Toronto Argonauts cap CFL pre-season with 41-23 victory over Tiger-Cats

TORONTO – Ricky Ray, Trevor Harris and Mitchell Gale all threw touchdown passes for Toronto as the Argonauts romped to a 41-23 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Thursday, the CFL pre-sesaon finale for both teams.

The game, played in front of a capacity crowd of 5,216 fans at a sun-drenched Varsity Stadium — normally the home to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues — marked the first meeting between the two teams since the Tiger-Cats ended the Argos’ 2013 season, with a 36-24 Eastern final victory.

It was also the first time Ray and his Argos understudy last season Zach Collaros had faced each other since Collaros was released then signed as a free agent with Hamilton in the off-season.

Ray played one quarter in his first action of the pre-season, and the Argos’ star quarterback completed seven of nine pass attempts for 90 yards and one touchdown. Harris was 8-for-16 for 86 yards, one touchdown and an interception.

Collaros, the Tiger-Cats’ most significant off-season acquisition, threw for one touchdown.

Ticats kicker Justin Medlock had two field goals — 40 and 49 yards — and two converts.

The Argos’ Swayze Waters kicked five converts, and Josh Jasper added field goals from 16 and 40 yards for Toronto.

Ray played the first quarter and found Chad Owens over the middle for a 27-yard touchdown at 6:43.

Tavoy Moore fumbled a punt return that bounced into the Ticats’ end zone at 3:17, and Jermaine Gabriel pounced on the ball for a second Toronto TD. The Argos led 14-3 to end the first quarter.

Harris took over and marched the Argos 75 yards, throwing a two-yard touchdown pass to Jason Barnes at 11:08 of the second, and the Argos led 21-6.

Luke Tasker scored Hamilton’s first touchdown 58 seconds before halftime, catching a 48-yard pass from Collaros, and then a two-yarder to score and send the teams into the dressing room with Argos leading 21-13.

The Argos went with Gale in the third, and he threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Darvin Adams at 8:58, putting the home team up 28-13.

With 2:13 left in the third, Argos running back Jeremiah Johnson had a beautiful 24-yard run for a touchdown, making multiple Tiger-Cats’ defenders miss on his way to the end zone. That put Toronto up 35-13.

Hamilton linebacker Abraham Kromah grabbed a deflected Casey Pachall pass and ran six yards into the end zone to pull the Tiger-Cats to within 35-23 with four minutes to play.

Argos newcomer Terrell Sinkfield made a spectacular diving catch on a bomb from Pachall with 2:45 left to put Toronto within scoring distance, and Jasper connected on a 16-yard field goal to cap the series.

The Argos were coming off a 24-22 victory over the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg a week earlier.

The Ticats had beaten the Montreal Alouettes 28-23 in the exhibition opener for both those teams last Saturday.

NOTES: The Argos open the 2014 season next Thursday at Winnipeg, while the Ticats are in Saskatchewan on June 29 to battle the Roughriders.