mills, Tommy Stevens and Rasheed Tucker rushing for TDs, while Josiah Schakel had a 20-yard INT he ran back for a major.

Four QBs played in the game for Calgary: Bo Levi Mitchell was 3-for-10 for 37 yards with two interceptions, Jake Maier was 7-for-13 for 90 yards, Chase Fourcade finished 2-for-4 with 17 yards, and Stevens was 1-for-1 for four yards.

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After more than 1,000 days between preseason games, Bane took the opening kickoff to get things underway at McMahon.

Mitchell was behind centre for the opening drive, overthrowing his first pass before connecting with Kamar Jorden on a 12-yard catch to move the chains.

He followed up with a 15-yard catch-and-run to Bane out of the backfield.

Mitchell was later picked off down near the Lions endzone to stop the drive.

The Stamps drove down to redzone again in the second quarter but Mitchell’s intended TD pass to Colton Hunchak was picked off by Quincy Mauger who was in tight coverage.

The two teams were scoreless after the first quarter.

Burnham booted a 33-yarder to opening the scoring and give the Stamps a 3-0 lead with 8:19 left before the half, capping off a 12-play, 46-yard drive.

He added another field-goal with three minutes to play, nailing a 34-yarder down the middle, before Bane’s TD scamper.

The Lions got on the board at 12:11 of the third quarter when Jamarius Way hauled in a 38-yard TD catch from Michael O’Connor following a Stamps fumble on a punt return.

A pair of big catches by Felton Davis (32 yards) and Nick Holley  (11 yards) from Maier put the Stamps inside the five-yard line, with Mills eventually punching it in to cap off an impressive seven-play, 65-yard march down the field.

Brad Cowan made a massive punt block late in the third quarter, the Lions recovering on the four-yard line to give the Stamps stellar field position.

Photo taken by Angela Burger

And they made good.

Stevens ran it in from two yards out to extend the Stamps lead.

Schakel was Johnny On The Spot to pick off a Kevin Thomson pass late in the fourth quarter, and Tucker had a late five-yard major to round out the scoring.

THEY SAID:

NEXT UP:

The Stamps head up the QEII Friday to take on the Elks at Commonwealth Stadium.

The homeside led 10-6 at the half but then trailed the Riders 20-10 late in the fourth quarter leading to a nailbiting finish.

Richie Sandani caught a short TD pass with 48 seconds left in the game as the Stamps rallied, but weren’t able to recover the onside kick after the major. They had one last crack with less than 19 ticks left but a late Hail Mary throw by Bo Levi Mitchell came up short.

Calgary had beat Saskatchewan twice during their trio of straight victories coming into the night.

Mitchell became the all-time leader in franchise completions in the loss, tossing his 2,268th pass during first-quarter action, passing former pivot Henry Burris.

The play where Bo set the record! pic.twitter.com/0paSgenZvs

— Calgary Stampeders (@calstampeders) October 24, 2021

Mitchell finished the night 20-of-29 for 293 yards, one TD and three interceptions.

Ka’Deem Carey rushed 15 times for 62 yards and a major.

The visitors won the coin toss and elected to receive.

Cody Fajardo’s third pass of the opening series was picked off by Branden Dozier, his first interception of the season and first in Stamps silks.

That set up two big passes back-to-back for Mitchell,  the second one putting him atop the franchise completions leaderboard.

The Roughriders were able to stop them on the five-yard line and the Stamps settled for a short 12-yard field-goal by Rene Paredes for a 3-0 lead.

Folarin Orimolade got his first sack of the season to force a quick two-and-out on the next Riders possession.

Mitchell, though, was intercepted on the next series, but then Roughriders had a fumbled snap that went off a Stamp before bouncing out of bounds giving it back to the Red & White.

The next points eventually came off the shoe of Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther, who booted a 47-yard field-goal to end the first quarter.

Lauther tried a long 54-yarder less than five minutes into the second quarter but was short, the ball run out to the 18-yard line by Shawn Bane.

Ka’Deem Carey punched in a one-yard run for the major to cap off a 12-play, 95-yard-drive to make it 10-3.

Power it in! pic.twitter.com/Sr3lmfHnqj

— Calgary Stampeders (@calstampeders) October 24, 2021

Lauther his a 52-yarder to round out the scoring in the half.

The Roughriders got their first major of the night in the third quarter when Brayden Lenius hauled in a 13-yard pass to cap off a seven play, 72-yard march down the field.

The visitors added another seven on a Kyron Moore TD in the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT:

The Stamps head to the Nation’s Capital to take on the Redblacks on Oct. 29 in a 5 p.m. MTN start.

On a frigid day at McMahon Stadium, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers outscored the homeside 27-0 in the second half en route a 35-14 victory in the CFL Western Semi-Final.

The Bombers now advance to face the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Western Final.

The Stamps led 14-8 at the half but weren’t able to get their attack into gear during the game.

Winnipeg put up 389 yards of offence, while the Red and White were held to 209.

Bo Levi Mitchell was 12-of-28 for 116 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.

Reggie Begelton had both the first-half touchdowns for Calgary, while Josh Huff led all receivers with six catches for 66 yards.

Following a quick four-plays-and-out punt by the Bombers to start the game, Mitchell aired out a bomb to Josh Huff on Calgary’s first play from scrimmage.

Huff was tied up and brought down by Winnipeg defensive back Mike Jones, drawing a flag for pass interference – a 47-yard penalty that set the Red and White sitting on the five-yard line.

After a pair of runs (one yard by Jackson and three yards by Ante Milanovic-Litre), the Stamps decided to go for it on third-and-one from the one-yard line.

Backup pivot Nick Arbuckle, as usual, came in for the short-yardage situation and took the snap and started running to his left before handing it off to a sweeping Begelton, who was heading in the other direction.

Bombers defensive end Jonathan Kongbo briefly got a hand on him and D-lineman Willie Jefferson was a step or two short of cutting him off, the Stamps receiver sprinting in for the major.

The Stamps were marching down the field and looked poised to add some more points in the final minute of the first quarter, but an interception by Jones on the seven-yard line snuffed out the drive.

Jones appeared to catch the ball at the same time as Huff – a tie goes to the offence – but it was ruled an INT on the field and the CFL command centre upheld the ruling.

Winnipeg got on the board with a two-point safety after Mitchell was penalized for an intentional grounding call in the endzone (no receiver in the area) with 11:57 to play in the half.

On their next possession after the Stamps kick-off, the Bombers went on a six-play, 33-yard  drive, capped off by a 34-yard Justin Medlock field-goal to narrow the gap further to 7-5.

Lorenzo Jerome kickstarted a Stamps run near the three-minute warning, taking a punt and running 53 yards back and going out of bounds at the Winnipeg 42-yard line.

Faced with a third and inches at the Winnipeg 32, they went for it, Arbuckle coming in and pushing it two yards ahead.

On the next play, Mitchell slung a 12-yard pass to Begelton in the middle of the field, the receiver turning and running across the field around the defenders and into the endzone.

Medlock booted a long 52-yarder to round out the scoring.

Nick Demski’s 33-yard touchdown run 5:35 seconds into the third tied it up, with Medlock’s point after giving the Bombers a 15-14 lead.

