TORONTO — Three games have already been crossed off the list in Week 11, but Mark’s Labour Day Weekend is only just getting started.
Two annual classics take place Monday as four teams vie for victories on one of the most highly-anticipated weekends on the CFL calendar.
There’s a reason they say the real season starts Labour Day: it’s the point at which every team is halfway through its regular season schedule, and as the calendar flips to September and the weather cools down, the two points mean more and more every time out.
The same goes for the game’s biggest and brightest stars. With everyone watching, who will seize the Labour Day spotlight? We look at the five players that will most impact each of this weekend’s matchups:
Edmonton at Calgary | Monday, Sept. 5, 3 p.m. ET
Mike Reilly better have a good idea of where Charleston Hughes is on the field at all times (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
1. Charleston Hughes
Tied for second in the league with seven quarterback sacks this season, Charleston Hughes continues to be one of the most productive pass rushers the CFL has ever seen. Averaging 0.64 sacks per game over his nine-year career, Hughes is actually ahead of that clip during his age 32 season with 0.78 sacks per game in 2016.
Even more noteworthy? Hughes loves Labour Day. He has seven sacks over the last three Labour Day Classics vs. Edmonton and has recorded three-sack games twice in his last three tries in that scenario. Mike Reilly better have his head on a swivel.
2. Mike Reilly
Speaking of Reilly, it’s hard not to think of the CFL’s leading passer when talking about impact-makers on Labour Day. Reilly was coming off an injury and did not start last year’s Labour Day Classic vs. Calgary, but he entered the game late in an eventual loss to the Stampeders.
How much of an impact can the strong-armed passer make? After that setback against the Stamps last Labour Day, the Eskimos won both of their remaining regular season games against Calgary and went on to capture the West Division title and, eventually, the 103rd Grey Cup Championship.
REILLY VS. MITCHELL IN 2016
| PLAYER | GP | PCT. | YARDS | TD/INT | RECORD |
| Reilly | 9 | 70.9% | 3,096 | 16/7 | 5-4 |
| Mitchell | 9 | 67.2% | 2,857 | 15/4 | 7-1-1 |
3. Adarius Bowman
If this wasn’t Adarius Bowman you can bet it would be Derel Walker. You wouldn’t go wrong with either member of the Eskimos’ dynamic duo at receiver because both have been electric. Bowman has been just a touch better.
Reilly is the CFL’s leading passer and Bowman is the leading receiver, and you can expect plenty of hookups between these two on Monday. In four games last season against Calgary, including the Western Final, Bowman caught 22 passes for 337 yards and three touchdowns.
4. Bo Levi Mitchell
If Bo Levi Mitchell is the less exciting quarterback to watch than the league-leading passer Mike Reilly (a big if — they’re both a thrill to see play), it’s not for any lack of competence. Mitchell has been arguably the best quarterback in the league through the first half of 2016, leading the Stamps to a 7-1-1 record through nine games.
Part of it has to do with his ball security, as seen by his 15 touchdowns to just four interceptions. But the 8.5 yards per attempt is also solid — in fact, tied for fourth among all starters behind only Zach Collaros, Mike Reilly and Trevor Harris. Yes, Bo can chuck it.
5. Jerome Messam
Struggles on the ground have been a theme league-wide this year, but Jerome Messam is an exception. Messam has been a wrecking ball for the Stampeders this season, leading the CFL with a 5.3 yards per carry average and ranking second in the league with 542 rushing yards.
The 6-foot-3, 254-pound dynamo also has 275 receiving yards and is one of those rare players that can turn nothing into something very fast.
Honourable mentions: Derel Walker, Shakir Bell, Tommie Campbell
Toronto at Hamilton | Monday, Sept. 5, 6:30 p.m. ET
Chad Owens will play a major role in his first Labour Day as a Ticat (The Canadian Press)
1. Zach Collaros
Back from the torn ACL that sidelined him almost a full calendar year and ended an MOP-calibre season, Zach Collaros has thrown for 300-plus yards in all three games this season and is playing some of the best football of his career.
Considering his team’s lost two of its last three, he’s probably also happy to see his former team, which he’s simply owned in his first few years as a Tiger-Cat. In six games against the Argos, Collaros has completed 70.8 per cent of his passes, averaged 306.2 yards per game and thrown 15 touchdowns against just two interceptions.
COLLAROS VS. THE ARGOS
| W-L | COMP-ATT | PCT. | YDS (AVG) | TD/INT |
| 4-2 | 143-202 | 70.8% | 1,837 (306.2) | 15/2 |
2. Shawn Lemon
New to the Battle of Ontario, Shawn Lemon is no stranger to rivalry games and should have plenty to offer in his first game against the Ticats as an Argo. With seven sacks in seven games — juicy numbers — the Lemonator has thrived since arriving with the Argos via trade, already putting up the second-highest sack total of his career.
Most known for his ability to force fumbles, Lemon and the Argo D-line is heating up and should strike fear in the eyes of opposing quarterbacks. That’s key for a team that’s struggling as much offensively as the Argos are because that one play is all it takes to change a game.
3. Chad Owens
It’s still a little odd seeing him in black and gold, but Chad Owens will no doubt want to be on the winning side in his first Labour Day Classic as a Tiger-Cat. Owens got the best of his former team by scoring a touchdown in a Week 1 win over the Argos, but this Monday the stakes are even higher.
After not being re-signed following six seasons with the Argos, Owens has seen his career resurrected with the Ticats on the way to 596 receiving yards, four touchdowns and a career-high 13.9 yards per reception in 2016. He’s had at least four catches in all nine games this season.
4. Brandon Banks
On a list of impact-makers and game-changers, no one can change a game faster (or do anything faster, for that matter) than Brandon Banks. Banks is the league’s most electrifying returner and leads the CFL with 1,580 combined yards — 1,333 of which coming from punt, kick and missed field goal returns.
The Argos have done a good job of limiting Banks throughout most of their head to head meetings, but all it takes is one.
5. Simoni Lawrence
It’s hardly a secret that Simoni Lawrence does not like the Toronto Argonauts. The face of the Ticats’ defence, Lawrence is tied for fifth in the CFL with 54 defensive tackles and already has an interception returned for a touchdown against the Boatmen this season.
Even those numbers can’t account for the energy that Lawrence will bring to his defence on Monday afternoon.
Honourable mentions: Terrence Toliver, John Chick, Josh Bourke, Diontae Spencer
