ARGOS DOWN TICATS 31-12, CLINCH FIRST IN CFL EAST

TORONTO – Antonio Pipkin, Kurleigh Gittens Jr., and Chris Edwards scored touchdowns as the Toronto Argonauts defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 31-12 on a windy Friday night to cement top spot in the East Division standings.

Toronto (9-4) clinched home-field advantage for the East Division final Dec. 5. And that’s a big deal as the Argos improved to 6-0 at BMO Field this year before a season-high gathering of 10,851 that braved a steady wind throughout and rain in the opening half.

Toronto earned its third win in four games this season versus archrival Hamilton (7-6). The Argos will complete their regular season Tuesday night at home against the Edmonton Elks (2-9).

Hamilton suffered its first loss in four games and will finish its regular season next Saturday against the visiting Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-4). And that could be a monumental game for the Ticats depending on how the third-place Montreal Alouettes (6-6) fare against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (11-1) on Saturday.

Montreal completes its regular season next Friday by hosting the Ottawa Redblacks (2-11).

Hamilton and Montreal split their season series 1-1 but the Ticats own the tiebreaker based upon point differential. So they’d finish ahead of the Alouettes if the two teams ended up tied in the standings.

(The Canadian Press)