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“It’s hard to block that (negativity) out. I got off Instagram,” he said. “I still hear it. I deactivated my social media and I’m still hearing stuff like that. Just this week. Just to get off it before this game.”
Published Aug 15, 2025 • Last updated 16 minutes ago • 3 minute read
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Toronto Argonauts’ Benjie Franklin (23) and Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ Keric Wheatfall (88) during first half CFL football action from lasr season. Wheatfall caught four passes for 68 yards as the Bombers beat the Ottawa Redblack 30-27 on Thursday night. Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn /Winnipeg SunArticle content
Intent on making a positive difference, an emotionally charged and pissed off receiver core helped the Blue Bombers squeeze by the Ottawa Redblacks 30-27 at the stadium on Thursday night.
“We just got tired of hearing all the negative talk about the receiver corps,” Bombers wide receiver Keric Wheatfall said. “So, we came together on Wednesday, we’re like, ‘Hey, let’s put on an F-ing show. (Jason Hogan) dialed it up, Zach threw some great balls, he ran and me, Sterns, KC, B-Mitch and Demski, we did our thing.”
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“We just knew that we had to step up for this team,” Nic Demski added. “Something we were talking about, when opportunities come our way, we’ve just got to dig deep and make the plays. We still some missed opportunities out there, but we did a better job as an offence of making the plays happen.”
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Demski caught six balls for 128 yards. The veteran passed Jeff Boyd for ninth on Winnipeg’s all-time receiving list with a 36-yard catch early in the second quarter. Clarence Denmark is eighth with 5,478 receiving yards. Demski currently sits at 5,173 receiving yards.
Wheatfall caught four passes for 68 yards. A couple of his catches were of the bone-jarring variety where he managed to hang on to the ball. despite getting blasted. Two grabs turned into touchdowns on the very next play, and one catch turned into a major on the second play after the completion.
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Despite a gritty performance turned in by #88 in royal blue and white, it wasn’t an easy week for the 26-year-old second year pro.
“It’s hard to block that (negativity) out. I got off Instagram,” he said. “I still hear it. I deactivated my social media and I’m still hearing stuff like that. Just this week. Just to get off it before this game.”
The victory pushed the Bombers back over the break-even point at 5-4. Ottawa slips to 3-7. Winnipeg improves to 4-1 at home. The Redblacks dropped to 2-4 on the road.
Jerreth Sterns caught four passes for 50 yards; Kevens Clercius caught four passes for 16 yards and Dillon Mitchell hauled in two balls for seven yards.
“They did a great job,” Collaros said of his receivers. “We have to continue to keep getting better as a unit, but they did a great job. I’ve got to watch to see the hits, because usually when I’m throwing the ball you can’t really tell.”
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Collaros threw for 298 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
One of those ‘hits’ occurred in the first quarter when Wheatfall went right to left across the middle of the field and. with outstretched arms and totally vulnerable to a massive blast, caught a pass just before a crushing hit was leveled by Ottawa linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox.
“Wheatfall on a couple of them passes really stuck his face in and caught the ball and held on, fearless as he always is,” Collaros said.
One play later, the ball was in the endzone when the Winnipeg pivot found Sterns with a 22-yard pass on the final play of the first quarter.
The touchdown catch was a one-on-one battle with defensive back Adarius Pickett. Sterns jumped into the air and won position and the fight for the ball. Sterns is the second on the team with four receiving touchdowns. Demski is tops with five touchdown receptions.
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Under similar circumstances in Week 9 action, Sterns was matched up on the outside with Toronto Argos DB Tavarus McFadden and came out second best when McFadden intercepted the ball in the end zone on a pass from Chris Streveler.
Whether the ball should have been thrown is another matter, but Sterns said he should have come down with the ball, or at the very least, made a play.
“I appreciate the coaches trusting me there, but I’ve got to be better with the football That’s on me,” he said after the game.
On this occasion, he won the head-to-head matchup and gave the Bombers a 10-point lead after Sergio Castillo tacked on the extra point.
“We just wanted to come out and make some plays,” Sterns said. “We felt like as a room we haven’t been doing what we’re capable of to the max, and tonight we just wanted to prove something and just make plays whenever we had the opportunity. We did that for the most part.”
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