Paredes’ streak ends but the win’s the thing
Stamps kicker has his recent run snapped at 22 and ‘it doesn’t matter’
Rene Paredes had one goal and only one in mind on Friday night.
The Calgary Stampeders' kicker, who already holds the record for consecutive field goals in the CFL with 39, had his most recent skein snapped at 22, but there was a larger objective at play on this blustery night — two points and ultimately securing a home playoff date.
“It doesn't matter to me,” Paredes shrugged. “I know you guys want to ask me about the streak, but it doesn't matter to me. I was far, far away from it. I'm proud of these guys. They gave me a chance.
“I'd rather get the win than keep my streak going. I'll start a new one. I have the record, so it doesn't matter.”
Given a pair of opportunities in the last minute of Friday night's game at Tim Hortons Field in gale-force winds, Paredes made no mistake first from 46 yards out with 48 seconds left to tie the game, then with no time left was good on a 37-yarder which lifted the Stamps to a well-earned 23-20 triumph over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The wind, luckily for him, was blowing his way as the Stampeders were fortunate enough to win the coin toss.
"Just kick the ball, keep your head down and hopefully the ball goes in,” he said of his mindset as he approached that final kick.
For all the kickers out there, including punter Rob Maver and the Ticats' Justin Medlock, the conditions were absurdly difficult.
“It was crazy,” the 30-year-old Paredes admitted. “Going against it, I think the furthest I could go was 32 yards. With it, I think I was good from 60. But the offence did a good job. And especially the defence did an amazing job getting the ball back. What I do is kick the ball and hopefully it goes in.
“Huff (GM-head coach John Hufnagel) talked about it all week. Most likely we were going to have wind in the game so I was prepared. I knew I was going to have a chance to kick the game-winner. I just had a feeling and I trusted my swing. I don't know how far the last one was, but if it was 55, 60 yards, I would have kicked it the same way.”
Paredes, whose average on kickoffs was 33 yards, was good on 5-of7 three-pointers on the night, the others coming from 51, 36 and 29. He missed a 52-yarder, while one from 43 yards was blocked early in the fourth quarter by Ticats' defensive tackle Bryan Hall.
“The one I missed and the one that got blocked, it wasn't as smooth as we usually do,” said Paredes. “The wind affected the snaps. Drew ( holder Tate) did a great job trying to put the ball down.”
They connect when it counted though.
“Rene has been in the groove,” suggested Hufnagel. “We struggled a little bit because we had trouble handling the snap. He (Paredes) has been clutch on numerous occasions, as we all know.”
It isn't a scenario one sees often — two field goals in the last 48 seconds to decide a game.
“Shoot, man, it's been a while,” chuckled quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell.
“I don't know if it's ever happened. That's what wind does and that's why we took the wind in the fourth so that if anything could happen it would.”
Punting averages were 35.9 yards for Hamilton's Medlock and 39 for Calgary's Maver.