Whether there’s a gap in the football or not, Calgary Stampedes kicker Rene Paredes doesn’t care.
The 39-year-old, the team's longest-tenured player, hit six of six field goals in Calgary's 32-24 win over the visiting team on Friday, with the longest being a 52-yarder. Hamilton Tiger-Cats inside Compact fluorescent lamp This is the season opener for both teams.
Paredes used his feet to contribute 20 points to Calgary's first win of 2024, including field goals of 43, 42, 37, 36 and 25 yards, and two extra points.
The Canadian Football League announced earlier Friday that teams can decide before each game whether to have punters and kickers kick a microchipped football to generate real-time statistics.
After missing two of three field goal attempts and hitting an extra point on Thursday, Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo criticized a cut ball and said it changed the trajectory of the ball.
Neither Paredes nor Calgary head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson disclosed the status of the gap on the ball he kicked Friday.
“I don't want to talk about it anymore. I've forgotten about it,” Paredes said. “It's resolved.”
“Kick the ball. Kick it through. You saw what our guys did. Our guys were able to kick the ball through the uprights every time,” Dickinson said.
“I don't care if it has a chip or not. You've got a job to do. I don't think it's a big deal.”
Mitchell, in his first game at McMahon Stadium since Calgary traded quarterback Jake Maier in November 2022, got more receiving support with some acrobatic catches than Hamilton quarterback Beau Levi Mitchell, who was hampered by a couple of missed targets.
“I've said it in training camp. This is the deepest group we've had in a long time,” Meyer said of his receivers.
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“They all have confidence in themselves and are all capable of making significant contributions for us. That makes my life a lot easier.”
Clark Barnes and rookie Cam Echols each caught a touchdown for Calgary, which had an announced attendance of 19,741. Meyer completed 21 of 26 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns.
Mitchell completed 27 of 38 passes for 300 yards, one touchdown pass and one interception.
The two-time league Most Outstanding Player award winner during his decade in Calgary was pulled from the game in the final minutes of the first half for concussion protocol but returned to the game at the start of the second half.
Twice in the first half, the Tiger-Cats were called for having too many players on the field.
“There were some great plays and there were some timing issues that we had to work through, but they were all easily fixed,” Mitchell said.
Ticats kicker Marc Liegghio had good field goals from 10, 35 and 42 yards but missed a field goal at 47. Ante Litre rushed for a touchdown and Kiondre Smith caught a touchdown for Hamilton.
James Butler rushed for 119 yards in Scott Milanovich’s first regular season game as Hamilton’s head coach.
Calgary scored on each of its first five possessions until Meyer took a knee on the sixth possession at halftime to lead 19-7.
Hamilton scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Trailing by eight points, the Tiger-Cats had the ball on their final possession, but they couldn't overcome the disadvantage of starting the drive from their own four-yard line.
Hamilton ran into misfortune midway through the third quarter when Shemar Bridges dropped a catchable ball in front of the Stampeders' door, Liggio's ensuing 47-yard attempt went wide right and Calgary's Erik Brooks returned the punt 84 yards to Hamilton's 32-yard line.
However, the Stampeders did not convert the turnover into a touchdown, instead taking a 22-7 lead on a 37-yard field goal by Paredes.
Calgary took advantage of Demerio Houston's first interception as a Stampeder and kicked the ball into Paredes' fourth field goal of the first half to take a 19-4 lead.
Houston, who led the Canadian Football League in pass sacks with seven in 2023 for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, caught the ball that Mitchell was looking to throw to Bridges.
Calgary (6-12) and Hamilton (8-10) finished third in their respective divisions and lost in the 2023 division semifinals.
“When you come off a six-win season, you look forward to hitting the reset button and trying again,” Meyer said.
The Stampeders notched their 700th win in franchise history, leading all Canadian Football League (CFL) teams. Calgary is tied with Edmonton at 699, with the Interprovincial Football League, founded in 1907, and the Western Interprovincial Football League, founded in 1936, as the starting points of the Canadian Football League.
Calgary improves to 39-35-4 in season openers and 5-0 against Hamilton.
The Stampeders will face the BC Lions on the road on June 15. The Tiger-Cats will host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on June 16.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
