The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

ALREADY with an established reputation as a special teams ace, Karl McCartney continues to excel in his fourth season with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.

McCartney is currently tied for second in the league and leads the Stampeders in special teams tackles with seven.

This weekend, McCartney added two tackles to his totals in an historic 38-27 comeback win over the Montreal Alouettes.

Montreal dominated the first quarter with two rushing touchdowns, a receiving touchdown and a field goal to take a 24-0 lead after the first quarter.

Calgary stormed back with 19 points in the second quarter and 16 points in the third quarter to mount the historic comeback. They took a 35-24 lead into the fourth quarter and the teams traded field goals in the final period for the final score.

The Stampeders are set to travel to face the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on July 26. The next home game will be against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on August 9 in a West division matchup to determine first place.

The Roughriders are currently 3-0 and handed the Stampeders their only loss of the season in a 36-21 win on July 5.

McCartney had a CFL high four special teams tackles against the BC Lions in the second week of the season, a 44-32 win over the Stampeders. He also has a defensive tackle, playing in a reserve linebacker spot behind weakside linebacker Deron Mayo.

McCartney, a four-year veteran, returned to the Stampeders a year after his team fell short in the 100th Grey Cup with a 35-22 loss to the Toronoto Argonauts.

The Stampeders signed McCartney to a contract extension in the offseason. He finished the year with a career-high in special-teams tackles, good enough for third in the CFL, rebounding from an injury riddled 2011 season and also added six special-teams tackles in the playoffs.

McCartney was part of a coverage unit that allowed Calgary to lead the league in net punting and yielded a league low of two punt returns of 30 or more yards.

McCartney also saw action on defence as a backup linebacker and registered nine tackles and one sack. He played in all 18 regular-season games and three post-season contests.