Sawyer Ramsay ’24
Copy Editor
Another season is over for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. However, unlike recent years, the Bombers had a rather unfortunate turn of events during their Grey Cup final game. The Bombers did wonderfully throughout the season but were unable to defend their title as the Grey Cup champs.
The Bombers started the season with an amazing roster of some of the best current players in the CFL. However, the Bombers lost their previous running back, Andrew Harris, who had played for the team during their two-year win streak. Harris was an amazing player, but he was released from the Bombers and later chose to join the Toronto Argonauts as the Bombers did not want to pay him what he expected.
The Bombers managed to re-sign one of their former running backs, Brady Oliveira, for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Oliveira fit right in with the team and led the league this year for the most rushing yards. Another important addition to the team this season was wide receiverDalton Schoen. This rookie managed to top the league with the most receiving yards, as well as the most receiving touchdowns (16).
Throughout their regular season, the Bombers played fantastically. With this solid lineup, they dominated the field both offensively and defensively. Although many of their games were close in score, they wrapped up their regular season with a record of 15 wins and only 3 losses.
Their offense was highlighted by players like receiver Dalton Schoen, running back Brady Oliveira, receivers Nic Demski and Rasheed Bailey, offensive lineman Stanley Bryant, and their outstanding quarterback Zach Collaros.
Their defensive line was highlighted by players like Willie Jefferson, Adam Bighill, Jackson Jeffcoat and several more. All in all, their regular season was phenomenal and they went into the post-season as the number one team in the league.
During their post-season, the Bombers started off with a bye past the Western Semi-Final into the Western Final due to their amazing regular season. Winnipeg was able to overcome the BC Lions with a final score of 28-20. This qualified them for the 2022 Grey Cup final game against the Toronto Argonauts.
Things were looking good at this point: they were ranked first in their regular season, they made it to the Grey Cup final game, and they were the reigning champions over the past two years.
It therefore came as a disappointment when the Bombers lost by one point with a score of 24-23 against the Argonauts. The Bombers had a chance to tie the game up if their kicker, Marc Liegghio, had not missed the one-point conversion.
It was certainly an unpredictable season for the Bombers. They seemed strong throughout the season but did not carry all the way through to the victory. All we can do is pray that their loss will fuel their desire to regain the Grey Cup.
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