(Toronto) Antonio Pipkin, Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and Chris Edwards scored a touchdown and the Toronto Argonauts defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 31-12 on Friday night to secure first place in the East Division.
The Argonauts (9-4) secured home ground advantage for the Eastern final on December 5. That’s good news because they’ve improved their record to 6-0 this season at BMO Field.
The Toronto team secured a third victory in four games against the Tiger-Cats (7-6) in 2021. They will complete their home season against the Edmonton Elks on Tuesday night.
The Tiger-Cats suffered a first loss in their last four outings and will end their campaign by visiting the Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-4) next Saturday.
This game could be of capital importance, depending on the outcome of this Saturday’s clash between the Montreal Alouettes (6-6) and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (11-1). The Montrealers will conclude their season next Friday, against the Ottawa Rouge et Noir (2-11).
The Alouettes and Tiger-Cats split their seasonal series honors, but Hamilton’s squad hold the tiebreaker due to the point differential. She would finish ahead of the Alouettes if both teams showed the same record.
The Argonauts did a good job in the second and third quarters, with the wind blowing their backs. The Tiger-Cats started the fourth quarter at the Argonauts 40-line, but in the second offensive play, Jeremiah Masoli threw an interception into the hands of Jalen Collins.
The theft set the stage for a 12-yard touchdown pass from McLeod Bethel-Thompson to Gittens that gave the Argonauts a 24-3 lead. It was all over with the visitors.
Masoli completed 22 of his 40 passes for gains of 326 yards. He was the victim of two interceptions. Receiver Tim White caught five balls for gains of 110 yards.
Bethel-Thompson saw 26 of his 34 aerial attempts grabbed for gains of 250 yards. He threw a touchdown pass and an interception. Boris Bede added three field goals for the Argonauts.