By Max Campbell
Stampeders.com

Despite failing to secure a lead late in the fourth quarter against the BC Lions at McMahon Stadium on Friday evening, defensive back Keon Raymond put on his best performance of the young season with seven defensive tackles and an interception-return touchdown.

“There were definitely some plays to be made out there,” said Raymond, a veteran of seven CFL campaigns, all with the Red and White. “When it was time to stand up defensively, I don’t think we did. To be the best defence, you’ve got to make sure when the game is on the line that you’re out there. We let one slip away, but we’ll go back to the drawing board and we’ll correct mistakes, come back out next week and play up again.”

With BC up by a single point with less than one minute remaining, a frantic comeback attempt was stopped short due to an Anthony Parker fumble, handing Calgary their first loss of the year.

“I’ve been on both ends,” admitted Raymond. “We’ve got the best kicker in the league. Rene’s pretty clutch and the opportunity was there, but it just wasn’t meant to be today.” 

The biggest play made on either side of the ball for the Stampeders came with six minutes remaining until the half when Raymond jumped in front of a Kevin Glenn pass intended for wideout Courtney Taylor. Untouched on his way to the end-zone, the 63-yard major gave Calgary their first lead of the game with a 14-10 advantage.

>> Stamps TV: Raymond pick-six

With Glenn having spent the past two seasons in Calgary before joining the Lions this past off-season, Raymond’s pick-six came against a very familiar foe.

“The last two quarterbacks that were here and started have left and the first time I’ve picked them off, I scored,” Raymond noted. “I got Hank (Henry Burris) when I played against him the first time and I got KG (Kevin Glenn) so that feels good, and I’ll make sure I send him a text. It felt good to get my hands on the ball again, especially to be in the end-zone.”

The score was the fourth interception returned for a major of his career, moving him into a three-way tie for second place on the Stamps’ all-time list behind William Hampton with five.

“It definitely feels good to be tied and hopefully I can go down as one of the Stampeders greats,” said Raymond, who failed to record a pick in 2013 after making five interceptions in each of the two previous seasons.