Bombers’ comeback comes up short in Labour Day Classic

REGINA – Sunday’s Labour Day Classic had all the drama we’ve come to expect between these Prairie rivals, as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Saskatchewan Roughriders went right down to the wire in front of a packed house at Mosaic Stadium.

The Bombers looked finished, trailing 31-17 with just minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. But instead of a slow burn to the finish line, Winnipeg mounted a fierce comeback with two quick touchdowns, only to fall a two-point convert short of completing the improbable comeback.

With the game on the line, Roughriders defensive back Tevaughn Campbell snuffed out Zach Collaros’s game-tying pass intended for Dalton Schoen, intercepting it and returning it to the end zone for a game-sealing two-point score. That play sealed a 34-30 victory for the Riders and sent a majority of the 34,000-plus in attendance home happy.

It was the fourth straight LDC decided by four points or fewer, with the three prior Classics all decided by just two points. The loss snapped a two-game win streak for the Bombers, dropping them to 6-5 on the year, while the Riders improved to a CFL-leading 9-2 after rebounding from a disappointing loss to the Calgary Stampeders in Week 12.

Schoen ready to shine: Bombers receiver returns after injury

Dalton Schoen returning to practice Tuesday provided a lifeline for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, with the dynamic receiver aiming to make his comeback from a knee injury just in time for the annual Labour Day Classic in Regina on Sunday.

Blue Bombers back the Sea Bears

If you’ve been to a few Winnipeg Sea Bears games, chances are you’ve seen a Blue Bomber or two sitting near courtside taking in the action.

You can bet on seeing a few Friday night at the Canada Life Centre when the Sea Bears host the Calgary Surge in the CEBL Western Conference final.

“It’s just nice having that option to do something other than football. We have other sports teams here in the city, but the Sea Bears bring a lot of people out, especially downtown at the arena, and the atmosphere is electric,” said Bombers defensive end Willie Jefferson. “Basketball is a big sport in Manitoba, and I grew up playing basketball, loving basketball. It was my first sport, really, and I just love to see the game.”

Jefferson isn’t the only member of the Blue and Gold who took to the hardwood before stepping on the gridiron. The only reason right guard Patrick Neufeld strapped on a helmet for the first time in Grade 11 was because his high school football coach told him it would be a good way to get in shape for basketball season.