If there is a player you want to tap to enter a sluggish game hoping for something to happen, Nick Dimovski is the guy. The rookie quarterback entered a tense quarterfinal game between Windsor and Carleton with 2:19 left in the third quarter with the Lancers leading 4-2. "It's hard because Danny's been great for us all year." said head coach J-P Circelli of the change after starter Danny Skelton threw his third interception, and second to Careleton DB Othman Brahm. "It certainly wasn't all his fault. We just felt we needed a spark and something a bit different. Nick's a bit of a different player, maybe he's able to move the ball a little bit more with his feet and maybe saw something that Danny didn't. It was a very difficult decision and it worked out for us."
The coaching staff was confident in Dimovski's ability. He played in the OFSAA final at Belle River last fall and has had success with the Essex Ravens program.
"He's been in championship games. He's won a lot of titles and even this past year was down to the wire with another so I think when you have that kind of pedigree we trust him in the bright lights and the big moments and he didn't disappoint." Circelli said.
"I'm ready for it. I came in. We worked and we got the win." Dimovski added.
The Lancers trailed 11-7 with 6:12 left in the game when Dimovski went to work. He engineered a 4-play drive that culminated in a 25-yard pass to a diving Evan Martin in the end zone for the game winning score. "That was unbelievable. I trust my guy to go get it. I put it in a spot where only he can get it and he made a helluva play."
The victory is Windsor's first on home field since 1975. "It's a big deal for the program." said head coach J-P Circelli as the Lancers won their first playoff game since 2011. "I think the way we did it, there was a few times we could have folded the tent and kept fighting, got through the adversity so full marks to the guys and the character they showed."
The Lancers now earn a rematch next week in the OUA semi-finals. They'll head to Laurier, who shutout Waterloo 69-0 Saturday. "Next round we're playing a team that beat us pretty good and they've got maybe one of the best players in the country playing for them so you enjoy the win for tonight, clock hits midnight and it's time to get back to work."
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