In the fourth, Medlock kicked another field-goal – this one a 42-yarder to extend the lead to 18-14.

Then came the dagger – a 71-yard touchdown catch by Darvin Adams with just over 11 minutes to play.

Medlock added another three on a 45-yarder after.

Down 14, Mercy Maston picked off Mitchell which led to another Winnipeg major, quarterback Chris Streveler running in from 24 yards out.

Bo Levi Mitchell is 7-of-13 for 62 yards and one TD, to go along with one pick.

Don Jackson paces the ground game with 24 yards on six carries.

Following a quick four-plays-and-out punt by the Bombers to start the game, Mitchell aired out a bomb to Josh Huff on Calgary’s first play from scrimmage.

Huff was tied up and brought down by Winnipeg defensive back Mike Jones, drawing a flag for pass interference – a 47-yard penalty that set the Red and White sitting on the five-yard line.

After a pair of runs (one yard by Jackson and three yards by Ante Milanovic-Litre), the Stamps decided to go for it on third-and-one from the one-yard line.

Backup pivot Nick Arbuckle, as usual, came in for the short-yardage situation and took the snap and started running to his left before handing it off to a sweeping Begelton, who was heading in the other direction.

Bombers defensive end Jonathan Kongbo briefly got a hand on him and D-lineman Willie Jefferson was a step or two short of cutting him off, the Stamps receiver sprinting in for the major.

The Stamps led 7-0 and had only put up five yards of offence.

Check off the ‘Good Start’ column.

The Stamps were marching down the field and looked poised to add some more points in the final minute of the first quarter, but an interception by Jones on the seven-yard line snuffed out the drive.

Jones appeared to catch the ball at the same time as Huff – a tie goes to the offence – but it was ruled an INT on the field and the CFL command centre upheld the ruling.

Winnipeg got on the board with a two-point safety after Mitchell was penalized for an intentional grounding call in the endzone (no receiver in the area) with 11:57 to play in the half.

On their next possession after the Stamps kick-off, the Bombers went on a six-play, 33-yard  drive, capped off by a 34-yard Justin Medlock field-goal to narrow the gap further to 7-5.

Lorenzo Jerome kickstarted a Stamps run near the three-minute warning, taking a punt and running 53 yards back and going out of bounds at the Winnipeg 42-yard line.

Faced with a third and inches at the Winnipeg 32, they went for it, Arbuckle coming in and pushing it two yards ahead.

On the next play, Mitchell slung a 12-yard pass to Begelton in the middle of the field, the receiver turning and running across the field around the defenders and into the endzone.

Medlock booted a long 52-yarder to round out the scoring.

Hergy Mayala caught his first career TD in the first half, hauling in an eight-yard strike from Bo Levi Mitchell.

He added another for good measure in the second half.

Earlier in the tilt,defensive back Jamari Gilbert grabbed a muffed punt at a full gallop at the 28-yard line and ran it in for his first career touchdown.

That all helped the Stampeders to a 30-28 victory over the visiting Saskatchewan Roughriders in front of a crowd of 30,210 at McMahon Stadium.

The result led to the most important first of the night – the Red & White taking over the top spot in the CFL’s West Division from those Green Riders.

On a crisp night at McMahon Stadium, Mitchell went 23-of-29 passing for 298 yards, and two majors.

On the opening kickoff of the game, Marcus Thigpen fumbled the ball but then picked it up and got the edge, running for 38 yards before being pushed out of bounds.

After a pair of eight-yard rushes on their first two plays, Cody Fajardo unloaded a deep bomb for Shaq Evans, who was wide open after Tre Roberson fell while running with him in coverage.

Roberson tried to recover and catch Evans but took a knee after the play and stayed there for awhile before slowly walking off the field. He did not return.

Saskatchewan settled for a single point after a 57-yard punt from Jon Ryan.

However, the ball went off Evans fingertips as he tried to catch it at the one-year line on what looked like surefire TD.

The Stamps got three points on their opening drive, Rene Paredes booting a 47-yarder to get the homeside on the board.

Things went much worse for Thigpen on his next attempt at catching a punt, as he reached out and got a hand on a bouncing ball after a high, short kick from Rob Maver, Gilbert recovering for his major.

The Roughriders narrowed the gap after when Nick Marshall picked off a Mitchell pass that was intended for Richie Sindani at the Saskatchewan 48-yard line, legging it untouched 62 yards for the Pick 6.

The Stamps then picked up another three points thanks to a 45-yard field-goal by Paredes.

On the eight-play drive that led to that, Eric Rogers caught a 19-yard pass but appeared to fumble the ball as he was tackled, Micah Teitz picking up the ball and running it into Calgary territory. However, the play was reviewed by the CFL command centre and Rogers was ruled down by contact.

The Roughriders took their second lead of the game with less than four minutes to play in the half, when William Powell punched in a three-yard TD run to cap 15-play, 91-yard drive.

On Saskatchewan’s next drive after the go-ahead Mayala major, Royce Metchie picked off Fajardo giving the Stamps the ball at their own 35-yard line but they weren’t able to get any points out of it.

The Roughriders got another three points on their final drive of the half.

Mayala’s second TD of the night capped off a nine-play, 75-yard drive in the third quarter to put the Stamps up 27-18.

Brett Lauther looked to bring his team three points closer with a 48-yard kick with 48 second left in the third but clanged it off the upright.

Later at the midway point of the fourth quarter, he did nail a 42-yarder to make it 27-21.

Paredes answered back on the Stamps next possession with a 41-yard kick.

With 2:19 to play, the Riders made it interesting again, Fajardo hooking up with a wide-open Powell on a 34-yard toss.

The receiver caught an eight-yard strike from Bo Levi Mitchell in the battle for the top spot in the CFL’s West Division.

On a crisp night at McMahon Stadium, Mitchell is 12-of-17 passing for 141 yards, one major and one interception.

On the opening kickoff, Marcus Thigpen fumbled the ball but then picked it up and got the edge, running for 38 yards before being pushed out of bounds.

After a pair of eight-yard rushes on their first two plays, Cody Fajardo unloaded a deep bomb for Shaq Evans, who was wide open after Tre Roberson fell while running with him in coverage.

Roberson tried to recover and catch Evans but took a knee after the play and stayed there for awhile before slowly walking off the field. He did not return.

However, the ball went off Evans fingertips as he tried to catch it at the one-year line on what looked like surefire TD.

Saskatchewan settled for a single point after a 57-yard punt from Jon Ryan.

The Stamps got three points on their opening drive, Rene Paredes booting a 47-yarder to get the homeside on the board.

Things went much worse for Thigpen on his next attempt at catching a punt, as he reached out and got a hand on a bouncing ball after a high, short kick from Rob Maver, Jamari Gilbert grabbing the ball at a full gallop at the 28-yard line and running it in for his first career touchdown.

The Roughriders narrowed the gap when Nick Marshall picked off a Mitchell pass that was intended for Richie Sindani at the Saskatchewan 48-yard line, legging it untouched 62 yards for the Pick 6.

The Stamps then picked up another three points thanks to a 45-yard field-goal by Paredes.

