Candice Ward/CFL.ca
CALGARY – The Calgary Stampeders brought the fireworks in front of a cowboy hat-clad crowd at McMahon Stadium, downing the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 37-16 on Thursday night in the inaugural Stampede Bowl.
With Bret Michaels rocking the halftime show, it was a party in Calgary as they celebrated the ‘Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth’ – the Calgary Stampede – with a statement victory on the CFL turf.
Vernon Adams Jr. started the festivities with his long-awaited first touchdown pass as a Stampeder. The dual-threat completed 13 of his 18 throws for 222 yards, adding another passing score after his opening-drive strike. After the game, Adams Jr. was honoured as the first-ever Stampede Bowl MVP.
Dedrick Mills found the end zone on the ground for a CFL-leading fifth time, tallying 93 yards on 18 carries to help Calgary improve to 3-1.
Calgary’s defence piled on with two touchdowns off two interceptions from Damon Webb and Derrick Moncrief – the CFL’s second-best scoring defence holding strong against the second-best scoring offence.
Winnipeg’s offence revolved around Zach Collaros as the Bombers chased the game-long lead. The veteran pivot connected on 34 of his 48 passes for 288 yards, a touchdown and two pick-sixes as Winnipeg was handed its first loss of the 2025 season.
Brady Oliveira was effective in his return from the shoulder injury he suffered in the Bombers’ season-opener, picking up 112 yards on 19 touches, 51 of those yards coming through the air.
The CFL’s receiving touchdown leader Nic Demski extended his streak of consecutive games with a catch to 75. The reliable pass-catcher reeled in nine passes for 74 yards, and teammate Kevens Clercius added 78 yards on 10 catches.
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Adams Jr. and Calgary’s offence got the party started, eager to shake off a weather-impacted Week 3 that saw them score just 12 points. The Stamps pivot completed all three of his passes for 65 yards on the opening drive, capped by a 43-yard shot along the numbers to Clark Barnes for the game’s first touchdown. Adams Jr. took a big hit on the release – drawing a flag and coming up hobbling – but would not be denied his first touchdown pass as a Stampeder.
After René Paredes’s extra point and kickoff that bounced out the back of the end zone, Winnipeg faced an early 8-0 hole. Oliveira powered the response with 36 productive yards on six early totes, but a holding penalty stalled the drive, and Sergio Castillo knocked a 19-yard field goal through to get the Bombers aboard.
When Collaros got the ball back, the veteran tried to squeeze one to Demski, but Webb was lurking. The 2024 All-CFL halfback jumped the curl and took it back 30 yards untouched for his first interception and touchdown as a Stampeder. Paredes added the extra point to make it 15-3.
Looking for a defensive answer, Winnipeg sent the house on a blitz to catch Adams Jr., but the Stamps pivot beat the pressure with a quick-release bomb, finding Tevin Jones on a 29-yard jump-ball down the sideline. Mills followed with a 21-yard burst to put Calgary in striking distance, and 2025 first-overall pick Damien Alford capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown grab, continuing the theme of ‘firsts’ in the half with the first major of his career. Paredes was bang-on with the conversion as Calgary raced to a 19-point lead.
Calgary wasn’t done yet. Out of the three-minute warning, Adams Jr. found a wide-open Jalen Philpot, who made a pair of moves in the open field before being dragged down at Winnipeg’s two-yard line to cap a 66-yard catch-and-run. Mills polished off the drive with a punishing push up the gut, and Paredes added the extra point to make it a stunning 29-3.
With under a minute to go, Winnipeg had one last chance to make a dent before halftime. Collaros leaned on Dalton Schoen for a pair of quick chain-movers, then hit Clercius twice to reach Calgary’s 14. But, with no open targets to beat the buzzer, the Bombers settled for a 21-yard field goal as time expired.
Both teams tightened up in the third quarter – the Stamps’ defence sacrificing short yardage to guard against the deep threat, while the Bombers’ defence understood that the next score could be the deciding blow. Winnipeg slowed down the pace and exploited the deep-shell defence on their second drive of the frame to secure a hard-earned 29-yard field goal, which Castillo nailed.
However, after Bombers’ returner Trey Vaval knelt a punt in the end zone to make it 30-9 in the fourth, Calgary took momentum straight back. With Collaros looking for Oliveira in the flats, opportunistic linebacker Moncrief ducked under the route and took it back 70 yards to the house. The Stamps’ second defensive touchdown of the game was the final dagger in the Bombers’ comeback hopes.
In the final stretch, Winnipeg hopped on one of the few Stamps mistakes as Jamal Parker jumped on a Philpot fumble that Marquise Bridges jarred loose. Collaros marched downfield and delivered a four-yard fade to Jerreth Sterns, who did well to hold on through Webb’s tremendous coverage. Castillo added the extra point, but Calgary’s 37-16 lead remained insurmountable as they turned to their backups to close out the game.
The Stamps now head to Regina to take on the undefeated Saskatchewan Roughriders in Week 6 on July 11, while the Bombers get a break with a bye before getting a rematch against Calgary in Week 7 on July 18 at Princess Auto Stadium.
