The Gladiators Rock n’ Roll in Cleveland Opener
Will Burge
Tuesday March 4, 2008
That play set the tone as the Gladiators held a 14-0 lead over the New York Dragons going into the second quarter. The Dragons' star quarterback Aaron Garcia managed only 64 passing yards before leaving the game with a sprained right knee. He did not return.
After Plilyaw had his only interception returned back to the Cleveland five yard line, Rohan Davey threw a touchdown on his first attempt of the game. Davey, who was a star quarterback at LSU and also the third string QB for the New England Patriots last season in their pursuit of perfection, played a fantastic game replacing the injured Garcia. He finished the game with 249 yards, five touchdowns, and only one interception on 21-of-30 passing.
New York and Cleveland traded touchdowns until the score was 27-21 with 30.7 second left in the half. The Gladiators received the ball on a kickoff but Robert Redd, the Bowling Green State alumnus, fumbled, and the Dragons regained possession with 14 seconds to go. They then attempted and missed a field goal that would have made it a three point game.
Instead Cleveland returned the missed field goal to the 22 yard line. After a miss of their own that was negated by a roughing the kicker penalty, the Gladiators converted for three more points to make the score 30-21 going into the half.
The Dragons came out of halftime strong, and on their first drive Davey threw a beautiful pass that was pulled in one-handed for a touchdown by Kevin Swayne. He finished with 10 receptions for 130 yards and three touchdowns for the Dragons.
After a Cleveland field goal, New York took its first lead of the game 34-33 on a Rohan Davey to Chris Anthony touchdown pass. Anthony finished with eight receptions for 83 yards and two touchdowns.
Their lead, however, would be short lived as Marlion Jackson ran for a touchdown from Cleveland’s own 18 yard line. Jackson tight roping the sideline and breaking tackles was not only the most spectacular play of the game, but it also swung the momentum back to the Gladiators for good.
After a Dragons fumble, Otis Amey ran in another touchdown and Cleveland led 47-35 in the fourth quarter. Amey had a fantastic game with 101 receiving yards and two touchdowns to go along with his rushing touchdown.
The Gladiators put the icing on the cake in the fourth quarter. Leading 54-42, Robert Redd intercepted a Davey out route and returned it the length of the field for a touchdown. This made the game 61-42 with six seconds left and the party was on in Cleveland. Redd also had 78 yards and 1 touchdown receiving.
The Dragons have no one to blame but themselves for this loss. A bevy of penalties and turnovers along with seven dropped passes in the end zone led to their demise. Give the Gladiators credit though. They put up a good amount of points and created turnovers when they needed to. This was a very important win for a young team that is still trying to gel and find their identity.
The Gladiators defeated the Dragons by a final score of 61-49. The brand new Cleveland Arena team is now 1-0 and looking to start a winning streak against the Utah Blaze next Sunday at home. Kickoff is set for 12:30 pm.
Will Burge is a journalism student in Cleveland, Ohio. He is currently working at ESPN 850 WKNR which is the flagship station for The Cleveland Gladiators. Will also reports and writes articles for High School Sports in the Greater Cleveland Area. He has been an avid fan of Arena Football for the past four years.
