By Mia Ines
 
The seventh-seed Lancer football team finished the 2022 OUA regular season with a 4-4 overall record and clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2014. Under head coach Jean-Paul Circelli, the team is putting in the final touches to head into the postseason. After closing off their 2021 season 9th overall in the season, the coaching staff and team looked to find the spark needed to improve their performance be able to rebound back this year. 
 
With the win in their final game of the OUA regular season, the Lancers qualified for the playoffs and will need to end the third seed Ottawa Gee-Gees season to advance to the quarter-finals. The blue and gold have faced the Gee-Gees already this season, dropping a very close 19-16 contest in their season opener.
 
"They have had a tremendous season winning six games and are currently ranked 6^th in the country," discusses Circelli. "Travelling up to Ottawa, in late October, playing a team with arguably the best player in the OUA, JP Cimankinda, poses a great challenge for our defense and will force our offense to keep pace with scoring.  Ottawa also has arguably the best stand-up defender and best kicker in the OUA, so all three phases of our team will need to be prepared for a long battle."
 
As coach Circelli is only the fifth coach in the Lancers 50-year history, he has made it his mission since arriving in Windsor to use his past success as a student-athlete and coach to help build a great football program. Although it has been both the hard and long way, having doubled the total wins in each of his first three seasons demonstrates the growth the program has achieved up to this point.
 
"Making the post-season was one of the goals we had as a team heading into this season, so to achieve that goal is something we are very proud of," continued Circelli. "We head into the playoffs having played our best football the last couple weeks, so we are playing with a lot of confidence right now, which is important for this time of year."
 
Despite the challenges the Gee-Gees pose, the blue and gold are ensuring they stay focused on the factors they can control with Ottawa having the home advantage. Proper rest, nutrition, and findings ways to be active on a long trip will be crucial to the team's success. On top of that, keeping on top of academic studies is also emphasized as the balance can be difficult to achieve for a lot of student-athletes. Circelli has taken everything from major changes in the weather that play a factor in new scenarios to injuries that all teams deal with and the blue and gold being no exception. But Circelli believes the team has worked through the finer details to narrow in on executing the plays and are ready.
 
On the defensive line, linebacker Devin Veresuk and defensive end Kolade Amusan will be key players. Along with Muftah Algeli and Melyk George and on special teams, rookie kicker Brady Lidster will continue his fantastic first season with his clutch kicking and punting. Meanwhile offensively, running backs Joey Zorn and Christopher John will lead the offensive attack on the ground and quarterback Danny Skeleton will be called upon to move the offense in the air.
 
In addition, graduating seniors including Adetayo Adeyeye, Dealius Danso and Alex Valihora have helped to anchor the defense by playing with high-energy and relying on veteran experience. In the back end, Andrew Beatty and Kelvin Adeleye-Apansile have helped to lead the young defensive secondary by modeling the program's standard of excellence. On offense, Zach Benson and Lindon Ivezic have lead one of the most improved units on the team, the offensive line. Coach Circelli acknowledges, "this group has paved the way for the 3rd best rushing attack in the OUA," and have put in the effort to lead the blue and gold and motivate new and returning recruits by their example.
 
Quarterback Josh Shim, states "consistency in executing on all four cylinders," will draw out the team's success and the quarterfinals will be a good environment to run for a win.
 
"The ultimate goal is to always win your last game until there are no more to play," adds Circelli. "Right now, our goal is to beat Ottawa and then we can look at next steps."
 
Putting trust into their season thus far, the Lancers have the team culture to work together and prove they are a strong opponent towards the ultimate common fate.
 
The blue and gold will travel to our nation's capital to face the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Saturday, October 29th at 1:00 pm for the OUA Quarterfinal. The game can be seen live at oua.tv.