Bombers storm to victory over Als with Castillo’s last-second field goal

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MONTREAL — Call it the perfect storm.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/10/2024 (352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MONTREAL — Call it the perfect storm.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers needed every last moment, as well as some help from Mother Nature, whose fierce arrival in the final minutes of Saturday’s 28-27 CFL win over the Montreal Alouettes proved to be the deciding factor in a back-and-forth affair.

With the Alouettes clinging to 27-25 lead and facing a third-and-six from their own 23-yard line, the dark skies that were once in the distance were now directly over a sold-out Molson Stadium.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers kicker Sergio Castillo, centre facing, celebrates his game winning field goal with teammates over the Montreal Alouettes during second half CFL football action in Montreal on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Winnipeg Blue Bombers kicker Sergio Castillo, centre facing, celebrates his game winning field goal with teammates over the Montreal Alouettes during second half CFL football action in Montreal on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

A swirling wind that held strong for most of the game, was now in overdrive, with rain and some hail soon following, just as Alouettes punter Joseph Zema was preparing to deliver his kick.

“As you start seeing all the leaves and things just blowing across the field, and you realize it’s that heavy cross wind, and they’re going to have to punt into that,” said Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea.

“If he doesn’t hit a real clean ball — and it affects the drop, too, for the punter, so he leaves his hand and it probably moves and it gets outside his foot — and that’s tough duty right there for all the kickers.”

The sudden shift in climate proved disastrous for the home side, with Zema’s punt travelling just 21 yards, rolling out of bounds at Montreal’s 44. The Bombers took over from there, and with 10 seconds remaining on the clock, Winnipeg ran one play before trotting out Sergio Castillo for a potential game-winning 51-yard field goal.

Castillo had just attempted a 61-yarder on the previous series, falling a couple of yards short. The Bombers kicker had already connected on two 60-yard field goals earlier this season, but now he was lamenting the one he believed cost them the game and potentially their spot in the standings.

“I’m pissed, obviously,” said a now joyous Castillo. “Then I’m walking down the sideline, head down, and I guess there’s no TV time out because the next thing I know…we’re going to get another shot. I’m like, ‘holy moly.’ By that time, I was just hoping for a shot. I didn’t care.”

Castillo also had to deal with the severe weather, but the heavy winds were blowing in his favour. O’Shea had opted to take field position in the second half rather than the ball, believing there might be a strong wind in the fourth quarter.

The move proved to be a savvy one, as Castillo kicked the ball right through the middle of the uprights to secure the victory. The Bombers rushed the field to celebrate with Castillo, while the Alouettes looked stunned by what had just unfolded.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers wide receiver Nic Demski (top) celebrates his touchdown with teammate Patrick Neufeld (53) against the Montreal Alouettes during second half CFL football action in Montreal on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Winnipeg Blue Bombers wide receiver Nic Demski (top) celebrates his touchdown with teammate Patrick Neufeld (53) against the Montreal Alouettes during second half CFL football action in Montreal on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

“It hasn’t hit me yet,” added Castillo. “I was just grateful for the opportunity, and the fact that it came down to that makes for good TV ratings, I say.”

Let’s dig deeper into this one:

BLUE CLINCH WEST: With the victory, the Bombers finish first in the West Division for a fourth straight year, wrapping up the regular season with a 11-7 record.

Had they lost the game, there still would have been a chance to clinch top spot, with a Saskatchewan Roughriders loss or tie against the Calgary Stampeders in the late game Saturday.

Instead, the Bombers took care of business and didn’t have to play the waiting game. The win puts Winnipeg in an ideal position to make their fifth straight Grey Cup, needing just one victory at home in the Western Final to punch their ticket.

“Anytime you come out there and you compete, you want to blow teams out,” said Bombers receiver Nic Demski. “But at the end of the day, good teams find a way to win. We found that way to win. We stuck together. We believed. Everybody fought till the last second, and things went our way.”

The Bombers will have to wait to see who their opponent will be between the Riders and B.C. Lions, with Saskatchewan playing host to the Lions in the Western semifinal on Saturday. The Western Final will be played at Princess Auto Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, with kickoff set for 5:30 p.m.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers linebacker Tony Jones (second right) tackles Montreal Alouettes running back Walter Fletcher (right) during second half CFL football action in Montreal on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Winnipeg Blue Bombers linebacker Tony Jones (second right) tackles Montreal Alouettes running back Walter Fletcher (right) during second half CFL football action in Montreal on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

SEVEN POINTS ARE BETTER THAN THREE: The game offered a final tune-up for a Bombers offence that has struggled compared to previous years. Winnipeg’s attack looked somewhat uninspired through the first half, even if they were still able to move the chains.

The Bombers finished with 384 net offensive yards, which outpaced the Alouettes, who had slightly less at 375. But what really hurt the visitors was the lack of finish, settling for field goals instead of touchdowns, especially early on.

