Lancers preparing to improve for 2010-11 football season
By Josh Kolm
Sports Editor
August 31, 2010
 With the 2010-2011 season arriving this week, the Windsor Football team is ready to put their months of off-season training to good use. Head Coach Mike Morencie has been holding his team to a higher training standard this summer, and for good reason.
The Lancers will be especially motivated to perform in order to put the memories of last season behind them. Despite starting the season 2-0, a blowout 60-7 loss to Western at home and an embarrassing 49-0 shutout at the hands of the lowly Waterloo Warriors began a six-game losing streak that put the team in the basement of the OUA standings and out of playoff contention.
The team will face a challenge right out of the gate. Due to the University of Waterloo suspending their football team as a result of steroid violations, the Lancers were forced to not only cancel the annual Alumni Weekend football game, but add a game to their schedule.
Windsor will start their season a week earlier than planned against the Ottawa Gee-Gees, who finished last season in a four-way tie for second place in the OUA.
Once again starting at quarterback will be Sam Malian, who enters his third year of play as one of the top-ranked players at his position nation-wide. Last season, Malian couldn’t produce the numbers expected from him due to injuries. A knee injury suffered in the Lancers’ first game last season kept him out for the following two games. Upon returning to play, Malian suffered a hand injury that sidelined him for two more games, which was promptly followed by missing the final game of the season after re-injuring his knee.
An off-season devoted to training with hopefully allow Malian to produce numbers comparable to his freshman year, when he was a runner-up for OUA Rookie of the Year.
"For me personally, I wanted to get stronger and prevent injuries," Malian said about his goals for the summer, during which he decided against a summer job in favour of training.
Malian says he believes it was worth it. "Compared to my first two years, I'm in much better shape now."
If for some reason Malian's injury troubles were to return, Morencie seems to have his bases covered.
One of the top recruits from the Windsor area this year is Austin Kennedy. Kennedy is a Wilson conference first-team all-star who has a strong case for being the number two at quarterback this season.
Whoever is lining up behind centre will be well protected. Fifth-year players Nick Cicchini and Chris Cowan will be returning to lead the offensive line. Jared Olsen will be on the line for his sophomore season in a role Morencie hopes will allow him to provide leadership for the other young players on the roster.
At running back, Paul Lefaive, who finished last season with 290 yards in six games, will share carries with third-year Derek Hymers.
Returning to the receiving core will be Cory Fernandes and Jordan Brescacin, who finished with 255 and 243 receiving yards, respectively.
Despite losing John Celestino and the 54 tackles he accumulated last season, the Lancer defense should be as strong as ever. All-Stars Seamus Postuma and Daryl Townsend will be returning to the defensive line and secondary, respectively.
Matt Bucknor will be returning for his fifth year at defensive back, hopefully providing some veteran leadership to younger players like Stephon Miller, a linebacker recruited from Pickering, Ontario.
"The defense is an extremely strong group with the secondary being in excellent form," Morencie said about his team's depth one the defensive side of the ball. "These guys have a wealth of experience behind them, and that’s going to translate on the field."
Players aside, Morencie has also worked on filling the holes in his coaching staff as well. After associate head coach Scott Fawcett resigned during the winter, Joe D’Amore was hired as the new assistant coach for the team.
A former Lancer who started for four seasons at wide receiver, D’Amore has served as an assistant coach locally for the Essex Ravens varsity team and head coach for the Villanova Wildcats and Sandwich Sabres high school teams.
The Lancers Football team begins their season at home on Tuesday, August 31 at Alumni Field when they play host to the Ottawa Gee Gees.
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