Bombers set to kick off season with battle against familiar face Returning favourites, fresh recruits face Lions as road to Grey Cup begins By: Joshua Frey-Sam Posted: 6:00 PM CDT Wednesday, Jun. 11, 2025

Buck Pierce knows it will be emotional before kickoff.

And no one can blame the man who will stand on the visitors’ sideline inside Princess Auto Stadium for the first time as a head coach when the B.C. Lions (1-0) face the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Thursday (7:30 p.m.).

The 43-year-old spent a decade — the last four years as offensive co-ordinator and quarterbacks coach — on the home side wearing blue and gold before accepting the job on the West Coast last off-season. Some emotions will be easy to suppress, while he will let others run their course.

“I think that we’re all human, it’s an emotional game, we’re passionate about what we do or we wouldn’t be doing it,” Pierce said Wednesday, shortly after the Lions touched down.

“So I’d be lying if I said that there wouldn’t be some emotion there, but, once the whistle is blown, the ball is put down, it’s just football, and I’ve been doing this a long time.”

It’s as anticipated a season-opener as it gets, given the circumstances. The Bombers were itching on their couches during a bye week while the rest of the league played in Week 1, and now they begin their campaign against a longtime friend and new foe.

“I think I’ve walked through or been around every inch of the stadium. So there’s not too much of it that I haven’t seen,” Pierce said. “It’s obviously a very familiar place for me. A lot of great memories, a lot of great friends. It’s a special place for me, whether I’m here as an opponent or on the other side.”

While Pierce’s return is easily the biggest storyline of the Bombers’ season opener, it’s not the only one.

With that, here is this season’s first edition of 5 Storylines.

Jason Hogan debuts against his mentor

Speaking of Pierce, there’s still a lot of love around the building for the long-time co-ordinator. Count his successor, Jason Hogan, in that group.

The genuine appreciation for his former colleague is clear in Hogan’s voice. He was an offensive co-ordinator with the Université de Montréal Carabins when Pierce recruited him to join the Bombers’ offensive staff as a running backs coach in the winter of 2022.

When Pierce left for the Lions job, Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea took his time naming a replacement but had ongoing conversations with Hogan throughout the process. In the end, it made sense to hire the guy who was hand-picked and developed by Pierce.

Now Hogan will call his first game as a professional against his mentor.

“Love him. Happy for him. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Buck,” said Hogan.

“I’m really happy he won the first one. Obviously, I don’t want him to win this next one. Looking forward to it. Looking forward to seeing him out there and sharing that experience together. It will be exciting.”

Chris Streveler back in the saddle

The last time — and only time — Chris Streveler started a season-opening game was in Week 1 of 2018.

He was a 23-year-old rookie at the time, with just two weeks of CFL training camp experience under his belt, but a right knee injury for Matt Nichols in training camp sidelined the starting pivot and thrust the inexperienced Streveler into action.

Needless to say, there’s a notable difference between that player in 2018 and the seasoned vet who will play on Thursday.

“I’ve been thinking back on that time a lot, just how much I’ve changed as a person and a player, and how much I’ve grown throughout this journey of being here, going south, being back here,” said Streveler, who performed admirably during that stretch.

“All those experiences, all those great times, all those adversities, they made me who I am today. They made me a much stronger person, a much more resilient football player, and I think a much smarter football player too.

“I’m just excited for this opportunity. I’m thankful for this opportunity.”

Streveler will duel Lions pivot Nathan Rourke, who is fresh off an outstanding performance against the Edmonton Elks in Week 1, but is 0-4 in his career against the Blue and Gold and looking to shed the Bomber monkey off his back.

Re-tooled offensive line against strong Lions front

Winnipeg will start a pair of second-year pros along the offensive line, as Micah Vanterpool and Kendall Randolph take their sets at left guard and right tackle, respectively.

Paddy Neufeld is also listed as a game-time decision. The veteran right guard was the victim of some friendly fire during Monday’s practice, as Streveler’s left knee collided with the back of Neufeld’s right leg on a scramble.

Neufeld sat out the remainder of the session and did not practice on Tuesday.

“I’m feeling good,“ Neufeld said after the Bombers’ walkthrough. “We still got over 24 hours until kickoff, so maximize my time the best I can getting ready for the game, and by game time, we’ll see what happens.”

Should he miss the game, Tui Eli, Gabe Wallace or perhaps rookie Ethan Vibert could be thrust into action.

Meanwhile, Vanterpool, who some view as the potential heir to left tackle Stanley Bryant, appeared in a pair of contests last season but will start his first game as a pro.

Randolph’s opportunity comes via injury, as a nagging knee ailment kept last year’s starter, Eric Lofton, in street clothes for most of camp. The 26-year-old, who started five contests — three at right guard and two at left tackle — last season, seized the moment and put together a solid pre-season.

Whoever the starting five is, they will have their hands full against a promising Lions defensive front that includes defensive ends Mathieu Betts and Kemoko Turay, and Johan Tavai and DeWayne Hendrix at defensive tackle.

New faces to start in all three phases

Many of the players who will start on Thursday have already introduced themselves to Bombers fans, but there will also be some fresh faces with important roles.

Third-year receiver Jerreth Sterns arrived from Saskatchewan and made an immediate impression in training camp with his precise route-running and dependable hands. It didn’t take long for him to entrench himself in the starting lineup.

James Vaughters is perhaps the most well-known newcomer in Winnipeg this season. The 31-year-old defensive end compiled a solid career in Calgary over four seasons — with a four-year stint in the NFL in between — and was scooped up by the Bombers almost immediately after being released by the Stampeders.

Then there is Trey Vaval, the rookie defensive back who made his mark as a return specialist this spring. Vaval emerged as the winner from a deep camp battle that saw six players catch kicks.

Winnipeg’s return game was uninspiring a season ago, as the club ranked seventh in average field position, last in total kick-return yards and was one of three teams without a return touchdown last season, while it flipped through four different players in search of a spark.

Vaval offers intriguing upside with his speed. He flashed that ability in the second pre-season game, returning a punt 93 yards, but that play was wiped away by a clipping penalty.

Remember me?

The Bombers will also welcome back a quartet of notable players whose seasons were cut short due to major injuries.

Receiver Dalton Schoen, safety Jamal Parker Jr., defensive tackle Cam Lawson and Streveler all suffered varying knee injuries in 2024 but have recovered in time for the season opener.

While Streveler’s rehab was noteworthy due to how quickly he returned to action (Thursday will be a little more than nine months since tearing three of the four major ligaments in his left knee), it will be a particularly meaningful day for Schoen Parker and Lawson, who spent most of the year rehabbing together and forged a tight bond along the way.

“Oh, 100 per cent. I mean, we’ve talked about it since we’ve been here, playing that first game together, and we’re obviously going to get a picture and everything like that, but it definitely means a lot, because you know you share that experience together and the hardships of it, and it’s an amazing feeling to see your teammates be able to thrive again,” said Lawson.

“So having that, and then also yourself being able to play and thrive is great.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jfreysam