By Nic Sgaggi
Stampeders.com

In a quest for West Division supremacy, the Calgary Stampeders are gearing up for what many expect will be their greatest challenge of the 2014 season to date.

This year’s first installment of the Battle of Alberta will hold more significance than it has in quite some time as the Stamps and Eskimos square off on Thursday as the only two remaining undefeated teams in the Canadian Football League.

“I know the stands are going to be packed and it’s going to be a battle for that team to get that first loss,” Stamps quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell told the media on Sunday. “And they have the upper hand because they just went through this exact same type of game against Winnipeg and they were both undefeated.”

Stamps receiver Anthony Parker is looking to make his mark on the Battle of Alberta.

“It’s super important,” Parker said. “Every game you can win now is obviously going to help you down the road. Hopefully we can get a win here and (that) will also help us in terms of the series that we’re going to have with them. We’ve got them three times this year so getting one win early will help us out later.

“I think it’s (going to be) an exciting game going head to head with our rivals up in Edmonton. I think on a more personal level, it’s kind of cool to be able to go up there and play against my buddy and former (U of C Dinos) teammate Nate Coehoorn. Hopefully we can go out there and put on a show.”

Stamps defensive lineman and ex-Eskimo Shawn Lemon is a player who has seen the Battle of Alberta from every angle.

“It means a lot to me going in because I’ve been on both sides of it,” Lemon said. “I’ve seen what it’s like to lose this game. I’ve seen what it’s like to win this game.

“I like the feeling of winning the game a lot more than losing it,” he said with a smile. “We just have to come out and play hard. They’re a good team up front so we have to come out and attack them.”

Lemon and the Stamps defence know that the key is consistency on defence — something they’ve demonstrated this season with just 30 points allowed in three games.

“(We have to) just continue to do what we’ve been doing all season up to this point,” Lemon stated. “Just execute the game plan; come out and attack and just be the most physical front.

“It means a lot because it’s a four-point swing when we look at it early in the season, so we’ll just try to steal some momentum early.”

Stamps head coach and general manager John Hufnagel told the media that he is looking forward return of the storied Alberta rivalry.

“We have three games (against the Eskimos this season) and the Battle of Alberta is back and it’s good to see,” Hufnagel said on Sunday. “It’s going to be exciting football.”