By Andrew Papadopoulos

The Windsor Lancer football team is gearing up to compete in the 2023 OUA playoffs in pursuit of the prestigious Yates Cup awarded annually to the OUA's football league champion. 
 
The Lancers first test of the post-season will come in a quarter-finals tilt against sixth seed Ottawa-based Carleton Ravens who will make the nearly 8-hour journey from the nation's capital travelling down south to Windsor to play against the No. 9 nationally ranked Windsor Lancers in the southernmost city in Canada on Saturday October 28th at 4:00pm from Alumni Stadium.
 
IMPORTANT GAME INFORMATION
 
The Lancers finished the season with a 6-2 record on the campaign while the Ravens capped off their season with a 4-4 record. 
 
Lancer football head coach Jean-Paul Circelli said that he was satisfied with the way the regular season went for the blue and gold and is looking forward to the post-season.
 
"The regular season was very successful for us as we had our highest win total since 2006, finishing third in the conference and now hosting a home playoff game," Coach Circelli stated with pride when reflecting on this season's results to date.


"To start the season off 5-0 for the first time in nearly 50 years (1975) was a special accomplishment, and a tribute to the work ethic and commitment of our student-athletes, coaches, and support staff."
 
"Building off the momentum of last season, our team was able to rely on a great defense that led the OUA in total defense and sacks. Our special teams scored 3 punt returns for touchdowns creating excitement on every kick. Also, our offense became much more balanced with our improvement in the passing game finishing in the top 3 for total offense."
 
It is indeed fair to say that the Lancers head coach was pleased with the way this season went which puts them in a good position heading into the playoffs.  One can only wonder though if this was all expected by the blue and gold heading into the season or if there were any surprises that came about this season along the way of a glorious campaign to date.
 
"When we first arrived in Windsor, our staff had a specific vision for the Lancer Football program and now that we are in year four, that vision is taking shape through a values-based culture of love, serve and care,"  Coach Circelli stated who is in his fifth season of being at the helm for the blue and gold.
 
"Although we have achieved a high level of success this season, there haven't been any real surprises as our expectations were much greater from a year ago."
 
"The performance of our defense leading the country in sacks is a tribute to our force unit, particularly defensive end Kolade Amusan who finished first among sack leaders with 11.5 on the season. The play of defensive tackle Muftah Ageli, linebackers Devin Veresuk and Maceo Christmas, as well as defensive backs Ethan John and Istvan Assibo-Dadzie have all lead to our outstanding defensive performance."
 
"On offense, the improvement of Danny Skelton as quarterback has allowed our team to have a much more balanced attack, especially in the air connecting with wide receiver and punt returner Javonni Cunningham on a regular basis. The ground game lead by running backs Chris John and Joey Zorn, as well as offensive linemen George Una and Jaxon Morkin finished as a top three attack in the OUA. Having found success against teams that are perennially at the top of the OUA standings has developed our team confidence and will help propel our program moving forward."
 
After thorough reflection on the team's regular season performance, Coach Circelli shifted focus to shed some light on the opponent that awaits them on Saturday at Alumni Field, the Carleton Ravens, who are a team that the Lancers have had limited meetings within recent history with the last meeting taken place in 2022 in Ottawa but prior to that in 2018 in Windsor prior to the London-native taking over the reins for the program.
 
"When we last played Carleton a year ago, they clearly took it to us in a dominant performance." Circelli humbly admitted when asked how the Lancers match up with the Ravens based on such limited head-to-head history in recent seasons.
 
"They have a stout defense, excellent special teams, a dynamic offense and are really-well coached.  The resolve their team has shown over the past few weeks makes them an especially dangerous opponent as they are never out of the game."
 
"For us to be successful, we will need to win the line of scrimmage and continue to have a balanced attack offensively. Defensively, we cannot give up the big explosive plays that Carleton consistently achieves and on special teams we need to win the battle of field of position."
 
Balance on the field indeed appears to be the strategy that the blue and gold are hoping to execute on at both ends of the field.  However, balance off the field particularly in the stands of the Alumni Field bleachers are also anticipated to help the Lancers generate the playoff atmosphere needed to inch closer to success in which Coach Circelli agrees that having a large home crowd in attendance again on Saturday will be another key factor for the team's morale.
 
"This is the first time our program is hosting a playoff game since 2014, so it is a big deal and was one of our goals entering the season." Coach Circelli emphasized with jubilance when asked how important it is to have a playoff game being played in Windsor this season in front of a large, raucous, pro-Windsor home-crowd expected to be attendance like all season long. 
 
"This historic season has led to an increase in attendance and our student-athletes know how much the football program means to our community and take pride in the blue-collar attitude of our fan base.  We know that with this home playoff game, the crowd will be boisterous and hopefully that can give us an edge as the home team."
 
So, you heard it here first folks, find a way to come out and support the blue and gold this weekend on Saturday October 28th at 4:00pm down at Alumni Field where you can catch the game live in person.  Tickets can be purchased at the gate or in advance at golancers.ca/tickets. There are multiple high traffic activities happening at the Toldo Lancer Centre on Saturday. Please click here to learn more about available parking.
 
Alternatively, if you cannot make it out to Alumni Field, you can catch the action live broadcasted locally on Windsor's YourTV as well as webcast live on OUA.tv.