Gladiators improve with win over Titans

Backstopped by an unconventional defense that held the Oakville Titans at bay until the offense and special teams could make some plays, the Sudbury Gladiators improved to 2-0, defeating the visitors 17-12 Saturday afternoon at the James Jerome Sports Complex.

And few on the field would make more key plays than newcomer Devyn Chenier. The Thunder Bay native, who is in Sudbury attending Laurentian University, set up both Sudbury majors as well as picking up key yardage late in the game, helping to keep the Titans hemmed deep in their zone.

The Gladiators started strong, marching from their own 37 to deep in Oakville territory on a five play opening drive that was highlighted by a 30 yard dash from 2013 touchdown machine Austin Kirkey. Unfortunately, the locals settled for just a single point as Jon Landry sailed a punt into the end zone from 25 yards out.

The remainder of the opening quarter provided very little rhythm for either team’s offensive unit, with the Titans not recording their initial first down of the contest until midway through the second quarter.

Sudbury was, however, winning the battle of field position, a fight that paid off early in quarter two. After Evan Martin picked off a pass from Sudbury QB Hunter Holub on his own one yard line, the Gladiators took full advantage of the poor starting point for Oakville.

Linebacker Joe Jelen, who would later be pressed into service as a defensive end, recorded his second safety in as many games, bringing down Jason Uleryk-Carvalho in the end zone and increasing the Sudbury lead to 3-0.

The shutout, for the homeside, remained intact until just before half when punter Landry had trouble corralling a long snap, sprinting to his right and throwing to Brady Lavigne for a gain of just five yards that would give Oakville the ball at the Sudbury fifteen.

Two plays later, quarterback Jordan Whyte spotted Jake Glasler all alone in the end zone, connecting for a 19 yard strike, though the point after attempt drifted wide.

Sudbury, again, would look impressive in their first series of the half, thanks in large part to a 55 yard pass and run play from Holub to Chenier, a throw that went through the hands of the Oakville defender, directly to Chenier, who showed great concentration in making the catch.

Coach Reg Bonin would reward him on the very next play, calling on the same tandem to provide the five yard touchdown pass as Holub rolled to his right and found Chenier just ahead of a group of defenders.

Scott Friesen split the uprights with the convert, giving the Gladiators a 10-6 lead. A second interception by Martin appeared to flip the scoreboard around as the athletic receiver/DB bolted 85 yards to the end zone, only to have the play called back due to a block from the rear by Oakville.

The call only delayed the inevitable as the Titans scored in the final minute of the third quarter, with Whyte hitting Dominic Florantino from 24 yards out, once again with no convert.

Now trailing 12-10, it was time for Chenier to shine once again. The deceptively speedy wideout hauled in the ensuing kickoff and bolted directly upfield, weaving his way 76 yards and giving Sudbury first and goal from the four.

The ultimate margin of victory came on the first play of the fourth quarter, as Kirkey swung to the left and cut inside some great blocks to carry in for his first major of the season, with Friesen making it 17-12 thanks to the point after.

That was all it would take as a late interception by Josiah Walt halted one last Oakville drive in a game that became increasingly chippy, with both teams flagged for 190 yards in penalties apiece.

After posting a shutout in the opening game of the season, the Sudbury defense came up with a second straight solid effort, this time against an adversary that had some pretty potent weapons at their disposal.

“Their short passing game picked up a lot of first downs and made us re-focus on what we had to prioritize as a defensive unit,” noted cornerback Josh Girolametto, making the jump up from Jr Gladiators this year.

Thankfully, much of the prep work had been done in practice throughout the week. “We worked a lot on what types of zone defenses we had to play to make sure that they couldn’t throw the ball over us, nothing really getting past us and getting beat deep,” Girolametto added.

If Bonin was thrilled with his team limiting themselves to just four infractions last weekend in Clarington, he won’t be nearly as happy with a 17 penalty performance against Oakville that featured no lack of flags for objectionable conduct and unecessary roughness.

“The big hits are key, because we get really amped up after that,” said Girolametto. “But I think just shutting your mouth and going right back to the huddle is key to not taking a penalty.”

The Gladiators will enjoy a second straight week at home, preparing to welcome the Hamilton Hurricanes to the James Jerome Sports Complex on (Saturday) June 7th, with the start time one hour later at 4:00 p.m.

Game Stats: The Gladiators rushed for 155 yards in total, with Kirkey (6/51) and Matt Glass(9/43) leading the way, while Holub’s stat line read 7/24 for 121 yards and three interceptions, victimized by a handful of drops on catchable passes. Kirkey also did a nice job on the punt returns, averaging more than 10 yards per attempt, with both teams finishing the game with a dozen first downs each.