Sergio Castillo’s 23-yard field goal with 21 seconds left lifted the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to a 14-13 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday night after both teams’ starters were forced out with injuries.
Sergio Castillo didn’t need long. He needed precise.
With 21 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers kicker drilled a 23-yard field goal to lift his team to a 14-13 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a quarterback-fueled fight that turned into a late survival test.
The stakes kept rising the moment both teams lost their starters. Winnipeg’s Zach Collaros was knocked out with an upper-body injury after being sacked by Hamilton’s Reggie Stubblefield early in the second quarter. and Hamilton’s Bo Levi Mitchell left the field in an ambulance early in the third after Winnipeg’s Jake Ceresna came down on his left leg while sacking the Hamilton starter.
Brady Oliveira became the pivot for Winnipeg’s offence after Collaros’s exit. stringing together seven consecutive carries that set up Castillo’s winning kick. Winnipeg’s final march was a 12-play drive that covered 54 yards and took 2:46 off the clock. landing the Bombers on the edge of a one-point finish.
Oliveira’s ground work mattered because the game had turned into a passing-and-momentum gamble the moment the QB situation shifted.
Both backup quarterbacks were Hec Crighton Trophy winners — Taylor Elgersma for Winnipeg and Trey Ford for Hamilton — with Elgersma capturing the honour in 2024 at Laurier and Ford winning it in 2021 at Waterloo. Elgersma stepped in for Winnipeg after Collaros’s departure. finishing 11-of-15 passing for 86 yards in his first action of the season. Collaros, before he was forced out, completed five-of-seven passes for 41 yards and threw an interception.
The injuries changed more than depth charts; they changed what both sides could afford to risk. Stubblefield hit Collaros’s shoulder first, and his arm then appeared to contact Collaros’s head. Collaros. 37 — who has a history of concussions — walked off the field but remained on the sidelines with his helmet on while Elgersma took over.
Hamilton’s quarterback loss was even louder in real time. Mitchell. 36 and the East Division’s top player for each of the last two seasons. missed much of the 2023 season with a lower leg fracture. and on Sunday he was forced out 3:24 into the third. He stayed on the field for at least 10 minutes as his left leg was stabilized before he was placed on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance that had come onto the field. Mitchell gave the crowd a thumbs up before he entered the ambulance.
Mitchell went 18-of-29 passing for 228 yards and a touchdown. When he left, veteran Tre Ford — a former Edmonton Elks starter who signed with Hamilton as an off-season free agent — took over under centre, with Jake Dolegala also seeing snaps.
Hamilton had its own comeback moment earlier. After a delay of 18 minutes, play resumed and Trey Vaval’s 46-yard punt return set up Elgersma’s 31-yard TD pass to Ontaria Wilson at 4:10 of the fourth, cutting the Tiger-Cats’ lead to 13-11.
Hamilton still pushed back. Ford appeared to connect with Kenny Lawler on a 51-yard TD pass 22 seconds into the fourth. but the play was ruled incomplete after review. Lawler had already put Hamilton ahead with a 19-yard touchdown catch two minutes into the first. set up by Destin Talbert’s interception on Winnipeg’s first play from scrimmage.
Once the score tightened, it became a game of field goals and small margins. Marc Liegghio added two field goals and a convert for Hamilton. Castillo kicked two field goals, a single and a convert for Winnipeg.
Castillo missed a 56-yard field goal try that went for the single at 14:23 of the second quarter. cutting Hamilton’s halftime lead to 13-4. Liegghio put Hamilton ahead 13-3 with a 20-yard field goal at 12:17, finishing a 10-play, 64-yard drive. Castillo then drilled a 46-yard field goal at 12:33 to pull Winnipeg within 7-3. before Liegghio restored the seven-point advantage with a 10-yard field goal at 6:27. capping another 10-play march that covered 90 yards.
The final sequence told its own story of endurance and escape routes. Oliveira’s late burst of carries carried the Bombers to the winning set of downs, and Castillo’s 23-yard field goal made sure Winnipeg wouldn’t fall just short.
With the win, Winnipeg improved to 2-2 and earned its first victory in three games. Hamilton dropped to 2-2 and lost for the first time in three contests.
Winnipeg will host the Toronto Argonauts (2-2) on Friday, while the Tiger-Cats visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders (3-1) on Sunday, July 12.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers Hamilton Tiger-Cats Sergio Castillo Taylor Elgersma Trey Ford Zach Collaros Bo Levi Mitchell Brady Oliveira CFL 14-13