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Published Oct 08, 2025 • Last updated 23 hours ago • 4 minute read
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Given his 619 yards and four touchdowns on 40 catches, the No. 2 receiver on his team, the Bombers will try to fit the 26-year-old in Photo by KEVIN KING/Winnipeg SunArticle content
Keric Wheatfall calls it the hardest he’s been hit in his entire career.
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But what happened to the Blue Bombers receiver in Ottawa and sidelined him for the last game won’t give him alligator arms the next time he runs a route over the middle of the field.
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“I ain’t got no fear or nothing like that,” Wheatfall said after practice on Wednesday. “You expect to get hit. S—, I’m gonna run that same route against that same team again.”
He’ll actually get his next chance in Edmonton on Saturday, assuming the Bombers put him back in the lineup.
Given his 619 yards and four touchdowns on 40 catches, the No. 2 receiver on his team, the Bombers will try to fit the 26-year-old in, even if Dillon Mitchell’s breakout game against Hamilton complicates things a tad.
Wheatfall was crushed by Ottawa’s Adarius Pickett early in the fourth quarter that day.
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Down for a long time, the ensuing head injury caused him to miss his first game of the season.
“I didn’t really feel it,” he said. “I was grabbing my side because I guess it was a little stinger. But other than that I was fine. Walking off the field, I was just mad that I hadn’t held onto the ball. I wasn’t even worried about anything.”
He’s not worried about the crowd at the receiver spot, either.
“I ain’t got no say-so. Practise hard and whatever that decision may be, I’m going to be prepared.”
Jerreth Stearns took his place in the lineup against Hamilton, catching two passes for 33 yards.
Mitchell snared three, including a 44-yard touchdown that launched the Bombers to a 40-3 mauling of the Tiger-Cats.
They take an 8-7 record into Edmonton, tied with Calgary and fighting to keep pace with 9-7 B.C. for second place in the CFL West.
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“Watching the guys put it all together on both sides of the ball, all three phases, we feel real good about what we’re doing now,” Wheatfall said.
FIRST FAMILY, NOW FOOTBALL
After missing the first two days of practice this week for what he called a family emergency, cornerback Demerio Houston was back in town for Wednesday’s session, his focus back on football.
“Everybody’s okay,” Houston said of his wife and kids. “Luckily the team was able to give me that time to be with my family. It’s always a issue, just because I’m away from my family. But I know home is good, so that’s the reason I’m back.
“I’m just worried about making sure that I do whatever I need to do to help the team win this weekend.”
It’s not the first time an emergency has rocked Houston’s loved ones down in North Carolina.
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Four years ago, his daughter took a bullet in a shooting involving a neighbouring house.
The 29-year-old is coming off a sparkling game that saw him play a key role in shutting down Hamilton’s powerful passing attack, featuring receiver Kenny Lawler.
Houston all but shrugged off the airtight coverage he provided.
“In everybody’s eyes I guess they feel like that was my best performance,” he said. “I just go out there and do my job and try to win my one-on-ones, whoever’s in front of me. My job is to win my one-on-ones, and on that island it’s me versus the receiver.”
Houston made his biggest splash on a deep ball that Lawler had in his hands as he went to the turf – until Houston jammed it out at the last second.
“The play isn’t done until the whistle blew. Kenny is an amazing receiver. He has big hands. He actually had his hands on the ball. But I just had that determination to finish.”
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His teammates won their one-on-ones, too, leading to a rare result in the CFL: just three points against.
“Yeah, everybody says a dominating performance,” Houston said. “But I feel like we can play at that level every week. We’ve just got to continue to grow and just stack every week.”
The Bombers only re-signed Houston in the middle of August, when injuries hit their secondary. He’s made a seamless return to the team he suited up for from 2021-23, playing the last three games.
Missing two days of practice doesn’t necessarily affect his ability to make it four.
“It shouldn’t,” head coach Mike O’Shea said. “But we’ll see.”
QUOTABLE
“That’s probably why he doesn’t like talking to me too much. He’s pretty smart. He’s not getting anything from those conversations, that’s for sure.” — O’Shea, when asked about the intelligence of defensive end James Vaughters.
QUOTABLE II
“That’s probably another reason why he wouldn’t want to talk to me.” — O’Shea, again, after a follow-up question about Vaughters’ passion for fashion.
paul.friesen@kleinmedia.ca
X: @friesensunmedia
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