On the eight-play drive that led to that, Eric Rogers caught a 19-yard pass but appeared to fumble the ball as he was tackled, Micah Teitz picking up the ball and running it into Calgary territory. However, the play was reviewed by the CFL Command Centre and Rogers was ruled down by contact.

The Roughriders took their second lead of the game with less than four minutes to play in the half, when William Powell punched in a three-yard TD run to cap 15-play, 91-yard drive.

On Saskatchewan’s next drive after the go-ahead Mayala major, Royce Metchie picked off Fajardo giving the Stamps the ball at their own 35-yard line but they weren’t able to get any points out of it.

The Roughriders got another three points on their final drive of the half.

He’s a smothering defensive back, known for shutting down opposition receivers, and also earning his paycheque as a ball hawk, adept at interceptions.

You can now add ‘blocking punts’ to his impressive resume.

With the Stamps holding onto a one-point lead with 56 seconds left to play Saturday afternoon, Roberson elevated to block a 42-yard field-goal attempt by Lirim Hajrullahu, as the Stamps won their third straight game, edging the visiting Hamilton Ticats 19-18.

In a game they trailed 17-6 at the half, Roberson brought the crowd of 27,962 fans at McMahon Stadium to their feet in jubilation, as Calgary improved to 8-4 in the ultra-competitive CFL West Division.

Stamps quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell went 21-of-40 passing for 342 yards and one touchdown pass, a hookup to Eric Rogers in the second half.

The big receiver led Calgary in catches with eight for a team-topping 129 yards, while Reggie Begelton had six grabs for 106 yards.

Ka’Deem Carey was the top rusher for the Red & White with 42 yards on nine carries.

Hamilton pivot Dane Evans went 34-for-43 for 360 yards, including a TD strike to Brandon Banks. Evans also had a fumble and an interception.

Hajrullahu got the Ticats on the board first, with a pair of short field-goals in the first quarter: one from 25 yards, the second from 22.

Calgary kicker Rene Paredes answered back with a 42-yard boot, the Stamps trailing 6-3 after 15 minutes of play.

In the second quarter, Evans led the visitors on a nine-play, 75-yard drive down the field, capped off by the Banks 30-yard TD.

Hamilton went for the two-point convert, Anthony Coombs running the ball and being stood up at the goal-line, but able to push into the endzone on a second effort.

After a promising Stamps drive stalled out near the end of the second quarter, Parades stepped into a 49-yarder to add another three.

Hajrullahu nailed a kick from 45 yards as time expired to round out the scoring in the half.

The Stamps came out strong to start the second half, heading down the field and scoring what looked like a TD, Mitchell finding Rogers who caught the ball and ran a few years into the endzone.

However, a holding call brought it back. Mitchell came close to hitting Begelton for six points, but the ball went off his fingers as he stretched out for it.

The eight-play, 65-yard yard drive ended with a short 17-yard boot from Paredes.

On the seventh-play of the ensuing Ticats drive, Raheem Wilson stripped Banks of the ball, with Brandon Smith recovering it at the Calgary 40-yard line.

They ended up settling for another Paredes field-goal, this one from 20 yards.

On the second play of the next Hamilton drive, Cordarro Law sacked and stripped Evans, with Mike Rose recovering.

Unable to get a first-down after, Paredes came back on the field but missed a 35-yard field-goal attempt.

On Hamilton’s next chance at points, Hajrullahu missed his field-goal attempt, a 48-yarder.

Terry Williams ran it out 36 yards to the Calgary 15-yard line to start an eight-play, 89-yard drive down the field that ended with a 15-yard touchdown catch by Rogers and the Stamps first lead of the game, going up by the eventual 19-18 final.

Begelton made three catches for 49 yards as they made their way to the endzone, none bigger than a 12-yard catch early to keep the drive alive.

Bo Levi Mitchell is 10-of-20 passing for 129 yards, while Reggie Begelton is the leading receiver for the Red & White with 57 yards on three catches.

Dane Evans has 21 completions for 238 yards, including a TD strike to Brandon Banks.

Lirim Hajrullahu got the Ticats on the board first, with a pair of short field-goals in the first quarter: one from 25 yards, the second from 22.

Paredes answered back with a 42-yard boot, the Stamps trailing 6-3 after 15 minutes of play.

In the second quarter,  Evans led the visitors on a nine-play, 75-yard drive down the field, capped off by the Banks 30-yard TD.

Hamilton went for the two-point convert, Anthony Coombs running the ball and being stood up at the goal-line, but able to push into the endzone on a second effort.

After a promising Stamps drive stalled out near the end of the second quarter, Parades stepped into a 49-yarder to add another three.

Hajrullahu nailed a kick from 45 yards as time expired to round out the scoring.

And in a big way.

Returning to the field after missing seven games due to injury, the Stampeders MOP pivot went 19-of-28 for 263 yards and a touchdown to lead the homeside to a 25-9 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos in front of 32,350 fans at the annual Labour Day Classic at McMahon Stadium.

It was the eighth straight LBC win for the Stamps over their provincial rivals.

Calgary improved to 6-4, while Edmonton dropped to 6-5. The rematch between the two clubs goes Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium.

One of the happiest guys to welcome back Mitchell was receiver Reggie Begelton, who had a monster game with 10 catches for 138 yards, one major and a two-point convert.

The Bo to Begel connection put what was the final nail in the coffin in the contest, hooking up for a 24-yard touchdown strike in the fourth-quarter.

Calgary’s defence deserved major kudos in the contest, holding CFL passing leader Trevor Harris to just 216 yards in the air. Coming into the tilt, the Eskimos quarterback was averaging 348.

Overall, Calgary limited Edmonton to just 271 yards of total offence, while putting up 464.

With 2:45 left in the fourth-quarter and Edmonton sitting at 3^rd and 10 in the redzone and looking to get back into the game trailing by the eventual final score, DB DaShaun Amos batted down a ball at the goalline meant for Ricky Collins Jr. to end the threat.

(Photo by Jeff McIntosh, The Canadian Press)

On the ground, Stamps running back Ka’Deem Carey was an absolute beast, like his quarterback showing no rust after returning to game action following three games sidelined.

Carey had 16 carries for 143 yards, running all over the Edmonton defence.

The Stamps first possession of the tilt saw Mitchell hand off to Carey who scampered for a first down.

The ensuing seven-play, 55-yard drive ended up with the Stamps getting scoring first courtesy of a 55-yard Rene Paredes field-goal.

The veteran kicker added another three later in the first quarter, after second-year DB Royce Metchie got his first CFL interception, hauling in a ball that went off the hands of Esks receiver Ricky Collins Jr.

Edmonton kicker Sean Whyte then hit a 44-yard FG to get his team on the board.

The Stamps led 6-3 after 15 minutes.

After a back-and-forth second quarter that didn’t produce any scoring for much of the way, Paredes had a chance to add another three with just over four minutes to play in the half, but missed a 38-yarder wide right. The Stamps did get a single point on the play.

Whyte followed up with another 44-yarder for the visitors before Nick Arbuckle – who had played QB in Mitchell’s absence – ran in a one-yard touchdown late in the second quarter to pad the homeside’s lead.

Mitchell hit Begelton for the two-point convert after the TD.

