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June 24, 2016

Stamps head back into Lions’ den

Defensive tackle Micah Johnson goes in for the tackle during a pre-season game in BC on June 17, 2016 (Photo by Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck)

After last week’s pre-season victory on the road in Vancouver, the Stamps will kick off their 2016 regular-season campaign at BC Place on Saturday night. The Week 1 finale gets under way at 8 p.m. MDT.

The Stampeders last opened up a season against BC in 2013 but have not kicked off a new year with a game in British Columbia since 1991. On that day 25 years ago, Calgary earned a five-point win and would go on to compete for the 79th Grey Cup in Winnipeg.

Last year’s season series against the Lions saw the Stamps win both regular-season affairs by a combined 33 points. They then clashed in the Western Semi-Final at McMahon as the hosts triumphed in convincing fashion by a score of 35-9.

Each side recently finished 1-1 in tune-up action – Calgary suffered a home defeat to the Eskimos in its pre-season opener while the Lions were victorious at Saskatchewan’s Mosaic Stadium before last Friday’s duel.

Dave Dickenson will be making his first appearance as the Stampeders head coach after spending seven seasons on the staff of John Hufnagel, who has since swapped his coaching duties for the role of club president, while retaining general-manager duties.

Meanwhile, Wally Buono will be patrolling the opposite sideline, thus ending his five-year coaching hiatus. Buono was the head coach in Calgary during the late 1990s when Dickenson quarterbacked the Red and White.

As many as seven Stamps could be making their CFL debuts on Saturday in 2014 draft pick Andrew Buckley, 2015 selections Juwan Brescacin, Pierre-Luc Caron, Roman Grozman and Alex Singleton as well as free-agent signees Tommie Campbell and Ja’Gared Davis.

The list of league veterans slated to don the white horse for the very first time include a pair of former Ticats in receiver Bakari Grant and linebacker Taylor Reed. Also, RedBlack-turned-Stampeder returner Roy Finch and ex-Lions offensive lineman Cam Thorn are both set for their initial appearances with Calgary.

It’s the first of three regular-season matchups for the Stamps and Lions as July 29 will see the Lions pay a visit to southern Alberta before a third and final showdown will take place near the shores of the Pacific Ocean on Aug. 19.

Key matchup

One battle to closely monitor will be at the running back position as Jerome Messam of the Stamps and Jeremiah Johnson of the Leos are projected to receive the bulk of the carries for their respective squads.

Both tailbacks have found new homes since the beginning of the 2015 season considering Messam’s trade from the Roughriders in mid-October and Johnson’s inclusion on the RedBlacks roster at this time last year. The counterparts each pose a significant threat to opposing defences, with Messam being one of only three players to tally 1,000 rushing yards a season ago and Johnson leading the league with nine touchdowns along the ground.

Click here for the Stamps’ position chart and roster

Click here for Game Notes