Injured Winnipeg Blue Bombers linebacker Adam Bighill watches on the sidelines during practice in Hamilton, Ont., Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. Linebacker Bighill and receiver Dalton Schoen did not dress for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Grey Cup. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn
HAMILTON – Linebacker Adam Bighill and receiver Dalton Schoen are listed as active for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Grey Cup.
Winnipeg faces the Montreal Alouettes for the CFL championship.
Schoen, a sophomore receiver, has missed Winnipeg’s last three games with an ankle injury.
Bighill played in the Bombers’ 24-13 West Division final win over the B.C. Lions on Nov. 11 but left IG Stadium on crutches.
Both Schoen and Bighill attended Winnipeg’s practices at Tim Hortons Field all week but were always on the sidelines and in street clothes.
Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea waited until the league-imposed deadline to submit his final roster before announcing his decision on Schoen and Bighill.
It’s the first time the Alouettes and Blue Bombers have met in a Grey Cup.
Schoen, the CFL’s top rookie in 2022, was Winnipeg’s leading receiver this season. The 27-year-old American had 71 catches for 1,222 yards and a league-high 10 touchdown catches in 16 regular-season games.
Bighill, three times the CFL’s top defensive player, played in Saturday’s contest, registering a tackle. But the 35-year-old reportedly sustained the leg injury in the first half while chasing Lions quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.
The five-foot-10, 223-pound Bighill had a team-high 74 defensive tackles this season. The Bombers’ defensive captain also added four sacks, three tackles for a loss and a fumble recovery.
Winnipeg’s defence led the CFL in fewest points allowed (18.2 per game), offensive TDs (27), net yards (298.8), passing yards (229.4) and were third against the run (90.4 per game).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 19, 2023.
