The Gladiator Report

The La Cañada Gladiator youth football program’s 2007 season has come to a close. The final game, a playoff match between the Gladiator Junior Midgets and the Arcadia Indians played at Mark Keppel High School, took place last Saturday.

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On Saturday, Junior All American football teams from La Cañada, Arcadia, El Monte, Alhambra and Lincoln Heights were invited to play in the Veterans’ Day Bowl Games at Aztec Stadium in Pasadena. The La Cañada Gladiator Jr. Midgets took on the Arcadia Indians in a match that the Gladiators had won earlier in the season. This time the Indians came out on top, 20-14.

On the opening drive the Indians were stopped in Gladiator territory, capped by a sack by Helio Higley on the 42-yard line. The Gladiators moved the ball down the field in workman fashion behind the strong blocking of Andrew Ivankovich, Jake Johnson, Eric Vallejo, Guillermo Hernandez, Tyler Zsebik, Dylan Robie and the solid running of Tairen Owens — and a 17-yard catch and run from quarterback Nick Ruiz to tight end Nolan Mulligan.

But two holding penalties stalled the drive. The Indians took over on downs, and on a simple hitch the Indians connected on an 83-yard catch and run play and converted on the two-point conversion to go up 8-0.

On the ensuing kick-off, Tairen Owens made a spectacular 72-yard sprint down the right after being sprung by a key block by Matthew Singelyn. The extra point failed and the half ended with the Gladiators trailing, 8-6.

With the Gladiators moving the ball in the second half, an ill-timed fumble gave the Indians the ball with good field position. The defense, led by the line of Jake Johnson, Chase Levra, Tyler Zsebik, Matt Smyser, Matthew Singelyn and Helio Higley and defensive backs Richard Lozano and Dylan Johnson made the Indians earn every yard they got. The team came up with a huge stop on a fourth and four inside the Red Zone but an inadvertent face mask gave the Indians new life inside the 10, and on four plays they were able to punch it in to go up 14-6.

Knowing the importance of stopping the extra point, the Gladiators were able to regroup and deny the 2-point conversion with a fierce push.

With star running back Tairen Owens injured and on the bench, the Gladiators turned to speedster Dennis Francis, who, behind the blocking of fullback Nolan Mulligan, chewed up real estate with eight to 12 yards a carry, mixed in with timely passes from Nick Ruiz to wide receiver Raymond Jackson.

On a fourth and goal from the eight yard line, Francis sprinted in to score and pull the Gladiators to within two points. On the conversion, the Gladiators executed an off-tackle power run to tailback Francis to tie the game at 14 with 3:58 to go in the game.

On the following kick-off the Indians made an excellent return all the way down to the Gladiator 13-yard line. That is when the Gladiator defense, this time led by linebackers Alex Penate and Nolan Mulligan, corner Raymond Jackson, and defensive end Dennis Francis went to work. On the third down, the line of Jake Johnson, Zsebik, Higley, Levra, Francis and Singelyn recorded a gang sack.

On fourth-and-16, on the Gladiator 19, the Indians dropped back to pass and while going down at the grasp of defensive end Ruiz, the Indian quarterback desperately flung the ball high into the air into the arms of an Indian receiver who scrambled with ball down to the two-yard line and a first down.

Two plays later the Indians punched it in for a 20-14 lead with a 1:38 remaining. The Gladiators started their last drive on the 34 yard line and frantically worked the ball down field with passes from Ruiz to Jackson and Francis but with time winding down, the Indians intercepted a pass inside the Red Zone to halt the Gladiators’ comeback effort.

Gladiator game reports provided by coaches and submitted by Kevin Lacey.