Both the Waterloo Warriors and Windsor Lancers had disappointing seasons in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) last year. The Warriors went 0-8 while the Lancers were 2-6. Here is a look at Windsor Lancers and Waterloo Warriors season preview for 2016.
Windsor Lancers and Waterloo Warriors Season Preview
Warriors Tired of Being Bottom-Dwellers
It has been 15 years since the Warriors had a winning record in the OUA. The team has been at the bottom or near the bottom in the OUA standings since then. It also has been 14 years since the team has been in the OUA playoffs.
In 2015, the team had new head coach at the helm with Chris Bertoia. The team struggled on offence and defence in his first season. In 2016, they look ready to improve on last season’s disappointments.
On offence, the team is led by third-year quarterback, Lucas McConnell. McConnell is looking for a breakthrough in 2016 after he threw for 1,102 yards with five touchdowns and five picks in 2015. He will look to improve from averaging 170 yards per a game last season. The key in the passing game will be a pair of third-year receivers, Blair McKay and Mitch Kernick. McKay led the team in receptions last year with 21, and had 207 yards but failed to find the endzone. He was one of the two Warriors players to be invited to the annual CIS East-West Bowl game in May. McKay looks to improve on his 2015 season during his CFL Draft year. Kernick led the team in receiving yards with 327 in 2015, and scored one touchdown.
The Warriors were dead last in running the football in the CIS in 2015, as they only averaged 102 yards per a game. The team has seven running backs on their roster including five first year players in 2016. The key running back to keep eye will be freshman, Brandon Metz. Metz spent the last two years in the United States attending St. Francis Prep School where he rushed for 512 yards and scored six touchdowns last year. The team also grabbed Dion Pellerin from Abbotsford, British Colombia. Pellerin had 979 all-purpose yards and scored 11 touchdowns for the W.J. Mouat Hawks last season.
The Warriors defence will have two of its key starters from last year’s team returning in fourth-year linebacker, Paul Kaija and fourth-year defensive back, Jordan Hoover. Kaija led the team in sacks last season with five, and had 28 total tackles. Hoover led the OUA in interceptions with five, and had 20 tackles.
Hoover, like McKay, attended the East-West Bowl game in May. This being his draft year, expect him to be a dominate player again in 2016.
The Warriors defence last season allowed 496.8 yards per a game and its opponents scored 49.5 points per a game. The Warriors defence will be the key in 2016 for the team to return to winning ways. If Hoover and Kaija prove that their 2015 seasons were no fluke, they could win a few games. The Warriors team all-together looks like they could compete in the OUA this season, then again nothing is certain in the OUA. This season, they had a strong recruiting class where they recruited 61 players. They had the top recruiting class in 2016 according to scouting site, Canada Football Chat.
Lancers Look to Bounce Back from Disappointing 2015 season
The Windsor Lancers, after making the OUA playoffs in 2014, struggled in 2015. The Lancers are hoping that 2016 is a more successful year.
Quarterback, Casey Wright returns for his fourth-year after he shared the quarterback duties with Liam Putt in 2015. Wright passed for 446 yards and threw three touchdowns and seven interceptions in five games. Wright, for the second straight year, will be in a battle to keep his job as the starter, as the Lancers recruited NCAA transfer, Jalen Brady from Northern Michigan in the off-season.
Wright will look to build new targets in the passing game as both Dave McDuffie and Nate O’Halloran have moved on. It is very likely that he will throw a majority of his passes to third-year receiver, Noah Akharoh. Akharoh had five receptions for 57 yards last year.
The Lancers have a strong veteran offensive line led by left tackle, Randy Beardy. Beardy was drafted by the Ottawa Redblacks in last May’s CFL draft, but was one of the final cuts made in training camp. Beardy will look to make room in the rushing game for Crawford and protect Wright or Brady in the pocket.
The Lancers do not have a problem at running back as Tarrence Crawford returns for his fifth and final year. Crawford rushed for 564 yards and had nine rushing touchdowns in 2015, good enough for fifth in the country. He will be the key playmaker on offence for the Lancers in 2016.
The Lancers only averaged 339.1 yards per a game last year, which was near the bottom in the CIS. It is expected that the Lancers will be a much improved team on offence in 2016.
The Lancers defence, for the second straight season, lost a key player in training camp as last season’s Most Valuable Defensive Player, defensive back, Matt Gayer went down with an injury. Gayer was a freak of nature for the Lancers in 2015, as he led the OUA in solo tackles with 45.
The good news is that linebacker, Frank Renaud will be returning after missing last season due to injury. Renaud was drafted by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL Draft. Renaud had 36 total tackles and two sacks in 2014. Also returning this season will be second-year defensive back, Spencer Trinier. Trinier had unbelievable first season, as he was second on the team in tackles with 34 in 2015. He also had one interception, one sack and fumble recovery. Trinier will be the man replacing Gayer in the secondary. The Lancers were a tackling machine last year, and they were third in the CIS with 492 tackles. The Lancers defence surrendered 460.1 yards per a game last season. If this defence can reach its potential, the Lancers could be an interesting team.
The Windsor Lancers have one of the tough schedules in the OUA this season. It is very possible that they will get one or two more wins in 2016 than in 2015. They have played the top OUA teams over the last few years, so do not be surprised if they pull some upsets in 2016.
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