Growing up in Montreal, Hergy Mayala’s mother believed her son should concentrate on just one sport.

Basketball was his first love, but then one day the young Malaya tagged along with some friends to a football practice.

“I loved it,” said the Calgary Stampeders wide receiver. “It was the ultimate team sport.”

Mayala continued to play basketball but would sneak off to football practice without his mother knowing. That all changed with a telephone call from his football coach.

“At one point, the coach called home and talked to my mom,” Mayala remembers. “She was kind of mad. She told me to decide between basketball and football. I decided on football. I did the right thing.”

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The Stampeder rookie caught the first two touchdown passes of his CFL career in Calgary’s 30-28 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders last Friday night. That win gave the Stampeders (10-5) an edge in the three-way battle with the Riders (10-5) and Winnipeg Blue Bombers (10-6) for first place in the Western Conference.

Finding his way into the endzone for the first time as a professional was an important step in Mayala’s development. The touchdowns coming in an important game made it even more special.

“It felt great,” said the 23-year-old who the Stampeders took eighth overall in the 2019 CFL Draft after playing four seasons at the University of Connecticut. “It felt even better we won the game.”

In 13 games this season Mayala has 34 catches for 342 yards and a pair of touchdowns. In his first 11 games the six-foot-one, 212-pound Mayala had 21 catches for 156 yards. In the last two contests, he’s made 10 catches for 186 yards.

“I’m getting more opportunities in this offence,” he said. “I’m trying to do the best I can to capitalize on them.”

After the win over the Riders, head coach Dave Dickenson talked about Mayala’s evolution during the season.

“I don’t honestly think he trusted the offence yet,” Dickenson said. “He didn’t know where to go and fit in. He has grown and now he can be himself and you’re seeing the results.

“It’s justifying our draft pick.”

For Mayala, going from college to professional football was like making the jump from high school science to quantum physics.

“It was a big learning curve,” he said. “As the weeks went on, I was just excited to learn, understand what was going on, understand the system, understand what my role was in the system.”

While the game was basically the same Mayala had to adjust to a lot of differences, like motion and an extra man on the field. He also made the transition from a run-based offence in college to more of a passing attack in the CFL.

“As the weeks went on I was able to figure it out and understand the whole concept,” he said. “I’m happy about where I am right now.”

Another hurdle was a foot injury that sidelined him for two games.

“Every time you get hurt, it plays with you mentally,” Mayala said. “I felt like I was going upward then the injury came. I became kind of stagnant because you have to get back physically to where you were before.

“It was kind of a setback, but I was able to bounce back from it.”

Gaining the confidence of quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell was also important. After Friday’s win, Mitchell praised Mayala and talked about the trust he had in his receiver.

“Whenever you go to a new team, people have to know you are going to do your job every single time, not just when you feel like it or once in a while,” Mayala said. “For me it was every day in practice go out there and be where I am supposed to be every single time.

“When the ball is thrown your way, you’ve got to catch it, make a play.”

IT WAS A BIG LEARNING CURVE. AS THE WEEKS WENT ON, I WAS JUST EXCITED TO LEARN, UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS GOING ON, UNDERSTAND THE SYSTEM, UNDERSTAND WHAT MY ROLE WAS IN THE SYSTEM.

– HERGY MAYALA

Unlike some quarterbacks, Mitchell isn’t afraid to talk to the young players and give them advice.

“He’s the ultimate leader,” said Mayala. “He talks to everybody. He will tell you (a route), how to run it, give you feedback.”

Mayala started the season as a backup, but injuries to Markeith Ambles and Juwan Brescacin moved him into a starting role.

“I’ve come a long way,” he said.

Mayala attended high school at New York’s Trinity-Pawling School where he played both receiver and defensive back.  In 43 games at Connecticut, he had 113 catches for 1,352 yards and 12 touchdowns.

The Stampeders face another important game Saturday when they host Winnipeg in the first of a home-and-home series against the Bombers.

“This week we have a good game plan,” said Mayala. “I’m just going to go out there and do whatever I need to do to help get the win.”