“Pokey” Wilson evolving as CFL rookie receiver

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Fans of a hugely popular Japanese media franchise will get a kick out of how Ontaria Wilson’s nickname was conceived.

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“Pokey” is the second word you’ll read on Wilson’s Wikipedia page and the first on his Instagram handle. But the nickname has been with him his entire life.

“When I was a baby, my grandmother said I look like a Pokémon, and it just stuck with Pokey,” the 24-year-old receiver said.

Wilson could only laugh when asked about ‘Pokey’s’ roots on Monday as a large media contingent gathered around him.

One of the key attributes of most Pokemon is their ability to evolve — to grow or upgrade.

It’s a good metaphor for Wilson, a CFL rookie who broke out during Friday night’s 41-37 Blue Bombers win over the Calgary Stampeders at Princess Auto Stadium.

Wilson snagged 13 passes — tying him for second all-time in Bombers history — for 201 yards and a touchdown to help Winnipeg improve to 2-4 after a rocky start to the 2024 campaign.

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“I just felt like I was really consistent and reliable,” Wilson said of his performance. “When the ball came my way, I was able to pull it in and just catch it and make the plays as they came.”

And they came for the Georgia native, who topped 100 yards just twice during his five seasons in college at Florida State and never had more than nine catches in a game before Friday.

Wilson reached back toward his feet before coming down with an incredible 30-yard grab in the back corner of the end zone for his first professional touchdown.

“When I go back and look at it, I’m still like, ‘Dang, how did I grab that out of the air?” Wilson said. “Just the focus, watching the ball in the air and just focusing on it and being able to pull it in. The guy literally tackled me and I still caught it.”

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A 42-yard strike from Collaros in the fourth quarter was the cherry on top for Wilson.

The play took a big chunk out of Calgary’s defence and led to Nic Demski’s game-winning touchdown a few plays later.

Fitting in as a rookie coming into the league’s premier receiving corps led to some uncertainty for Wilson.

However, opportunities presented themselves as injuries ripped through the receiving room, including significant ones to Dalton Schoen and Kenny Lawler.

Wilson latched on to one of those on Friday and never let it go.

Brady Oliveira, who got a front-row seat while rumbling to his second 100-yard game of the year, knew what Wilson was feeling.

“You start getting these touches and you really start to feel yourself, really start to feel really good and that confidence is building live in the game,” he Oliveira said. “I know that was going through his head. When someone is having that type of game, you need to find ways to keep feeding him the ball. That’s what we were doing. Just letting him go to work.

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“It’s good from a young guy. Ontaria is only going to continue to grow and continue to get better. I’m excited he had a massive game. Now, it’s how do we continue to grow and get better and ask more from you.”

Wilson’s major, meanwhile, held significance on multiple fronts.

For Wilson, it was important that Zach Collaros looked his way again after trying to hook up on a similar play earlier in the game.

“I feel like he trusts me, like if I’m not there one play, he can come back to me and he can still rely on me,” Wilson said.

It’s not a game to be holding grudges, Collaros said Monday.

“You’ve got plays in every single week that you want to get called, and it just so happened on the touchdown that he had,” Collaros said. “He made a heck of a play on the ball, and I thought (he) did the right thing based on the coverage showed.”

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For Winnipeg’s veteran pivot, it was his first touchdown pass of the season, and it seemed to snowball from there for the offence.

“It’s good to get first downs and keep possession of the football, score touchdowns, all of those things,” Collaros said. “It’s definitely encouraging, confidence-boosting, all of those things. Certainly when you score touchdowns and you’re on the field longer, you get more plays called, it helps with morale and also confidence.”

After pounding the ball downfield on the ground a week earlier to earn their first win of the year, Winnipeg’s offence found its way again through the air.

Collaros completed 27 of his 36 attempts for 344 yards, a pair of touchdowns and two interceptions.

“Getting the passing game going was huge,” Oliveira said. “Threats open up a lot more. The playbook starts to open more and there’s a lot more you can do.

“Everyone came to work that night and did their job. Our message throughout the week was. ‘Whatever it takes.’ Like, ‘How are we going to get the job done? Whatever it takes.’ Every week is going to look different. You might run the ball a lot the following week. This week, you might pass more. Whatever it takes, as long as we just get wins.”

Friday in Regina is fast approaching, with the Bombers set for the first of three meetings this season with the 4-1 Saskatchewan Roughriders.

sbilleck@postmedia.com

X: @scottbilleck

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