While he may have only recorded a trio of receptions against the Eskimos, Anthony Parker was a force to be reckoned with in the 2016 edition of the Labour Day Classic.

A 17-yard touchdown in the first quarter preceded a 57-yard reception in the second as the receiver finished the day with three grabs for 81 yards. The University of Calgary graduate also added a 10-yard rush in the 45-24 win.

“The play call was for me to just kind of hang out on the sideline there and I had a low-level route,” said Parker when describing his TD which gave the Stamps a two-score lead. “I thought maybe initially that I was going to have a shot at it and then Bo (Levi Mitchell) started to scramble and I got covered up. I just managed to kind of find an open place in the zone. I was able to get down low and Bo put the ball on the money and we came away with it.”

Then, before the halftime break and in response to a major from Derel Walker of the Green and Gold, Mitchell found a streaking Parker down the seam. Although it appeared No. 86 was off to the races, Cord Parks made the stop after a 57-yard gain down to Edmonton’s 20-yard line.

“I thought I was going to score,” uttered Parker in an unsatisfied state. “Initially when I first caught it, I thought he fell, so I kind of kicked my feet up to make sure that he wouldn’t hit my feet. Then I looked over my right shoulder and he hit me just on the back-left side. I wish I would have looked to the left, but at the end of the day it was a big play that got us three points a couple plays later.”

The Stampeders offence as a whole had a commanding outing, posting upwards of 500 yards. Other significant chunks of yardage included a 53-yard toss from Mitchell to Marquay McDaniel and a 47-yard TD run by Jerome Messam to conclude the scoring.

“I don’t know how long it took us to go two-and-out but I know that we were converting a lot of second downs and chewing up the clock and getting some points on the board,” Parker detailed. “I think that that’s huge and it gives you a little bit of cushion and because they’re very, very dangerous offensively.”

Not only does the annual Labour Day meeting kick off the second half of the CFL season, the bruising battle with the Esks always seems to be one of the most hotly contested matchups of the year.

“The stakes are higher and the season really starts at Labour Day,” offered the six-year veteran. “Everyone was banging each other and there were some big hits and some big plays. It was exactly what Labour Day should be — a nice close game going into the second half and luckily we were able to pull away.”

Saturday will see the Red and White pay a visit to Edmonton in the always-entertaining rematch, and Parker is relived to soon be heading north having already taken care of business on Calgary’s home field.

“It’s crucial,” Parker remarked when asked about coming out on top with another showdown looming. “You don’t want to give them any kind of momentum going into next week. But with that said, they’re going to be ready. Even late in the game they were still playing hard and letting us know, ‘Alright, we’re going to see you guys next week.’ We’ll be prepared for next week and we’ll be in good shape again, but you always want to get the first one.”