Matt Smith/CFL.ca
OK Tire Labour Day Weekend is upon us!
It’s the hallmark weekend of the regular season, which means, as per usual, we’ve got the potential for four outstanding games on tap…and plenty of standout performances.
As we get set for a Labour Day weekend that includes playoff implications for all eight teams involved, let’s look back at some standout performances from recent years.
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Rene rocks – September 3rd, 2018
Future Hall of Famer Rene Paredes nailed a 43-yard field goal with time expiring to finish off a banner Labour Day 2018. His biggest moment came at the end of the game to seal a 23-20 Calgary win over Edmonton, but that wasn’t all Paredes contributed on that Monday afternoon. In fact, the Stamps relied on Paredes all day long.
Paredes finished the Labour Day Classic accounting for almost 70% of Calgary’s total offence, striping five field goals and adding an extra point in the victory. It was another signature performance, completed by a signature moment, for one of the greatest kickers of all time. Paredes would win his second Grey Cup a couple months later.
Reilly responds– September 8th, 2018
Just a few days after the Paredes heroics, the focus was back on the quarterbacks for the annual Labour Day rematch at Commonwealth Stadium. And it was Edmonton’s Michael Reilly leading the way with one of the most outstanding performances of his stellar CFL career. And that’s saying something knowing Calgary’s Bo Levi Mitchell racked up 491 passing yards and four touchdowns the same night.
Reilly was electric all night long. Using Duke Williams as his main target (171 yards and a touchdown), Reilly finished with 397 passing yards and three touchdowns. Always lethal in the run game, too, Reilly counted for three more touchdowns on the ground for six total as Edmonton earned a measure of revenge with a 48-42 win.
Chad Owens goes off – September 3rd, 2012
A decade ago, receiver and return dynamo Chad Owens was one of the CFL’s most exciting players. In fact, the 2012 season was the peak of Chad’s dominance; he would be named Most Outstanding Player that year and would also help Toronto to a convincing victory in front of a home crowd at the 100th Grey Cup.
En route to those accolades was an absolutely bonkers performance to help the Argos to a 33-30 win over Hamilton in that year’s Labour Day Classic. Owens reeled in 11 catches on 15 targets for a whopping 176 yards and a touchdown that afternoon. He also added 226 additional yards in the return game to finish over 400 all-purpose yards in a true display of all Owens had to offer.
Adams powers the Alouettes – September 3rd, 2021
In one of his last standout performances with Montreal, Vernon Adams Jr. put on a show on Labour Day Weekend 2021. Adams was nearly perfect and was the driving force in a dominant 51-29 road win over Ottawa a couple years ago.
Adams finished the victory with 288 yards and four touchdowns on 18-for-23 passing and extensively used his two-headed monster at receiver. Eugene Lewis and Jake Wieneke each hauled in a pair of touchdown catches with the former leading the way with 120 receiving yards.
Lauther wins it – September 1st, 2019
The Roughriders have lost the last five games in their annual home-and-home Labour Day series with Winnipeg. As they look to snap that skid in 2023, we go back four years ago for Saskatchewan’s last Labour Day weekend win over their archrival, and it was a thriller capped off by Brett Lauther’s last second heroics.
Lauther kicked a 26-yard field goal as time expired to give the Riders a 20-17 win in front of more than 33,000 fans at Mosaic Stadium. In a game dominated by a pair of elite defences, Lauther was a big part of the Saskatchewan victory. Lauther kicked three field goals total in one of his most memorable performances in green.
Collaros in Black and Yellow – September 5th, 2016
We all know Zach Collaros has been dynamite in his Labour Day and Labour Day rematch appearances over the last few years. But before the defending Most Outstanding Player was establishing himself as the league’s premiere pivot, he was a pretty darn dynamic member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
On Labour Day 2016, Collaros helped the Ticats erase a 20-point halftime deficit to come all the way back for a 49-36 win over Toronto in an absolute thriller. Collaros finished the afternoon with 359 passing yards and four touchdowns as Hamilton scored 32 points in the second half. As an added bonus, Collaros outdueled former teammate and future Hall of Famer Ricky Ray on the path to victory.
