Stampeders Roll Past Elks in Labour Day Classic
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By Noan Gagnon
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Summary:
- Stampeders ended this year’s Labour Day Classic with a crushing 28-7 win over the Elks.
- The win improved Calgary to 8-3, keeping them close behind Saskatchewan in the West standings.
- Vernon Adams Jr. threw a TD to Dominique Rhymes, while Erik Brooks scored his first CFL return touchdown on an 86-yard punt return.
The Calgary Stampeders maintained their turnaround season on Monday, when they met and defeated the Edmonton Elks with a decisive 28-7 score. The highly anticipated annual CFL Labour Day Classic unfolded at McMahon Stadium in front of nearly 28,000 fans.
Folarin Orimolade: “We’ll Go Far”
The home side showed a balanced effort, with Vernon Adams Jr. connecting with Dominique Rhymes for an early touchdown, and Dedrick Mills churning out 106 rushing yards on just 17 carries. Rookie returner Erik Brooks also managed to bring the crowd to its feet with his first return touchdown of his CFL career.
However, the defence might have been the real story, with Calgary seen racking up four sacks and denying Edmonton the end zone all afternoon.
Defensive end Folarin Orimolade said,
This defence is tough to kill — we don’t give up many touchdowns. If we continue to do that — and continue to go penalty-free — we’ll go far.
The win put an end to Edmonton’s three-game surge and kept them stuck in the West Division basement at 4-7. For Calgary, now 8-3, the victory strengthened its hold on second place, two points behind the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Last year, the team finished dead last at 5-12-1, during a season that included a shameful 35-20 Labour Day loss to the same team.
This time around, there were hardly any doubts on the outcome, as Adams Jr. was seen opening the scoring with a 22-yard strike to Rhymes that triggered the traditional victory lap by Quick Six, the touchdown horse.
Erik Brooks: “I Feel Like It’s a Privilege”
After both sides traded field goals, it was Erik Brooks who set the stadium on fire midway through the third quarter with an 86-yard punt return touchdown that offered Calgary a comfortable 20-7 advantage.
I feel like it’s a privilege. Not everyone on the team gets the opportunity to have the ball in their hands and make things happen.
Calgary’s defence didn’t have a moment’s rest, busy bottling up quarterback Cody Fajardo and tailback Justin Rankin. The Elks endured four straight two-and-outs before Quincy Vaughn punched in a short-yardage major late in the fourth.
Adams Jr. admitted he wasn’t at his best, finishing with 162 yards on 13-of-23 passing.
It’s a weird feeling for me. We got the win. It’s good. But I feel like I let my team down… Just thank you to my defence, having my back as always.
Head coach Dickenson acknowledged the game “wasn’t perfect by any means” while saluting the boy’s grind and hard work. The teams will meet again on Saturday in Edmonton for the annual rematch. Get the latest odds ahead of the action with Betting.ca.
