Fraser Caldwell
Ticats.ca
Chris Williams was determined to add his own milestone to a landmark afternoon at Ivor Wynne Stadium.
The sophomore Ticat registered his sixth return touchdown of the season in the opening quarter of Monday’s Labour Day Classic – the final one at Ivor Wynne Stadium – with an 82-yard punt return.
His 82-yard, electrifying score pushed him past Henry “Gizmo” Williams for sole possession of the CFL record for return touchdowns in a single season.
The Ticat returner deflected the praise for his record-setting accomplishment toward the return team that has cleared his path to glory this season.
“Those guys are out there blocking tremendously,” said Williams of his teammates. “It’s not me really. Those guys are out there getting people out of the way and I’m just trying to run behind them.”
Unfortunately for the young returner, his remarkable personal feat would come in a losing effort.
A back-and-forth contest between Ontario’s bitter rivals ended 33-30 in the Argos’ favour after a last-minute Swayze Waters field goal pushed Toronto into the lead.
Head Coach George Cortez admitted that his team had no shortage of opportunities to win, particularly in the third quarter as they looked to their 16-10 halftime advantage.
“We had some opportunities where we didn’t make plays,” conceded Cortez. “We need to score touchdowns in the third quarter.
“That’s why we picked the wind. We ended up with two field goals, and I know that they weren’t short field goals, but we needed touchdowns.”
Tiger-Cat quarterback Henry Burris echoed his coach’s concern with the squandering of chances that saw his team fall just short of the mark on Labour Day.
“We had the game in hand and we had great opportunities to really put the game away,” said Burris.
“Any time we have a couple of turnovers in the passing game, I’m definitely disappointed. I’ve got to be better, and we as an offence have to be better. We left a lot of points out on the field.”
The Tiger-Cats had hinted at a potential comeback in the dying stages of the fourth quarter, when veteran receiver Dave Stala and rookie Onrea Jones each reeled in lengthy receptions en route to a touchdown that leveled the game at 30.
Cortez pointed to Stala’s example as the type of play that his group sorely lacked on other occasions on Monday night.
“Dave Stala made a play and everyone rallied around him,” said Cortez of the late scoring drive. “Sometimes that’s what it takes: someone making a play.”
Unfortunately for the Tiger-Cats’ faithful, that final surge would not be enough to secure a victory, and instead extends the team’s losing skid to four games.
Burris spoke in the wake of the Monday defeat of the urgency with which the team must turn its collective fortunes around.
“We have to find a way out of this slump, because we were on too good of a run for a while there to let this slide get us down and out,” said the quarterback.
“We’re still in the hunt, we can still make the playoffs, but we’ve got to put it together now, we’re more frustrated than anybody because we know the ability of this team in this locker room.”
There is an ingredient missing that the Ticats are desperate to find as they move forward.
Williams emphasized that his team is not lacking in talent, but rather the right combination that will lead it back to winning ways.
“We’ve got so many good players, but we’ve just got to figure out a way to win games,” said the receiver. “We’ve got to put it together, whatever it is. Whether we have to make things simpler or zone in and focus even more, whatever it is we’ve got to do it.”
In the meantime, Williams will receive the deserved accolades for an achievement the likes of which the CFL has never seen.