“Our performance on offence, I thought there were some lulls, ups and downs,” said Collaros, who was 24-of-32 passing, for 331 yards and a touchdown. “We had some drives, but you got to finish with seven (points). You can’t finish with three (points) and expect a win. So, we got to finish with more touchdowns.”

Of Winnipeg’s five first-half drives, four of them ended with a field goal attempt, resulting in the Bombers trailing 13-9 at halftime.

The Bombers finally hit paydirt in the third quarter, where the game turned into a bit of a shootout, with three combined TDs between both teams, with Nic Demski reeling in a nine-yard score that cut Montreal’s lead to 20-19 by the start of the final frame.

Short-yardage quarterback Terry Wilson punched in a two-yard sneak in the fourth to make it a two-point game, 25-23, with less than two minutes remaining.

Kenny Lawler led all receivers with 105 yards on four catches, and his performance would have been even better had he been able to secure a TD on Winnipeg’s second drive. Demski (four catches, 90 yards) and Ontaria Wilson (eight, 83) weren’t far behind, and with their respective performances, both eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards on the season.

Perhaps the most surprising development was how little running back Brady Oliveira was used, given the Alouettes were the third-worst club in the CFL against the run, averaging 119 yards against per game.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers players celebrate their win over the Montreal Alouettes with kicker Sergio Castillo, following second half CFL football action in Montreal on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Winnipeg Blue Bombers players celebrate their win over the Montreal Alouettes with kicker Sergio Castillo, following second half CFL football action in Montreal on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

One of the frontrunners for the league’s Most Outstanding Player award, the Winnipeg native rushed just 11 times for 35 yards, while adding three catches for 11 more yards.

DEFENCE BENDS BUT DOESN’T BREAK: There’s no doubting that the Bombers defence has been the heart and soul of the team and will play a major role in getting to the Grey Cup.

Saturday wasn’t one of their best performances, but while they bent on several occasions, they didn’t break nearly as often.

The Alouettes played both Cody Fajardo and Davis Alexander behind centre, with the quarterback duo combining for 271 passing yards and one touchdown — a two-yard pass from Fajardo to Charleston Rambo that gave the Alouettes their first lead of the game, 9-6, early in the second quarter.

Montreal had five plays of at least 25 yards, including competed passes for 47, 39, 27 and 26 yards.

Alexander punched in a one-yard sneak and running back Walter Fletcher, who had 12 carries for 53 yards and four catches for 41 before he got injured, ran one in from three yards out. Kicker Jose Maltos rounded out the scoring with a pair of field goals, from 45 and 35 yards, respectively.

The defence was at its best down the stretch, forcing a two-and-out on three of Montreal’s final four possessions. And they almost had two interceptions, including one that was just missed by Tyrell Ford, which would have certainly ended with a TD late in the fourth frame.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers kicker Sergio Castillo (14) celebrates his game-winning field goal over the Montreal Alouettes during second half CFL football action in Montreal on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Winnipeg Blue Bombers kicker Sergio Castillo (14) celebrates his game-winning field goal over the Montreal Alouettes during second half CFL football action in Montreal on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Kudos to the Alouettes for bringing the juice in a game that meant nothing for them in the standings after locking up first place in the East Division weeks ago, ending with a 12-5-1 mark.

Montreal sat out a few starters but played most of their key players, knowing they needed to get their groove back after earning just two wins in their previous six games.

Although Montreal didn’t get the victory they hoped for, they proved they will be tough to beat come playoffs.

SPECIAL TEAMS, SPECIAL PLAYS: Castillo finished the game with five made field goals, including three that were beyond 45 yards (47, 51 and 53), with the other two relative chip shots from 15 and 25 yards.

He also missed two others, including a 49-yard attempt on the Bombers first series, as well as the 61-yarder.

“This whole game was just tough because we couldn’t figure out the wind, because it was just constantly swirling all game,” said Castillo. “If you look at the first kick that I made, from 47, I smashed it. Then the 53, it barely went in. Going into the 61-yarder, I hit it (hard) and then I miss it and I’m like, ‘we’re done.’ I thought we were done.”

There’s been a lot of talk about the Bombers return game and whether they’re getting enough from Lucky Whitehead, who also contributes on offence. Critics of Whitehead want to see him break bigger runs, which hadn’t been the case until Saturday.

Whitehead had his best return — and the club’s best return — of the season, scampering 54 yards up the centre of the field before being tackled at Montreal’s 18-yard line.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira (20) is tackled by Montreal Alouettes defensive lineman Lwal Uguak (96) during first half CFL football action in Montreal on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira (20) is tackled by Montreal Alouettes defensive lineman Lwal Uguak (96) during first half CFL football action in Montreal on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Three plays later, Wilson scored to put the game within reach.

The Bombers need more of that kind of production, which is something they were used to with Janarion Grant on the roster the last few years. If Whitehead can bottle some of that magic, it will go a long way in helping the Bombers push for a third Grey Cup in five years.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

Every piece of reporting Jeff produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.

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