Justin Dunk
Ticats.ca
Over half of Kevin Glenn’s nine touchdown passes have gone to one receiver. That receiver is Dave Stala.
Stala went over the century mark in terms of receiving yards for the first time this season in Hamilton’s 34-26 win over Montreal last Friday. Number 88 pulled down two more six-point catches against the Alouettes, from 10 and 58 yards respectively, to push his touchdown tally to five — a number that has him tied for the league lead.
Stala has recorded 19 receptions on the season, many of them in crucial situations. Of course the five scoring grabs are invaluable, but Stala has also notched six catches to convert second down situations and keep the chains moving for the Ticat offence.
“I find my catches are always clutch,” he said.
“It’s just a matter of him getting open at the right time,” Glenn said.
The talented product of St. Mary’s University continued his clutch-catching ways during the Ticats third straight victory. The Polish born receiver grabbed five passes against the Alouettes; two went for first downs, along with the two notable scoring catches.
“He’s getting to the right spot and he and Kevin have a good rapport,” head coach Marcel Bellefeuille said after the team’s first day of preparation before they take on the Stampeders in Calgary on Saturday. “Kevin can read his body language so the ball is getting where it has to be on time.”
Stala’s performance in week five earned him the CFL’s Canadian Player of the Week honour – the second Ticat player to claim one of the league’s weekly awards this season.
“It was time for me to have a big game. Certain games different guys are going to have big games, over the last couple weeks its been Chris [Williams], the way the opposition defence played, it was my turn,” Stala explained. “Next week, it’ll be somebody else.”
Stala, the nine-year veteran, came into the 2011 campaign a few pounds lighter, which has helped him operate more quickly in the red zone, where a play tends to unfold at a faster pace than other spots on the field.
“He’s playing fast and he’s been somebody, obviously, that’s been very good down by the goal line for us this year,” Bellefeuille said.
“It just takes some pressure off my feet and makes me a little bit lighter,” Stala said of his slimmed-down figure. “I’m just trying to make myself the best I can.”
The man charged with finding open receivers like Stala, beamed when talking about his sure-handed pass target.
“He’s one of those guys that you put it anywhere and he’ll make sure he catches the ball,” Glenn said. “He stays after practice, he comes out before practice and catches balls.”
Stala used to play alongside one of the most sure-handed receivers in CFL history, Ben Cahoon, and Glenn is constantly working with Stala to develop the type of relationship Cahoon had with his pivot in Montreal.
“We spend a lot of time talking about different plays as we’re watching film. Just trying to get that kind of chemistry that guys like [Anthony] Calvillo and Cahoon had,” Glenn said.”
The Ticat tandem sit beside each other daily during meetings in order to be on the same page in certain situations come game time – a strategy which has clearly been beneficial for the Hamilton offence in the red zone. Although one familiar sight — his famous touchdown celebrations — have been missed the last few times Stala has made it into the end zone. But Glenn knows one of his favourite targets hasn’t forgotten how to put an exclamation mark on his scoring catches.
“He has one in store, we’ve seen it and it’s pretty good. He’s waiting for the right time to reveal it,” Glenn said. “He wants a packed house, a sellout crowd. We should get that the next home game and that’s probably when the good one will come out.”
Stala just wants the offence to keep piling up 30-point efforts and he knows his chance to broadcast his new scoring-dance will come soon enough.
