Demerio Houston has waited a long time for his chance to help the Winnipeg Blue Bombers seal the deal.

Houston is about to enter his first Grey Cup as a starter with the Bombers despite having signed with the team four years ago. The Shelby, NC native inked a future’s contract with the team in October of 2019 and had to wait until 2021 to make his debut. Last year he started to assert himself in the secondary but ended up missing the Grey Cup against the Toronto Argonauts after coming back from injury late in the season.

Now the ace defensive back gets a chance to do what he has been preparing his entire career for, be out on the field with his teammates as the Bombers take on the Montreal Alouettes in the 110th Grey Cup on Sunday at Tim Hortons Field. The preparation paid off in the way of seven regular-season interceptions plus one more in the Western Final against the BC Lions.

“It’s a blessing,” said Houston. “I kind of had a chip on my shoulder after last season. I got injured, and wasn’t able to be with my brothers to go on that run and help finish the job last year.”

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The 2023 West Division CFL-All Star started the season making an immediate impact in the back end of Winnipeg’s defence, netting two interceptions against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Week 1 to help announce to the world that these Blue Bombers were not going anywhere.

The turnovers kept on coming for Houston throughout the season, especially in the first half of the year as he accumulated six interceptions over the first nine weeks. Opposing offences quickly caught on to his knack for turning the ball over and the targets to his side of the field started to wane as the year went on.

“The beginning of the season, it was like a big confidence boost,” said the defensive back. “Just coming off injury and that being my first game back and having two interceptions, it definitely raised my play.”

“The second half of the season definitely got boring,” said a grinning Houston.

When you combine a talented young player hungry to prove himself with a veteran defence full of players who have been to the big game multiple times before, you get a product on the field like what Winnipeg showed. The Bombers allowed the fewest passing yards per game (229.4), lowest completion percentage (59.7) and fewest passing touchdowns (12).

Among the players who have been to Grey Cups before is defensive back Brandon Alexander, who has developed a special relationship with Houston as the secondary bonds on and off the field.

“I love Demerio (Houston). That’s my guy right there,” said the long-time Bomber. “I’m happy for him and I’m proud because for him to be able to finally get his opportunity to play basically the whole season and get a chance to play in a meaningful game. I noticed it was one of his goals since he’s been here and his first two, he hasn’t really gotten an opportunity because he has gotten injured.

“Now he has the opportunity to be out there and and be a part of the why. And it’s not to say that he wasn’t a part of all the other ones that we were in. But the fact that he’s going to actually be in this one, that means everything to me.”

Few positions on the football field require as much of a synergy between players as defensive backs. The whole unit needs to be on the same page when it comes to passing off receivers, covering zones and staying patient. That’s why often times young players have a difficult time balancing an aggressive instinct to play for the ball with patience in playing within the defensive scheme.

Houston had good mentors to help him thread that needle on his way to a breakout 2023 season, combining his physical skills with the patience preached by defensive coordinator Richie Hall.

“(Houston) has really good ball skills, good hand-eye coordination, he catches the ball and he seldom misses the opportunity as far as a dropping a pick,” said Hall.

“Once you start getting those interceptions or making plays, quarterbacks tend to go away from you, but they’re always going to come back to you at some point in time. The thing that you have to do – and that’s what he did – is just remain consistent, patient.”

It’s hard to remain patient when you’re going into the biggest game of your career, but the ball-hawking defensive back is leaning on the veteran environment around him as he prepares to play the Alouettes on Sunday.

“It’s a blessing to have those guys beside me and playing with them,” said Houston. “They have the knowledge. They’ve been in these positions that I’m in now. This is my first Grey Cup, they’ve played in plenty of them so they know what to expect and how to control their emotions. I’m trying to learn that and trying to make sure I keep all my emotions bottled up until till Sunday.”

So far so good for the soft-spoken Houston who keeps displaying patience and maturity on and off the field.

“The main goal is to win the game whether I contribute or not. If I get 10 targets, one target or no targets, I just want to play a great game and help my team win.”

With or without a lot of targets, the defensive back’s presence in the back end will be a factor as the Bombers take on the Als.

“He’s been playing very good football for us,” added Hall. “We need a big game out of him on Sunday.”