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Features June 7, 2025

Run Of The Mills

Happy Birthday to us!

Dedrick Mills provided the party favours Saturday, running for three touchdowns as the Stamps opened the season with a 38-26 victory over the Hamilton Tigers-Cats at McMahon Stadium.

The franchise was celebrating its 80th birthday in the 2025 season-opener, the night capped off festively with the win.

STAT PACK
QB Vernon Adams Jr.: 19-for-28, 284 yards
RB Dedrick Mills: 17 carries, 94 yards, 3 TDs
RB Jeshrun Antwi: 9 carries, 30 yards
WR Clark Barnes: 4 receptions, 124 yards
WR Reggie Begelton: 5 receptions, 58 yards
LB Marquel Lee: 10 tackles

With a fired-up crowd in attendance, including special guests Doug Flutie, Mark McLoughlin, Marcus Crandell, Nik Lewis, Jeremaine Copeland, Jon Cornish and Alex Singleton, Vernon Adams Jr. made his Stamps regular-season debut, getting the W.

Adams Jr. hit Begelton for a 10-yard gain in the flat on his first pass of the game, part of a nine-play drive that culminated with Mills punching it in from the one-yard line for the major.

The Stamps pivot was 5-for-5 for 85 yards en route to the score, tossing what looked like the opening TD to fellow newcomer Dominique Rhymes earlier in the drive, but the receiver was flagged for offensive pass interference.

The Stamps next drive started with a holding penalty putting them in a hole at first-and-20, but Calgary product Antwi ran for seven yards before Rhymes hauled in a 15-yard pass to move the chains.

Hamilton’s Stavros Katsantonis, though, picked off Adam Jr.’s 10th pass attempt on the next play, but the visitors couldn’t get any points, eventually punting it away.

Adams Jr. got hit as he passed leading to his second interception of the half with 4:09 left in the second quarter.

Liegghio hit a 37-yard field-goal to narrow the gap to a point with 2:08 to play.

First-overall global draft pick Fraser Masin picked up a rouge and on the ensuing possession, Hamilton punter Nik Constantinou pulled the ball down and tried to run on a third-and-eight, getting tackled at the 47-yard line and putting the Stamps in great position and they made good, Mills scoring from three yards out with seven ticks for a 18-9 lead at the half.


It was a heckuva start to the second half by the Stamps, Antwi getting to the bouncing kick and knocking it up field with an incredible play. Kelon Thomas eventually grabbed the ball deep inside Hamilton’s zone, Mills then running for 10 yards before backup pivot P.J. Walker got the major, his first CFL TD, from the one-yard line.

Adams Jr. marched Calgary down the field on a lengthy, 14-play, 75-yard drive into the strong wind to add another three points off the foot of Paredes.

The Stamps were pinned deep near their goal-line on it, facing a second-and-14, the QB blitzed but finding Mills for an 18-yard gain. He hit Jones and Jalen Philpot before legging out a 19-yard gain to keep the drive alive.

After Hamilton got a rouge on a punt, Adams Jr. connected with Barnes on a 65-yard bomb on the last play of the third quarter to put the Stamps on the five-yard line. Mills was money again, scoring his third TD.

But Isaiah Wooden would breath life back into the visitors with a 105-yard TD return.

After they converted one third down, Calgary’s defence stopped Mitchell and the Tiger-Cats in a third-and-two at the six-yard line.

But two plays later, Adams Jr. was sacked in the endzone for a safety.

Mitchell got his first TD throw of the night, connecting with Kenny Lawler with 2:34 to go after a 12-play, 75-yard drive but then Tyler Richardson tackled Ante Milanovic-Litre short of the endzone on the two-point convert attempt.

Hamilton went for the onside kick, with Jones grabbing the ball and the Tiger-Cats tagged with a facemask penalty. That led to Parades adding to the lead with a 38-yard boot to round out the scoring.

THEY SAID IT

ARRIVING IN STYLE

UP NEXT

The Stamps head to Toronto to take on the Argonauts next Saturday (2 p.m. MTN), before returning to the friendly confines of McMahon Stadium to host the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday, June 21 at 2 p.m. in the annual Family Day game.

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