And he doesn’t look like he missed a beat.

The Stamps MOP pivot returned to the field after missing seven games due to injury, going 10-of-14 for 144 yards as the Stamps lead the visiting Edmonton Eskimos 15- 6 at halftime of the annual Labour Day Classic.

Nick Arbuckle – who had played QB in Mitchell’s absence – ran in a one-yard touchdown late in the second quarter to pad the homeside’s lead.

Mitchell hit Reggie Begelton for the two-point convert after the TD.

The Stamps first possession of the tilt saw Mitchell hand off to Ka’Deem Carey, who scampered for a first down.

Carey had missed three games but has also looked strong, with 50 yards on six carries so far on the day.

The ensuing seven-play, 55-yard drive ended up with the Stamps getting scoring first courtesy of a 55-yard Rene Paredes field-goal.

The veteran kicker added another three later in the first quarter, after second-year DB Royce Metchie got his first CFL interception, hauling in a ball that went off the hands of Esks receiver Ricky Collins Jr.

Edmonton kicker Sean Whyte then hit a 44-yard FG to get his team on the board.

The Stamps led 6-3 after 15 minutes.

After a back-and-forth second quarter that didn’t produce any scoring for much of the way, Paredes had a chance to add another three with just over four minutes to play in the half, but missed a 38-yarder wide right. The Stamps did get a single point on the play.

Whyte followed up with another 44-yarder for the visitors before Arbuckle’s late plunge rounded out the scoring.

But, unfortunately for the homeside, not quite enough.

The quarterback and his favourite target hooked up for four touchdowns but the Stampeders fell 40-34 in overtime to the visiting Montreal Alouettes at McMahon Stadium.

The Als scored 11 points in the final 38 seconds of regulation to force overtime and in extra time, got two touchdowns from pivot Vernon Adams Jr. on a pair of one-yard runs to break their 10-year drought in Calgary.

With the loss, Calgary fell to 5-4, while Montreal improved to 4-4.

Calgary had a last-gasp chance to score a major on their second possession of overtime (with a two-point convert after they could have won it as per CFL overtime rules), with Arbuckle hitting Eric Rogers with a toss to the back of the endzone, the receiver hauling it in but going out-of-bounds first.

Begelton had caught his fourth major of the night from Arbuckle on the Stamps first possession of OT.

Arbuckle – making his seventh start in place of the injured Bo Levi Mitchell – finished the night 31-of-36 for 370 yards and four majors, while Begelton’s stat line read eight catches for 173 yards.

After Montreal’s Boris Bede booted a 29-yard field-goal for the first score of the game, the Stamps Dynamic Duo hooked up on their first major of the night, Arbuckle tossing a short underhand pass to Begelton, who swept across behind the line of scrimmage and turned the corner for an eight-yard scamper to the endzone.

Arbuckle to Begelton: The Sequel, saw the pivot unload a bomb straight down the middle early in the fourth for a 56-yard touchdown.

Arbuckle to Begelton: Part III saw the duo hook up on another long fourth-quarter strike, this time a 69-yarder.

On the ensuing kickoff by Rene Paredes after the first Begelton major, the Als conceded the rouge.

Tre Roberson snagged his league-lead tying sixth interception as the first quarter wound to a close, running it out of the endzone to end a Montreal drive that was threatening to add some points for the visitors.

Adams connected on a 58-yard toss to DeVier Posey on the first play of an Als possession in the second quarter but thanks to a big stand by the Stamps, Montreal had to settle for a 18-yard field-goal from Bede to make it 8-6.

Following the three-minute warning before half, the Stamps appeared to add a major when Arbuckle hit Begelton in the endzone, but the receiver was stripped of the ball as he was tackled and the refs ruled no catch.

Paredes nailed a short nine-yard FG to round out the scoring for the half.

Montreal got the ball as time wound down but DaShaun Amos picked off Adams and the Stamps managed to make their way into field-goal range, with Paredes adding a 27-yard field-goal to round out the scoring in the half.

Just under five minutes into the third quarter, Adams capped off a five-play, 73-yard drive by hitting Jake Wieneke with a 15-yard TD strike.

Montreal tied the game up with a two-point convert hauled in by Eugene Lewis to tie the game up.

Bede later added another field-goal with 2:26 left in the third quarter for their second lead of the night.

Trailing 28-17, Lewis got his second TD of the night – a 23-yard catch – with 38 seconds to play. The Als nailed the two-point convert.

Montreal recovered the ensuing Bede onside kick which led to a 27-field-goal with two seconds left to tie the tilt.

After missing six games due to injury, running back Don Jackson  rushed for 77 yards on 13 carries, and caught six passes for another 28 yards. He surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark in his young career.

LEGACY NIGHT

The Stamps honoured Grey Cup winning alumni as part of Legacy Night at Saturday’s game.

The former players were introduced in a halftime ceremony that also included recognizing Jon Cornish for his recent induction into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. There were also No. 9 bobbleheads to honour Cornish.

The alumni in attendance included:

Jabari Arthur, Basil Bark, Randy Chevrier, Jon Cornish, Rob Cote, Bruce Covernton, Matt Finlay, David Heasman, Will Johnson, Jackie Kellogg, Stu Laird, Kenton Leonard, Wes Lysack, Jay McNeil, Greg Peterson, Jeff Pilon, Keon Raymond, Roger Reinson, Rocco Romano, David Sapunjis, Jim Silye, Peewee Smith, and Matt Walter.

After missing six games due to injury, running back Don Jackson has rushed for 42 yards and caught three passes for another 20 in his first game back, helping the Stamps to a 14-6 halftime lead over the visiting Montreal Alouettes.

Jackson needed just 28 yards on the ground coming into the tilt to surpass 1,000-yards running in his young CFL career.

Quarterback Nick Arbuckle – making his seventh start in place of the injured Bo Levi Mitchell – has gone of 17-of-19 for 147 yards and one touchdown toss to receiver Reggie Begelton, who has 28 yards on four catches.

After a two-and-out on Calgary’s first possession of the night, the Als got on the board with a field-goal.

Jeremiah Johnson’s 47-yard run on the third of a five-play drive led to a 29-yard Boris Bede boot .

Two possessions later, Arbuckle tossed the ball to Begelton, who swept across behind the line of scrimmage and turned the corner for an eight-yard scamper to the endzone.

On the ensuing kickoff by Rene Paredes, the Als conceded the rouge.

Tre Roberson snagged his league-lead tying sixth interception as the first quarter wound to a close, running it out of the endzone to end a Montreal drive that was threatening to add some points for the visitors.

Vernon Adams Jr. connected on a 58-yard toss to DeVier Posey on the first play of an Als possession in the second quarter but thanks to a big stand by the Stamps, Montreal had to settle for a 18-yard field-goal from Bede to make it 8-6.

Following the three-minute warning before half, the Stamps appeared to add a major when Arbuckle hit Begelton in the endzone, but the receiver was stripped of the ball as he was tackled and the refs ruled no catch.

Paredes nailed a short nine-yard FG to round out the scoring for the half.

Montreal got the ball as time wound down but DaShaun Amos picked off Adams and the Stamps managed to make their way into field-goal range, with Paredes adding a 27-yard field-goal to round out the scoring in the half.

