Dalton Schoen will suit up for the first time after his knee injury last year in tonight's preseason game in Regina; photos by Cameron Bartlett
REGINA — Canadian Football League training camps can sometimes feel interminable, with one three-hour session blurring into another. They can be a test of survival, of grit and of resilience and those who manage to escape without physical scars often use it as a springboard into the regular season.
And so there were a few hallelujahs — spoken or whispered — when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers put the touches on their final training camp practice on Wednesday before a travel day Thursday to Regina and the final preseason tilt tonight against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Camp now slowly fades in the rear-view window and after the weekend’s final cut down, it’s full speed ahead into the games that matter.
ICYMI: here is our game preview:
And follow along here as we present a collection of notes/quotes/anecdotes to help get Blue Bombers up to speed for tonight’s final tune-up in this week’s GAME DAY HQ…
STEP UP OR STEP OUT: This is the one last chance for players to make a final impression before the final cuts are made on Saturday by 10 p.m. Teams can dress 45 players for a regular-season game including three QBs, at least one Global player, 21 Canadians, including one nationalized American, and a maximum of 19 Americans — not including the pivots and the nationalized player.
A full explanation can be found here:
The Blue Bombers are dressing 73 players for tonight while 13 players were left behind in Winnipeg in defensive linemen Willie Jefferson, James Vaughters and Jake Thomas, linebackers Tony Jones, Kyrie Wilson and Shayne Gauthier, dime Redha Kramdi, defensive backs Deatrick Nichols, Evan Holm, Michael Griffin II and Terrell Bonds, right tackle Eric Lofton and running back Brady Oliveira.
The Riders, meanwhile, aren’t dressing QB Trevor Harris, RB A.J. Ouellette, WRs Kian Schaffer-Baker and Samuel Emilus, DT Micah Johsnon, DE Malik Carney LB Jameer Thurman, DBs Marcus Sayles, Roland Milligan Jr. and Tevaughn Campbell, among others.
Some of the players released Saturday night will be added to the injured lists (one-game or six-game) or to the practice roster, which can feature up to 13 players, including Globals.
“The expectations are always there, and they should always be high,” said Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea. This game is just as important in the evaluation process. There are going to be some guys who are pulling a few more reps to show they’re in the kind of shape they need to be to play at this level.
“It’s a football game. I want them to go out run around as hard as they can and spend all their energy, hit as hard as they can, play good special teams and do everything they can to earn a spot.”
RECEIVER WARS: Every receiver is dressing, highlighting what has been easily the most-intriguing positional battle of training camp.
It’s a given that Nic Demski, Dalton Schoen and Kevens Clercius will start but after that there’s still a great deal of uncertainty. That says a couple of things: the free agent additions of CFL vets over the winter in Dillon Mitchell, Reggie White, Jr. and Jerreth Sterns haven’t been slam dunks to grab those spots — as so many of us expected — and they’re also getting seriously challenged by second-year receivers Myron Mitchell, Keric Wheatfall and Kody Case along with Jaylen Hall, Keilahn Harris, Bryson Daughtry, Reggie Brown and David Wallis along with 2025 draft pick Joey Corcoran, 2024 draft selection AK Gassama, former Edmonton Elk Gavin Cobb and free-agents Nic Adair and Nico Kwemo — both Canadians.
That’s a lot of bodies for a handful of starting jobs, a couple of depth gigs and then practice roster spots.
THE OTHER POSITIONAL BATTLES: Still to be determined beyond the receiver battles is who plays left guard and right tackle (Eric Lofton has been battling an injury and is being challenged by Kendall Randolph), the kick return chores with Peyton Logan injured for most of camp, the starting safety spot and who mans the cornerback position opposite Terrell Bonds.
Micah Vanterpool starts at left guard tonight, Randolph at right tackle, the return chores have been shared all week by Wallis, Cobb, Harris, Myron and Dillon Mitchell and Trey Vaval. Marquise Bridges, who started at corner last week opposite Bonds, and Vaval are the starting corners tonight and expect to see Russell Dandy and Tay Gowan also see action.
Trey Vaval
Further to the above: a good quote this week from O’Shea, who spoke of all the roster juggling to be done after this game and the need to evaluate Friday’s game with an open mind and no preconceived ideas.
“There absolutely is (a lot of juggling), but I don’t know that you need to spend a ton of time on that until after this game is finished. You certainly never want players looking at the roster and trying to move pieces around the board themselves to try and figure it out. They’ve got to go out there and play; they’ve got to put their best foot forward.
“We’re human. We have a lot of information already and you have to fight that idea of predetermining. You’ve got to let them play and let them be great.”
A STANDING ‘O’, PLEASE: Two thumbs way up for Dalton Schoen, Cam Lawson, Jamal Parker, Jr. and Chris Streveler — all of whom will be playing tonight after suffering serious knee injuries a year ago. Schoen and Lawson will be on the field for game action for the first time since last year, with Parker, Jr. and Streveler suiting up last week.
Schoen, Parker, Jr. and Streveler
“I just want to end camp on a high note,” said quarterback Chris Streveler. “We’ve had an outstanding camp and continue to get better, especially as an offence and finding our rhythm with this new offence and it’s time to put it all to the test again Friday night.
“It’s just about continuing to get back into the flow of the game, feeling more comfortable. Last weekend was a huge step for me in getting back out in a live game situation with bullets flying, people around my feet, getting tackled — that was huge for me. So, for me this week is going to be about continuing to go out, manage the offence, manage the game, get guys lined up and put the ball in our playmakers’ hands and just put on a clean performance.
“The preseason is the preseason. You’re not going to enter the chamber of calls, but you just want be clean about the game and eliminate mistakes, eliminate penalties.”
SASKIE BOYS: This will be a big one for 2025 draft picks Ethan Vibert, an offensive lineman from Regina via South Dakota State and University of Saskatchewan linebacker Lane Novak, who hails from Balgonie. A third 2025 draft pick, Regina product defensive back Ethan Ball, is currently on the mend with a hand injury and will not suit up tonight.
Ethan Vibert
“I’m looking forward to it. I’ll have a bunch of friends and family there and it will be fun to see them in the stands, even if some of them will be wearing the wrong colours,” said Vibert with a grin. “They were all so excited. I’ve got a very supportive group of friends and family back home. There wasn’t a hesitation at all in the moment and then there was the afterthought, ‘Oh, I’m going to have to wear blue now?’
“It’s definitely nice hearing the cheers when you come out of the tunnel, but I imagine it might even be a little nicer almost when you hear all those boos.”
And here are Novak’s thoughts:
