Monday Sports: Stampeders Stun Argonauts

A clutch fourth-quarter performance led the Calgary Stampeders to a thrilling 27-23 win over the Toronto Argonauts on Sunday.

Marken Michel and Cam Echols caught touchdown passes from quarterback Jake Maier, while Rene Paredes kicked his third and fourth field goals of the game as the Stampeders (4-4) scored 21 unanswered points.

“That’s the fourth quarter that we’ve been looking for,” said Maier, who commended Calgary’s defence and special teams for working together as a unit to pull off the come-from-behind victory.

“It really did feel like for the first time in the fourth quarter that we complemented each other as a team and that’s your result.”

Maier completed 26-of-37 passes for 287 yards to go with his two TD passes and one interception.

After Paredes split the uprights from 44 yards out at 12:55 to give the Stamps their first lead, Calgary’s defence went to work.

Mike Rose sacked Toronto quarterback Cameron Dukes for a loss before Julian Howsare knocked down a pass to cause a turnover on downs.

“We’ve had a hard time finishing in the fourth — offence, defence and special teams, everything,” said Rose, who had two of Calgary’s six sacks in the game. “This is the first time we’ve looked like a full-form fourth-quarter team.”

Paredes then booted a 49-yard field goal with 39 seconds left on the clock to round out the scoring.

Paredes also had a single for the Stampeders, who have won all four games they’ve played at McMahon Stadium this season.

In addition to completing 18-of-26 passes for 177 yards, Argos QB Cameron Dukes ran for a touchdown and threw another for the Argonauts (4-4), who led 23-6 heading into the final quarter.

“I thought they brought a little more pressure in the second half,” Dukes said. “We just went stalemate a little bit on offence and we can’t do that. We put our defence in a tough spot. We’ve just got to find ways to battle through that, sustain drives more and put points on the board.”

Toronto coach Ryan Dinwiddie took the loss hard and blamed himself.

“I just told the locker room just now, I felt like I let them down,” he said. “I didn’t call the best game in the second half. Our guys fought. I’ll own this loss. It falls on my shoulders. I just feel awful.”

Richie Sindani and Ka’Deem Carey, who both previously played for the Stampeders, also scored touchdowns for Toronto.

UP NEXT

Argonauts: Host the Calgary Stampeders (4-4) on Friday.

Stampeders: Visit the Toronto Argonauts (4-4) on Friday.

CEBL

Championship Weekend in the Canadian Elite Basketball League is all set. The Niagara River Lions, Calgary Surge, Vancouver Bandits and Montreal Alliance have advanced to the Final Four. The Eastern and Western finals will be played Friday at Verdun Auditorium in Montréal, with the winners advancing to the championship final on Sunday, August 11th.

MLB

The Toronto Blue Jays, coming off a 1-for-3 weekend series against the host New York Yankees, have a day off Monday before opening a six-game homestand. The 51-and-61 Jays host the A-L East-leading Baltimore Orioles in a three-game series that starts Tuesday, then entertain the Oakland Athletics in a three-game weekend series opening Friday.

OLYMPICS

• It’s day 10 of the Paris Olympics and Canada is looking to add to its 17 medals. To date, Canadian athletes have won five gold, four silver and eight bronze. The Canadian team has reached the podium at least once in each of the first nine days. Yesterday, Ethan Katzberg of Nanaimo, B-C, won gold in the men’s hammer throw, while boxer Wyatt Sanford of Kennetcook, Nova Scotia, picked up a bronze in the 63-kilogram weight class.
• Canada’s 3×3 women’s basketball team faces Germany today in semifinal action at the Paris Olympics. The Canadian squad, comprised of Edmonton sisters Katherine and Michelle Plouffe,  Kacie Bosch of Lethbridge, Alberta, and Paige Crozon of Humboldt, Saskatchewan, have played themselves into medal contention. Spain faces the United States in today’s other semifinal. The gold and bronze-medal finals will be played later today.

NFL NOTEBOOK

• ASHBURN, VA — Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is expected to play for the Washington Commanders in their first preseason game Saturday at the New York Jets. Coach Dan Quinn confirmed Sunday that Daniels will be playing. He did not say if Daniels would start or how much the No. 2 pickwould play.
• SEATTLE, WA — Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith is expected to return to practice during the upcoming week after missing a few days with hip and knee issues, coach Mike Macdonald said. Smith was a spectator during the Seahawks’ fan fest practice at Lumen Field. Afterward, Macdonald said that while Smith was set to have another set of tests, he expected the quarterback to get some practice time soon.
• CANTON, OH — Steve McMichael couldn’t make it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, so the ceremony came to him. Battling ALS and bedridden in the advanced stages of the neurological disease, the 66-year-old two-time All-Pro defensive tackle was the second player enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame among seven members of the Class of 2024 on Saturday. The ceremony in Ohio was delayed nearly two hours because of heavy rain and lightning. Similar weather on Thursday night forced the preseason opener between the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans to be stopped with 18 minutes remaining. Dwight Freeney, Randy Gradishar, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Julius Peppers and Patrick Willis also were enshrined, raising the total members of the Hall of Fame to 378.

(Canadian Press)