HAMILTON – Sam Hicks scored two touchdowns to lead the Toronto Argonauts past the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats 20-10 on Saturday in the first CFL exhibition game for both teams.
Hicks ran for 25 yards on five carries for Toronto. He scored in the third quarter on a nine-yard run before adding a four-yard run in the fourth quarter as the Argos outscored Hamilton 20-3 in the second half.
Hamilton’s Larry Rountree III opened the scoring with a 46-yard run in the first quarter. Rountree, who spent two seasons with the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers as well as time with the UFL champion Birmingham Stallions, ran for a game-high 86 yards and a TD on nine carries.
Hamilton was hit 11 times for 144 yards in penalties. Toronto had seven penalties for 73 yards.
Chad Kelly made his first start for Toronto since a leg injury in the ’24 Eastern Division final that sidelined him for the entire 2025 season. The 2023 CFL Player of the Year completed three of seven passes for 29 yards and ran twice for 24 yards.
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Veteran Bo Levi Mitchell, the Eastern Division’s standout player the past two seasons, started for Hamilton. Mitchell completed all three passes he attempted for 50 yards.
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Jake Dolegala completed five of 14 passes for 61 yards with one interception, while Canadian Tre Ford was two of 10 for 14 yards and added 17 yards rushing on two carries.
The two teams meet again Friday night in Guelph, Ont., in their final preseason contests. Hamilton will open the ’26 regular season on June 4 hosting the Montreal Alouettes.
Toronto opens its season June 12 at Montreal.
Elsewhere in the CFL on Saturday:
ELKS 34 LIONS 16
Quarterbacks Taylor Powell, Zach Zebrowski and Cole Snyder all threw touchdown passes as the Edmonton Elks defeated the BC Lions 34-16 in Langford, BC.
Powell was 13 of 14 in the passing department for 160 yards.
Rushawn Baker had eight carries for 47 yards, receiver Carter Kettyle had two catches for 65 yards and a touchdown, and kicker Jesus Gomez was two for two on field goals. His longest was from 30 meters away.
Lions quarterback Chase Brice was eight for 10 passing for 77 yards and a touchdown. Emani Bailey rushed for 54 yards on 10 carries, and receiver Jayden Williams had three catches for 53 yards.
Mark McNamee was three-for-three in the field goal department for the Lions, with the longest of 30 yards.
The Elks led 17-10 at halftime and 24-10 going into the final quarter.
ROUGHRIDERS 31 BLUE BOMBERS 27
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers jumped out to a 17-7 lead in the first quarter, but the Saskatchewan Roughriders rallied to post a 31-27 win in Saskatoon, Sask.
Quarterbacks Brayden Schager and Jack Coan each threw passes for the Roughriders, while Schager also had two interceptions and Coach had a pick.
Mario Anderson rushed for 44 yards on six carries for Saskatchewan, while receiver Abdul Janneh had 107 yards on six catches. Jonathan Klim was 3-for-3 from the field, including one from 51 yards.
Bombers quarterback Taylor Elgersma was six for 13 for 78 yards but had two interceptions. Receiver Dorian Singer had three catches for 59 yards, while Tim White had three receptions for 57 yards.
Brady Lidster was 2-for-3 from the field, making one from 50 yards out.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on May 23, 2026.
&copies 2026 The Canadian Press