The band, of course, is best known for their hit She Ain’t Pretty, which they sang for the crowd of more than 23,000 as part of their set at the break.

When it came to the game on the field between the Stampeders and visiting Toronto Argonauts, it wasn’t always pretty, either.

In a tilt full of interceptions (seven total, five for the Stamps), fumbles, broken plays and 20 penalties (two declined), the homeside still got the job done, improving to 3-2 with a 26-16 victory over the still winless Argos (0-5)

Juwan Brescacin was the star of the night for the offence, hauling in two touchdown catches.

Cory Greenwood was a monster on the other side of the ball, with one interception, one fumble recovery, one forced fumble and five tackles.

Veteran defensive back Brandon Smith – who returned to the lineup after missing two games due to injury – set the tone early.

Smith picked off a McLeod Bethel-Thompson pass that was intended for SJ Green, leading to the Stamps opening score.

The Argos had got on the board first, with Tyler Crapigna booting a 50-yard field-goal for the early lead.

But after Smith’s interception near midfield, Stamps pivot Nick Arbuckle – starting again in place of the injured Bo Levi Mitchell – led his team on a quick three-play, 43-yard drive to paydirt before the end of the first quarter.

He hooked up with Markeith Ambles and Ka’Deem Carey on short passes, before hitting a sweeping Brescacin on a two-yard pass and he legged it another 18 yards getting the edge on a trio of Toronto defenders to beat them to the endzone.

A 30-yard Rene Paredes field-goal and a single from a Rob Maver punt extended the lead to 11-3.

Arbuckle’s three-yard run on a third and inches set the Stamps up for another score, but the pivot threw an interception in the endzone, picked off by Alden Darby.

Bethel-Thompson then marched his club on a seven-play, 85-yard drive as time expired in the half, finding Derel Walker for the major.

They went for a two-point convert but missed.

Looking to pick up where they left off, the Argos were making their way down the field again to start the second half when Greenwood hit an already wrapped up Armanti Edwards, the ball popping out of the Toronto receivers hands and was scooped up by Tre Roberson, who ran it back 93 yards for the touchdown.

Arbuckle made good on a two-point convert when he completed a throw to Reggie Begelton.

The Calgary defence continued to come up big, with Raheem Wilson getting his first career interception not long after, running it back to the Toronto 46-yard line.

That set up a Calgary drive – aided by a spearing penalty on Toronto – that ended with Brescacin catching his second TD.

Toronto running back James Wilder Jr. then capped off an eight-play drive with a catch-and-run TD to pull the Argos back into it.

On the next Calgary possession, Arbuckle was picked off by Toronto’s Micah Awe, giving the Argos good field position to get some more points and continue to close the gap.

However, keeping with the theme of the night, Greenwood then ballhawked a pass from Bethel-Thompson to end the threat.

Later, buried deep in their own zone, Rob Maver kicked a punt out of the endzone instead of conceding two points.

It was a good call.

On the ensuing Toronto drive, Wilder Jr. fumbled on the second play from scrimmage, with Greenwood recovering under a pile of players.

The game finished, fittingly, with Robertson Daniel making an interception late with five second left to play to cap off the night.

We missed you.

The 2-2 Stampeders lead the visiting 0-4 Toronto Argonauts 11-9 at half Thursday night at McMahon Stadium, thanks in part to the excellent play of veteran defensive back Brandon Smith.

Smith picked off a McLeod Bethel-Thompson pass that was intended for SJ Green, leading to the Stamps first score of Thursday night’s tilt at McMahon Stadium.

He came close to causing a fumble and getting another interception later in the half.

The Argos got on the board first, with Tyler Crapigna booting a 50-yard field-goal for the early lead.

But after Smith’s interception near midfield, Stamps pivot Nick Arbuckle – starting again in place of the injured Bo Levi Mitchell – led his team on a quick three-play, 43-yard drive to paydirt before the end of the first quarter.

He hooked up with Markeith Ambles and Ka’Deem Carey on short passes, before hitting a sweeping Juwan Brescacin on a two-yard pass and he legged it another 18 yards getting the edge on a trio of Toronto defenders to beat them to the endzone.

A 30-yard Rene Paredes field-goal and a single from a Rob Maver punt extended the lead to 11-3.

Arbuckle’s three-yard run on a third and inches set the Stamps up for another score in the second quarter, but the pivot threw an interception – the first of his CFL career – in the endzone, picked off by Alden Darby.

Bethel-Thompson marched his club on a seven-play, 85-yard drive as time expired in the half, finding Derel Walker for the major.

They went for a two-point convert, but missed.

The Ticats won their first regular-season game against the Red and White since 2011, prevailing 30-23 at home.

Calgary is now 2-2, while Hamilton improved to 4-1 and sit first in the East.

The game was a wild back-and-forth affair, with special teams living up to their monikor in the outing.

Nick Arbuckle, in his second start in relief of the injured Bo Levi Mitchell, went 24-40 for 268 yards.

Arbuckle was solid on the first possession of the game, tossing a dart to Markeith Ambles for a first down on his first throw.

The pivot was sacked on his second play before hooking up with Michael Klukas on a short five-yard pass.

That brought Rob Maver out to punt – but the wily vet instead tossed a 19-yard pass to Ante Milanovic-Litre on the fake.

Maver improved to 4-of-6 passing in his career for 74 yards.

Hamilton had a quick two-and-out on their first possession, with Rene Parades later in the first quarter hooking a 36-yard field-goal attempt wide left but picking up a point.

In the second quarter, Arbuckle led his team on a six-play drive down the field – avoiding a sack early on – and then handed off on a counter to Reggie Begelton, who ran in six yards for the major.

It was his second TD of the season, first on the ground.

The pivotal play on the drive was a quick two-yard throw to Terry Williams, who then ran for 27 yards before Eric Rogers made a seven-yard play to set up the Begelton score.

The Stamps – who were 5-of-6 on two-point conversions coming in – went for the double, but couldn’t convert.

Then it was time for some heroics by Ka’Deem Carey, who swept in off the left side to block a Ticats punt deep in their own territory, recovering the ball and scampering in for the TD to make it 14-0.

The Ticats answered back on the kickoff, with Will Likely III running it right up the gut and all the way down for six points.

Jeremiah Masoli then hit Brandon Banks for the two-point convert to put the homeside right back in it.

With less than three minutes left in the half, the Stamps defence stepped up big to pin the Ticats on their one-yard line, with Hamilton giving up two points instead of risking the punt.

However, special teams continued to be huge for the Ticats, with Parades missing a 51-yard field goal left again, Banks running it down the sideline all the way for another TD.

They capitalized on another two-point convert to round out the scoring in the half.

Things settled down for a bit in the third quarter before getting wild again.

The Stamps were making their way down the field but after a catch-and-run, Begelton was stripped of the ball.

The Ticats then battled down to the Stamps one-yard line (originally spotted at the two which led Hamilton to think field-goal before changing their minds), going for the go-ahead score.

But DaShaun Amos picked off a pass in the endzone, denying the Ticats any points.

Hamilton took its first lead of the game in the fourth quarter when Masoli threw his first career TD pass against the Stamps, finding Banks in the endzone on a 22-yard strike.

