In Monday’s Labour Day Classic from McMahon Stadium, the Calgary Stampeders delighted their biggest crowd of the season in dispatching the Edmonton Eskimos by a score of 45-24. Calgary now owns an 8-1-1 record and is undefeated through five home games in 2016.

Bo Levi Mitchell heaved the ball downfield to Marquay McDaniel for a 56-yard pickup on the game’s first play from scrimmage. However, the offence soon settled for three points, with Rene Paredes knocking through a 24-yard field goal for an early lead.

Former Eskimo Joe Burnett registered a strip-sack of Mike Reilly when the Calgary defence first took to the field, and Frank Beltre then followed suit on second down with a quarterback takedown of his own.

A 19-yard reception from Jerome Messam preceded a first-down grab by Bakari Grant with less than the minutes to go in the opening quarter. The game’s initial touchdown was then scored via Anthony Parker’s sliding snag, and Grant pushed the point differential to 11 with the two-point convert.

Paredes added a 93-yard single on the ensuing kickoff as Kenzel Doe conceded the point on behalf of the Esks.

Despite being unable to cleanly catch Grant Shaw’s punt to conclude a stalled Eskimo drive, Roy Finch scooped the ball off the turf before juking upfield to record the Stamps second major of the afternoon. The 85-yard score was the Red and White’s first punt return touchdown in over two calendar years.

Shortly after Paredes was successful with a 33-yard try, Reilly’s pass intended for Adarius Bowman was intercepted by Jamar Wall at the Stampeders four-yard line.

Edmonton got on the board with a TD toss of 36 yards from Reilly to Derel Walker as the receiver got behind one-on-one coverage in the end zone. The scoring drive totaled six plays and 73 yards.

The home side soon responded with a 57-yard rocket to Parker, although the possession ended with another Paredes field goal – this time from 21 yards out.

Shaw’s 79-yard rouge narrowed the deficit to 15 with just over one minute remaining in the half. But there was more scoring to come, as Kenny Ladler picked off Mitchell for a 65-yard touchdown before the break, and Finch would then once again concede a single.

After Micah Johnson and Deron Mayo each tallied third-quarter sacks, DaVaris Daniels added back-to-back first down catches to set up Grant’s 21-yard score over the middle.

Wall then came up with his second interception of the game in an eerily similar spot on the field as his first-half pick. When the Stamps offence returned, Calgary moved the chains thanks to Lemar Durant and McDaniel. Messam would finish things off with a nine-yard scamper as the Stampeders neared the 40-point mark.

With time ticking down in the fourth frame, Reilly scrambled to his left and crossed the goal line from 19 yards out. But Messam’s 47-yard romp ended any hopes of a late surge from the Esks, and the Stamps walked away with a 21-win victory.