The Windsor Lancers football team is putting in the work for the upcoming season.
After four consecutive playoff appearances, the Lancers have missed the post season for the past three years.
Quarterback Sam Girard made his debut with the Lancers last year against the Waterloo Warriors in the season opener.
He was having a good game with two touchdowns and 146 yards — then he was injured.
"I couldn't be on the field so I had to lead a different way," Girard tells CTV Windsor. "It was more supporting the team, supporting the other quarterbacks. This year I get to come on and show the guys what I can do. I think they're excited to have me out. Finally being healthy is really good."
Head Coach Joe D'Amore is optimistic the team's fortune will change with a rookie class of 40 athletes.
"Our starting 24 aren't young, they're a veteran group and I think if we can stay healthy which is a big part of everything, develop the young kids over the next two three weeks and then I think moving forward, we only graduate two or three players so we're in a really good situation," says D'Amore.
Girard says "It's a lot of throwing — the days are pretty long, we're out here for three hours in the morning and here until 7 at night doing meetings so days are long and tiring but we got a lot of work in and that's good."
The Lancers open the season on August 26th in Waterloo with their first home game September 3rd vs. Carleton.
— with files from CTV Windsor