Two Stamps possessions later, though, after a short Ticats punt, Arbuckle hit Eric Rogers on a 22-yard pass and then Carey scampered three yards for the major on the next play.

Masoli answered right back, leading his team on a nine-play drive down the field, hitting Banks for the game-winning major, his third of the night.

But once they did, the points started piling up in dramatic fashion, with special teams living up to their moniker.

Nick Arbuckle continued his hot play in relief of injured starter Bo Levi Mitchell, going 14-21 for 179 yards.

Arbuckle was solid on the first possession of the game, tossing a dart to Markeith Ambles for a first down on his first throw.

The pivot was sacked on his second play before hooking up with Michael Klukas on a short five-yard pass.

That brought Rob Maver out to punt – but the wily vet instead tossed a 19-yard pass to Ante Milanovic-Litre on the fake.

Maver improved to 4-of-6 passing in his career for 74 yards.

Hamilton had a quick two-and-out on their first possession, with Rene Paredes later in the first quarter hooking a 36-yard field-goal attempt wide left but picking up a point.

In the second quarter, Arbuckle led his team on a six-play drive down the field – avoiding a sack early on – and then handed off on a counter to Reggie Begelton, who ran in six yards for the major.

The pivotal play on the drive was a quick two-yard throw to Terry Williams, who then ran for 27 yards before Eric Rogers made a seven-yard play to set up the Begelton score.

The Stamps – who were 5-of-6 on two-point conversions coming in – went for the double, but couldn’t convert.

Then it was time for some heroics by Ka’Deem Carey, who swept in off the left side to block a Ticats punt deep in their own territory, recovering the ball and scampering in for the TD to make it 14-0.

The Ticats answered back on the kickoff, with Will Likely III running it right up the gut and all the way down for six points.

Jeremiah Masoli then hit Brandon Banks for the two-point convert to put the homeside right back in it.

With less than three minutes left in the half, the Stamps defence stepped up big to pin the Ticats on their one-yard line, with Hamilton giving up two points instead of risking the punt.

However, special teams continued to be huge for the Ticats, with Paredes missing a 51-yard field goal left again, Banks running it down the sideline all the way for another TD.

They capitalized on another two-point convert to round out the scoring in the half.

The Stampeders gave the visiting B.C. Lions a painful reminder of that fact Saturday night at McMahon Stadium.

Trailing by 21 at one point in the game, the Red & White gave the crowd of 25,130 a thriller on, fittingly enough, Fan Appreciation Night with a 36-32 win.

They outscored the Lions 23-10 in the fourth quarter to get their first win of the 2019 campaign.

They improved to 1-1, while B.C. dropped to 0-3.

Bo Levi Mitchell – who went 23-of-34 for 252 yards and two touchdowns – left the game in the fourth quarter, but Nick Arbuckle didn’t miss a beat coming off the bench.

With the Stamps trailing 32-21, he lead them on a 13-play, 80-yard drive which he finished off with a one-yard quarterback sneak for a major.

On the ensuing on-side kick, Michael Klukas was first to the ball, batting it out of the air and almost catching it. After it hit the ground, receiver Eric Rogers recovered with 1:20 left in the fourth quarter.

Rogers – who had three touchdown catches and a two-point convert for good measure – capped off the Wild West finish with a four-yard catch from Arbuckle, who ended up 9-for 9 for 93 yards.

“It’s what I’ve expected. I know what I can do,” said Arbuckle. “I do it every day, early morning, late at night, 365 days a year. It’s what I’ve been preparing for, to be on the field. I’m just waiting for an opportunity and the longer it was was, the better I was gonna be.”

It was a gutsy win, said head coach Dave Dickenson.

“It wasn’t pretty. Did we out-play ‘em? Probably not,” he said. “Time of possession was obscene in their favour. But football’s football. I believe that’s why we love the CFL – because the game’s not over and that clock goes slow in those last three minutes.”

No better judge of a quarterback than you’ll find, Dickenson – one of the best pivots in the history of the league – was suitably impressed with the play of Arbuckle.

“We have faith in Nick but obviously a very, very difficult spot for any quarterback to be in,” he said. “Looks confident though. It really wasn’t as much about the quarterback play as the execution. We were dropping balls on Bo. We weren’t tackling well on defence, couldn’t get them off the field.

“But it did provide a spark. And maybe defences let up a little when they see the back-up. I have no clue. But he looked good.”

Things appeared to start off off well for the Stamps in the tilt before they fell in a deep hole.

The Lions took the opening kick-off and were marching down the field when ball hawk Tre Roberson picked off a Mike Reilly pass meant for Duron Carter, and scampered 87 yards down the East sideline for a touchdown.

However, the Lions challenged, arguing for a roughing the passer call on Stamps d-lineman Ivan McLennan.

After review, the officials agreed.

The ensuing 15-yard penalty for the hit put B.C. deep in Calgary territory and White put six points on the board on the next play after a 15-yard catch-and-run to the endzone.

Reilly went for two, with Jevon Cottoy hauling in the pass to make the lead 8-0 for the Lions.

Late in the first quarter, Reilly avoided a sack by Cory Greenwood who burst through the middle of the line untouched, the Lions pivot able to sidestep the hit and launch a deep ball to Bryan Burnham in the endzone, who had Royce Metchie and Brandon Smith on him in coverage, denying him a catch.

The officials threw a flag for pass interference on Metchie.

Down to the one-yard line after the penalty, White punched it in on the next possession.

B.C. was up 15-0 after the opening 15.

Rob Maver picked up a point with a boot early in the second quarter.

But it was the Lions adding another major after that.

A nine-play, 52-yard drive was capped off by 22-yard pass from Reilly to former Stamp Lemar Durant, who fell near the goalline but managed to crawl a quick four yards to break the plane.

A missed convert made it 21-1, with the Lions later adding a single of their own to increase it to 22-1.

With the Stamps spending much of the first 30 minutes on defence, Mitchell led his side on a 10-play, 75-yard drive in the second quarter which was capped off with a three-yard TD strike to Rogers, who was able to make into the endzone with Lions DB T.J. Lee draped on his back.

Following that Stamps touchdown, the Lions had a chance to add another major but were stuffed on a third-down run attempt on the goal-line as time expired.

On the Stamps first possession of the second half, Mitchell was picked off on his pass by Aaron Grymes, who stepped in to grab a toss meant for Rogers, the Calgary receiver tackling him right after the INT.

B.C. didn’t get any points from the turnover.

Mitchell had the Stamps making their way down the field but after missing a second-down throw to Ambles, Rene Paredes booted a 42-yard field-goal to narrow the lead to nine points.

After another B.C. drive was stopped deep in Stamps territory, Sergio Castillo kicked a 21-yard field-goal.

On the next Calgary possession, Mitchell didn’t waste much time, hooking up with Rogers on a long 42-yard strike on the third play of the drive for a TD, the Notre Dame product hauling in the two-point convert following.

But with just over four minutes to play, Reilly called his own number and ran up the gut for a 10-yard major on the 12^th play of long drive. Following the convert, the Lions extended their lead to 11.

B.C. running back John White has two majors as the Lions lead 22-10 at the half.

