CALGARY — Rene Paredes kicked a 50-yard field goal with no time left on the clock to lead the Calgary Stampeders to a thrilling 24-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday night.
Paredes also booted a 43-yard field goal at 12:25 of the fourth quarter to pull the Stamps within a point before Justin Medlock kicked his third single of the game to put the Ticats up by a pair. That set up the thrilling finish and Parades didn’t disappoint the 28,487 in attendance.
Nursing a four-point lead with 5:03 left in the fourth quarter, the Ticats stood their ground to stop backup Calgary quarterback Drew Tate from rushing the ball into the end zone on a third-and-one situation. But the Stamps kept their composure and rallied to win by a single point.
Veteran Calgary defensive back Keon Raymond had a 97-yard interception return in the third quarter, and running back Jon Cornish added a two-point convert when he ran in the ball from three yards out. Eric Rogers also caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Calgary starting quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell.
Mitchell had a rough game for the Stamps as he completed 22-of-35 passes for 263 yards to go with one touchdown pass and three interceptions.
The Stamps recorded a two-point safety when Medlock kicked the ball out of the back of his own end zone in the second quarter after Aaron Crawford inadvertently snapped the ball over his head.
Johnny Sears Jr. had a pair of interceptions, including one for a touchdown, for the Ticats. Sears picked off an errant pass by Mitchell on Calgary’s opening drive of the game and ran it back 75 yards into the end zone. The veteran defensive back, who spent the past five seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before signing with Hamilton in the off-season, also intercepted Mitchell at mid-field in the fourth quarter.
Brandon Banks ran back a punt for a touchdown, while Medlock kicked a pair of field goals and three singles. Hamilton quarterback Zach Collaros completed 27-of-38 passes for 281 yards.