Published Oct 08, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 23\u00a0hours ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 4 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n Keric Wheatfall calls it the hardest he\u2019s been hit in his entire career.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive columns by Ryan Stelter, Paul Friesen, Ted Wyman, Scott Billeck, Lorrie Goldstein, Warren Kinsella and others. 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Plus newsletters: Gimme Stelter for your beat on the city, The Exit Row for all your Jets news and On the Rocks for curling.Unlimited online access to Winnipeg Sun and 15 news sites with one account.Winnipeg Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n But what happened to the Blue Bombers receiver in Ottawa and sidelined him for the last game won\u2019t give him alligator arms the next time he runs a route over the middle of the field.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cI ain\u2019t got no fear or nothing like that,\u201d Wheatfall said after practice on Wednesday. \u201cYou expect to get hit. S\u2014, I\u2019m gonna run that same route against that same team again.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019ll actually get his next chance in Edmonton on Saturday, assuming the Bombers put him back in the lineup.<\/p>\n Given his 619 yards and four touchdowns on 40 catches, the No.\u00a02 receiver on his team, the Bombers will try to fit the 26-year-old in, even if Dillon Mitchell\u2019s breakout game against Hamilton complicates things a tad.<\/p>\n Wheatfall was crushed by Ottawa\u2019s Adarius Pickett early in the fourth quarter that day.<\/p>\n The Winnipeg Sun’s Daily Headline News<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Down for a long time, the ensuing head injury caused him to miss his first game of the season.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t really feel it,\u201d he said. \u201cI 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\u2019t held onto the ball. I wasn\u2019t even worried about anything.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s not worried about the crowd at the receiver spot, either.<\/p>\n \u201cI ain\u2019t got no say-so. Practise hard and whatever that decision may be, I\u2019m going to be prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n Jerreth Stearns took his place in the lineup against Hamilton, catching two passes for 33 yards.<\/p>\n Mitchell snared three, including a 44-yard touchdown that launched the Bombers to a 40-3 mauling of the Tiger-Cats.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cWatching the guys put it all together on both sides of the ball, all three phases, we feel real good about what we\u2019re doing now,\u201d Wheatfall said.<\/p>\n FIRST FAMILY, NOW FOOTBALL<\/p>\n 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\u2019s session, his focus back on football.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody\u2019s okay,\u201d Houston said of his wife and kids. \u201cLuckily the team was able to give me that time to be with my family. It\u2019s always a issue, just because I\u2019m away from my family. But I know home is good, so that\u2019s the reason I\u2019m back.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just worried about making sure that I do whatever I need to do to help the team win this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not the first time an emergency has rocked Houston\u2019s loved ones down in North Carolina.<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Four years ago, his daughter took a bullet in a shooting involving a neighbouring house.<\/p>\n The 29-year-old is coming off a sparkling game that saw him play a key role in shutting down Hamilton\u2019s powerful passing attack, featuring receiver Kenny Lawler.<\/p>\n Houston all but shrugged off the airtight coverage he provided.<\/p>\n \u201cIn everybody\u2019s eyes I guess they feel like that was my best performance,\u201d he said. \u201cI just go out there and do my job and try to win my one-on-ones, whoever\u2019s in front of me. My job is to win my one-on-ones, and on that island it\u2019s me versus the receiver.\u201d<\/p>\n Houston made his biggest splash on a deep ball that Lawler had in his hands as he went to the turf \u2013 until Houston jammed it out at the last second.<\/p>\n \u201cThe play isn\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n His teammates won their one-on-ones, too, leading to a rare result in the CFL: just three points against.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, everybody says a dominating performance,\u201d Houston said. \u201cBut I feel like we can play at that level every week. We\u2019ve just got to continue to grow and just stack every week.\u201d<\/p>\n The Bombers only re-signed Houston in the middle of August, when injuries hit their secondary. He\u2019s made a seamless return to the team he suited up for from 2021-23, playing the last three games.<\/p>\n Missing two days of practice doesn\u2019t necessarily affect his ability to make it four.<\/p>\n \u201cIt shouldn\u2019t,\u201d head coach Mike O\u2019Shea said. \u201cBut we\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n QUOTABLE<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s probably why he doesn\u2019t like talking to me too much. He\u2019s pretty smart. He\u2019s not getting anything from those conversations, that\u2019s for sure.\u201d \u2014 O\u2019Shea, when asked about the intelligence of defensive end James Vaughters.<\/p>\n QUOTABLE II<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s probably another reason why he wouldn\u2019t want to talk to me.\u201d \u2014 O\u2019Shea, again, after a follow-up question about Vaughters\u2019 passion for fashion.<\/p>\n paul.friesen@kleinmedia.ca<\/p>\n X: @friesensunmedia<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Share this article in your social network<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Breadcrumb Trail Links SportsFootballCFLWinnipeg Blue Bombers Get the latest from Paul Friesen straight to your inbox Sign Up…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":202515,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-202514","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cfl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-canadian-football-league","11":"tag-canadianfootballleague","12":"tag-cfl","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=202514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202514\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/202515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=202514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=202514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=202514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Blue](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/wheatfall.jpg\")
Given his 619 yards and four touchdowns on 40 catches, the No.\u00a02 receiver on his team, the Bombers will try to fit the 26-year-old in Photo by KEVIN KING\/Winnipeg SunArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Winnipeg](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/19.7.1\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-wsun-new.svg\"){kind=logo}
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