With the Stamps spending much of the first 30 minutes on defence, pivot Bo Levi Mitchell led his side on a 10-play, 75-yard drive in the second quarter which was capped off with a three-yard TD strike to Eric Rogers, who was able to make into the endzone with Lions DB T.J. Lee drapped on his back.

Markeith Ambles went airborne for a two-point convert.

Mitchell is 13 of 16 for 106 yards at the half, while his B.C. counterpart – Mike Reilly – is 20-of-22 for 205.

Things started off well for the Stamps.

Or, at least they appeared to.

The Lions took the opening kick-off and were marching down the field when ball hawk Tre Roberson picked off a Reilly pass meant for Duron Carter, and scampered 87 yards down the East sideline for a touchdown.

However, the Lions challenged, arguing for a roughing the passer call on Stamps d-lineman Ivan McLennan.

After review, the officials agreed.

The ensuing 15-yard penalty for the hit put B.C. deep in Calgary territory and White put six points on the board on the next play after a 15-yard catch-and-run to the endzone.

Reilly went for two, with Jevon Cottoy hauling in the pass to make the lead 8-0 for the Lions.

Late in the first quarter, Reilly avoided a sack by Cory Greenwood who burst through the middle of the line untouched, the Lions pivot able to sidestep the hit and launch a deep ball to Bryan Burnham in the endzone, who had Royce Metchie and Brandon Smith on him in coverage, denying him a catch.

The officials threw a flag for pass interference on Metchie.

Down to the one-yard line after the penalty, White punched it in on the next possession.

B.C. was up 15-0 after the opening 15.

Rob Maver picked up a point with a boot early in the second quarter.

But it was the Lions adding another major after that.

A nine-play, 52-yard drive was capped off by 22-yard pass from Reilly to former Stamp Lemar Durant, who fell near the goalline but managed to crawl a quick four yards to break the plane.

A missed convert made it 21-1, with the Lions later adding a single of their own to increase it to 22-1.

Following the Stamps touchdown, the Lions had a chance to add another major but were stuffed on a third-down run attempt on the goal-line as time expired.

Even in pre-season.

The Stamps fell 38-36 to the B.C Lions Friday night at B.C. Place, the hometown side scratching and clawing back from a 30-16 halftime hole to get the win.

Grant Kraemer led his team down the field on a nine-play drive, capping it off with a one-yard TD pass to Wayne Moore with just 50 seconds left to play.

With plenty of jobs up for grabs, Stampeders players got their last chance to impress head coach Dave Dickenson and the coaching staff ahead of their June 15 season-opener when they host the Ottawa Redblacks at McMahon Stadium. (Click here for tickets)

The big-name stars were first up on the night though, setting the tone for a high-tempo affair.

Bo Levi Mitchell, who played just the first two series in a 37-1 thumping of the Saskatchewan Roughriders last week at McMahon, also played the first two Friday night.

He went four of six for 84-yards and a touchdown.

Nick Arbuckle continued his impressive pre-season, tossing two touchdowns after replacing Mitchell. (Click here for full game stats)

The Lions went three-and-out on their first possession, bringing the Grey Cup MVP Mitchell out on the field.

Mitchell hooked up with Juwan Brescacin and Aaron Peck on his first two throws before a pair of incomplete passes led to a 46-yard Rene Paredes boot for an early 3-0 lead.

New Lions pivot Mike Reilly led his team back down the field on a seven-play drive that ended with a pair of runs by John White, the first a one-yard loss before he punched it in from two yards out.

On the next series for the Red & White, Mitchell aired one out for Brescacin who got in behind the defence for a 53-yard strike with the receiver scampering another 15 yards for the major.

Paredes missed the convert.

Another long drive by the Lions was capped off by Reilly scoring on the QB sneak, first stopped at the line before stretching out on a second effort to break the plane with the ball.

This time around, it was B.C. missing the extra point to end the first quarter.

After a short two-yard run by Ka’Deem Carey to start the drive, Arbuckle completed a pair of passes, before hooking up with Peck on an 18-yard touchdown toss.

In to replace Reilly, Austin Apodaca was picked off by Marko Myers, who added to the Stamps lead by running it back 65 yards – walking a tightrope along the sidelines to avoid a tackle from the B.C. quarterback before diving into the endzone.

Late in the half, Arbuckle threw an INT. The pick off by Marloshawn Franklin was originally ruled a no catch but after review it was overturned.

The Lions only managed three points off the play, with Sergio Castillo later booting a 14-yard field-goal for the Stamps.

Arbuckle then added another major with less than a minute left on a seven-yard scoring pass to Hergy Mayala.

Anthony Alix nailed a 39-yard FG in the third quarter before the Stamps recorded a safety off a beautiful play by Fraser Sopik.

The rookie linebacker burst through the middle of the B.C. line virtually untouched with the Lions deep in their zone on the seven-yard line, chasing Apodaca back in the endzone and tackling him.

Before the end of the third, Rob Maver added a single.

Moore had a five-yard run during a four-play B.C. drive, finishing it off with a 10-yard scamper for a TD.

However, on their next possession the Stamps went downfield with Castillo kicking a 37-yard field-goal.

The scoring continued, with Kraemer – who had come in at pivot – throwing a 42-yard bomb to Jamaal Jones at the goalline, which  the QB followed up with a one-yard run to keep the game within striking distance for the homeside.

Silva had a chance to add three points on a 22-yard FG but hit the left upright.

Bo Levi Mitchell, who played just the first two series in a 37-1 thumping of the Saskatchewan Roughriders last week at McMahon, also played the first two Friday night.

He went four of six for 84-yards and a touchdown.

Nick Arbuckle continued his impressive pre-season, tossing two touchdowns after replacing Mitchell.

The Lions went three-and-out on their first possession, bringing the Grey Cup MVP Mitchell out on the field.

Mitchell hooked up with Juwan Brescacin and Aaron Peck on his first two throws before a pair of incomplete passes led to a 46-yard Rene Paredes boot for an early 3-0 lead.

New Lions pivot Mike Reilly led his team back down the field on a seven-play drive that ended with a pair of runs by John White, the first a one-yard loss before he punched it in from two yards out.

On the next series for the Red & White, Mitchell aired one out for Brescacin who got in behind the defence for a 53-yard strike with the receiver scampering another 15 yards for the major.

Paredes missed the convert.

Another long drive by the Lions was capped off by Reilly scoring on the QB sneak, first stopped at the line before stretching out on a second effort to break the plane with the ball.

This time around, it was B.C. missing the extra point to end the first quarter.

After a short two-yard run by Ka’Deem Carey to start the drive, Arbuckle completed a pair of passes, before hooking up with Peck on an 18-yard touchdown toss.

In to replace Reilly, Austin Apodaca was picked off by Marko Myers, who added to the Stamps lead by running it back 65 yards – walking a tightrope along the sidelines to avoid a tackle from the B.C. quarterback before diving into the endzone.

Late in the half, Arbuckle threw an INT. The pick off by Marloshawn Franklin was originally ruled a no catch but after review it was overturned.

The Lions only managed three points off the play, with Sergio Castillo later booting a 14-yard field-goal.

