With this year’s Labour Day home-and-home series featuring two of the top teams in the CFL, ESKS.com is taking a five-part look at the history of the Battle of Alberta.
Although the rivalry has been as intense and exciting as ever, the Eskimos haven’t won the Labour Day Classic since 2011. The Esks have won two of the last four Labour Day Rematch games at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium – but probably should have won all four contests.
2015
The Eskimos may have lost a defensive battle in the Labour Day Classic 16-7, but won the season.
Quarterback Mike Reilly, who made his first appearance since tearing a posterior cruciate knee ligament in the season opener, played the final 13 minutes and 26 seconds in an attempt to spark a comeback. While that didn’t happen as Reilly completed five of 12 passes for 90 yards, he then led the Esks to eight straight regular-season wins, a first-place finish in the West Division and two playoff victories en route to Edmonton’s 14th Grey Cup championship.
Rookie James Franklin – the fifth different starting QB for the Green and Gold in as many Labour Day games (following Matt Nichols, Reilly, Kerry Joseph and Ricky Ray) – struggled to move the ball or put points on the board as he was sacked four times and lost a fumble while the Esks fell behind 13-1 at the half.
The Eskimos snapped a streak of 12 consecutive regular-season losses to the Stampeders as Reilly, his surgery-repaired knee protected by a brace, passed for 352 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-16 victory in the Labour Day Rematch. Wide receiver Kenny Stafford had two big catches (a 47-yard touchdown and 46-yard reception to set up a Sean Whyte field goal) while slotback Adarius Bowman scored on a 50-yard pass-and-run play as the Esks outscored Calgary 18-6 in the second half.
“That’s the Grey Cup champions over there,” Head Coach Chris Jones said about the Stampeders after the game. “They’ve got what we want and we see now that we can beat them.”
2016
The Stamps were red-hot early – taking a 21-0 lead in the second quarter – and pulled away during a strong second half for a 45-24 victory on Labour Day Monday.
Edmonton narrowed the deficit to 24-17 after Derel Walker’s 36-yard touchdown catch and Kenny Ladler’s 65-yard interception-return TD late in the first half, but Calgary scored three more majors during the final 30 minutes.
In the rematch five days later, Whyte missed a potential game-winning 52-yard field goal attempt with four seconds left on the clock to send the game to overtime. The Esks also lost three points when holder Jordan Lynch bobbled the snap on a 45-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter.
Current Eskimos receiver DaVaris Daniels caught touchdown passes of 30 and 27 yards in the second half as the Stampeders rallied from 17-3 deficit to tie the score 20-20. Daniels also caught a two-point convert in OT, when the Stamps outscored Edmonton 14-8 for a 34-28 victory to improve to 9-1-1 on the season.
Reilly hooked up with Walker for a 104-yard pass-and-run touchdown on Edmonton’s first offensive possession and passed for 432 yards overall.
2017
It’s not unusual for Calgary and Edmonton, which won its first seven games, to be at the top of the West Division standings coming into the mid-season home-and-home series. But the Stampeders’ fifth sweep in six years left the Eskimos, who had 24 players on the injured list on Labour Day, reeling en route to six straight losses.
The Stamps jumped out to a 36-6 lead after three quarters and coasted to a 39-18 triumph in the Labour Day Classic. Daniels had four catches for 98 yards, including a 45-yard gain to kick off the game and a 46-yard reception in the fourth quarter.
The Esks, who trailed from start to finish for the third straight game, scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter on a seven-yard catch by Stafford and 41-yard pass-and-run play by Brandon Zylstra, but it was too late, too late.
“It’s been tough when we go down there,” Bowman said about the Esks’ lack of success on Labour Day during his seven seasons with the team.
Calgary delivered another heart-breaking loss for the Eskimos in the Labour Day Rematch. Edmonton led 22-18 with 96 seconds remaining after D’haquille (Duke) Williams’ 34-yard touchdown, but the Stamps came right back as Anthony Parker caught a 44-yard pass at the five-yard line to set up Marquay McDaniel’s catch in the end zone for a 25-22 lead. There was still 39 seconds left to play, but the Esks’ hopes of forcing overtime fell short with Chris Milo’s unsuccessful 46-yard field goal attempt.
Reilly passed for 461 yards, Zylstra had 10 receptions for 187 yards and Walker broke multiple tackles during a highlight-reel two-yard rushing touchdown while also making his 200th CFL catch in his return from an unsuccessful tryout with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
2018
Rene Paredes kicked five field goals, including a 43-yarder with no time remaining, while Daniels scored Calgary’s only touchdown with a 19-yard catch in the first half as the Stampeders posted a thrilling 23-20 victory over the Eskimos on Labour Day.
“We love these battles,” said Calgary QB Bo Levi Mitchell. “That’s why we play football. You don’t play football for blowouts. You play football for grinding things out, playing through things, having to put your fingers in the dirt, wipe some blood off your face and go out there and get a win.”
Both teams lost key players to season-ending injuries – Walker, for the Eskimos, and Kamar Jorden, for the Stamps, were two of the CFL’s three leading receivers at that point. Mitchell also suffered a knee injury in the second half, but was able to return to the game with a brace on his left knee.
Williams caught a 45-yard pass for his eighth touchdown of the season and third in as many games to give Edmonton a 17-13 lead at the half.
With the score tied 20-20, an Eskimos drive stalled at the Edmonton 52 and Hugh O’Neill had to punt the ball with 1:13 remaining, giving Calgary a chance to march down the field (with the help of an illegal contact penalty) to get into field goal range for the winning kick.
The Eskimos finally had something to celebrate in the Rematch game when Reilly passed for three touchdowns and ran for three more as Edmonton defeated Calgary 48-42 at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium.
The teams combined for five touchdowns in the first quarter, but Edmonton held a 20-point lead entering the fourth quarter. The outcome of the game still came down to the wire as Calgary scored two TDs during the final 15 minutes and Mitchell’s Hail Mary pass with seven seconds remaining fell incomplete.
The Eskimos forced seven turnovers in the game (three interceptions, two fumbles and twice on downs).