Arbuckle then added another major with less than a minute left on a seven-yard scoring pass to Hergy Mayala.

And the defending Grey Cup Champion Stamps picked right up where they left off.

Four quarterbacks took turns under centre for the Red & White en route to a 37-1 pre-season drubbing of the visiting Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Bo Levi Mitchell was 3-for-5 for 84 yards, Nick Arbuckle had a TD run and toss and went 8-of-13 with 131 yards, Montell Cozart was 5-of-10 for 122 yards and a major, and Troy Cook rounded out the night with one completion for seven yards on his only attempt.

The smothering smoke that enveloped the city yesterday from the Northern Alberta wildfires had left the game in limbo, but the wind later changed direction and cleared the sky, delaying the 7 p.m. kickoff a half-hour.

After that, it was a night of firsts at McMahon.

Georgina Paull and Emily Clarke became the first female officials to work a CFL game (Click here for more).

It was the first battle as head coaches between brothers Dave and Craig Dickenson.

It was the first time the Stampeders played a game in May in franchise history.

And it was also the first time the Stamps and Riders had played a pre-season tilt at McMahon since 2010, the four most recent tune-up tilts taking place in Regina.

The win gave the Red & White their seventh straight pre-season win over the Riders, and 21st in the previous 27 pre-season outings held between the West Rivals in the last 47 years.

Grey Cup MVP Mitchell played the first two series of the game, the gunslinger coming out and showing off his accuracy early.

He hit Reggie Begelton for a 39-yard pass on his first toss, finding the same target for 26 more yards on his next throw, taking the Stamps down to the Riders 11-yard line.

Markeith Ambles then ran for three yards before being upended, followed by a Mitchell pass just above the fingertips of Juwan Brescacin at the back of the endzone, which brought Rene Paredes in for a field-goal boot.

After a quick Roughriders possession, Mitchell threw another precision toss – this time to Ambles for 19 yards – to start Calgary’s second possession.

Terry Williams had a short run before an incomplete Mitchell pass to Eric Rogers, bringing in Rob Maver for a long punt that pinned Saskatchewan deep in their zone.

After a three-and-out for Saskatchewan on the next series, Nick Arbuckle came in at QB and hooked up with Brescacin on a 38-yard throw to start a long possession.

Unable to score, a pass interference call gave Calgary a fresh set of downs. They were again stymied by the Roughriders defence, but an offside call gave them three more cracks, with Arbuckle running for the major.

Global player Oscar Hugo Silva missed the extra point but later got a single on a kickoff.

The second quarter was back and forth, before Arbuckle finished off a late six-play, 48-yard drive by hooking up with Griff Whalen with just 2:22 left to play in the half for the TD.

Saskatchewan’s Felix Menard-Briere missed a field-goal as time ran down but got a point.

The Roughriders were looking for the endzone in the third quarter to try and drag themselves back into it but Gump Hayes picked off a David Watford pass to end the threat.

Gabe Ferraro kicked a 26-yard field-goal later in the quarter to make it a 19-point lead for the homeside.

Cozart hooked up with David Braverman on a 14-yard pass in the final frame, the receiver then running for another 41 yards to start a five-play, 94-yard drive that was capped off by a three-yard TD run by Gerald Holmes.

Ferraro added a 32-yard field-goal before Anthony Gore picked off Ty Gangi with less than two minutes to play, running it back 34 yards for a major.

Next up, the Stamps hit the road for their final pre-season tilt, taking on the Lions in Vancouver Friday.

And the defending Grey Cup Champion Stamps picked right up right where they left off.

Backup quarterback Nick Arbuckle ran in a one-yard touchdown, Rene Paredes booted a 14-yard field-goal, and Griff Whalen caught an 18-yard TD as Calgary leads the visiting Saskatchewan Roughriders 17-1 at halftime during the first pre-season tilt for the West rivals.

The smothering smoke that enveloped the city yesterday from the Northern Alberta wildfires left the game in limbo, before the wind changed direction and cleared the sky, delaying the 7 p.m. kickoff a half-hour.

Grey Cup MVP Bo Levi Mitchell played the first two possessions of the game, the gunslinger coming out and showing off his accuracy early.
He hit Reggie Begelton for a 39-yard pass on his first toss, finding the same target for 26 more yards on his next throw, taking the Stamps down to the Riders 11-yard line.

Markeith Ambles then ran for three yards before being upended, followed by a Mitchell pass just above the fingertips of Juwan Brescacin at the back of the endzone, which brought Paredes in for the field-goal.

After a quick Roughriders possession, Mitchell threw another precision toss – this time to Ambles for 19 yards – to start Calgary’s second possession.

Terry Williams had a short run before an incomplete Mitchell pass to Eric Rogers, bringing in Rob Maver for a long punt that pinned Saskatchewan deep in their zone.

After a three-and-out for Saskatchewan on the next series, Arbuckle came in and hooked up with Brescacin on 38-yard throw to start a long possession.

Unable to score, a pass interference call gave Calgary a fresh set of downs. They were again stymied by the Roughriders defence, but an offside call gave them three more cracks, with Arbuckle scoring his major.

Global player Oscar Hugo Silva missed the extra point but later got a single on a kickoff.

The second quarter was back and forth, before Arbuckle finished off a late six-play, 48-yard drive by hooking up with Whalen with just 2:22 left to play in the half.

Felix Menard-Briere missed a field-goal as time ran down but got a point.

So he produced one.

With the Stampeders holding a slim 14-11 lead and time ticking down in the first half, Terry Williams looked down the field and saw Ottawa Redblacks kicker Richie Leone boot a 46-yard punt his way.

He caught it on Calgary’s 13-yard line and started running for daylight.

He didn’t stop until he went 97 yards for the major, setting a new Grey Cup punt return record in the process.

“Gotta hit it – that was the biggest thing I needed to do,” said Williams. “When I saw that, I was like I’ve got to outrun everybody and coach told me that I’m the fastest person in the league so I just wanted to show that.”

Show it he did, bringing the crowd to its feet as he tacked on another six points to pad the Calgary lead – 21-11 – after 30 minutes.

He finished the night with two kickoff returns for 46 yards, five punt returns for 112 yards and two rushes for 16 yards, as the Stamps beat the Redblacks 27-16 in the 106^th Grey Cup.

“It felt good, I knew my team needed a spark, Ottawa was battling back and we knew we needed to make something happen especially before the half to keep the momentum going and keep everybody’s spirits high so that’s all I wanted to do,” he said.

Williams has a nickname among his teammates that’s well earned, said quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell.

“We call him Scary Terry because when he’s moving at full speed, he is scary,” said the pivot.

Mitchell, named the game’s MVP for his performance, said that play, at that moment, made a huge difference in their victory.

“It was kinda funny, I’m standing next to (special teams coach Mark) Kilam on that play and (Williams) starts to slip down and Kilam’s like ‘Shoot!’ and all of a sudden, he’s gone,” said Mitchell.

“Honeslty, that play … you talk about three plays winning a game? That was one of those three plays.”

It’s the type of play every football player dreams of making in the game, agreed Williams.

“It feels good just to be a part of this organization, it’s a great organization, got to win a Cup,” he said. “We’re bringing one back to Calgary, that’s all that matters.”