Team Preview by: Ed Cerise

Great Falls, MT – The Gladiators roll into the 2008 season with determination and focus to keep the AA trophy in Montana. With a revamped Coaching staff the Gladiators will have their hands full molding their new found talent into the upper echelons of AA RMFL Football.

New Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Roland Rainey who is originally from New Orleans, LA is no stranger to the Gladiators having been their Offensive Coordinator the past two seasons. Coach Rainey is going to need to revamp his offense to push the Gladiators over the top. The Gladiators also have added former players David Craig and Dave Moore as Co-Defensive Coordinators. They will look to bolster possibly the strongest defense in AA, as the old cliché states, “Defense Win Championships.” If that is the case then this just may be the Gladiators year.

KEY ADDITIONS:

Maurice Jones – Wide Receiver

Matt Brady – Running back

Frank Sandoval – Defensive Back

KEY LOSSES:

Demond Orr – Defensive Back

Joe Klein – Defensive Back

Shelby Iverson – Offensive Lineman

OFFENSE:

Brad Thurber is back at the helm again this year after a dismal 2007 season which saw Thurber lead the Gladiator offense to a ranking of 9th overall out of 11 teams. The Gladiators success could depend on the improvement of Thurber. Thurber will have some pressure taken off of him with new addition Matt Brady (5’-11” 205) at running back. Also look for Mike Tudor (5’-11” 175) to get some carries as well. Mike Pease (6’-1” 275) at Full back is basically the only returning back for the Gladiators who had any significant carries from 2007. With that in mind Matt Brady may be carrying a lot more than just the rock this year; he may have his teams fate on his shoulders. Luckily for Matt and the rest of the Gladiators, Maurice Jones (6’-0” 195) has joined the team at Receiver and could be one of the better receivers in AA. Also at Wide Receiver are huge targets Jovonni Bedward (6’-3” 205) and Brandon Galindo (6’-5” 205). At Tight End is number one receiver from 2007 is Jermaine Saunders (6’-3” 220) who led the team with 11 receptions for 140yds from last season.

The job to protect Thurber will be a difficult task for the O-Line after losing arguably their best player in Shelby Iverson. Although Shelby will be missed the O-Line have added depth with Gabe (6’-1” 305) and John Degel (6’-3” 275) as well as Greg Knapstad(6’-4” 205), Chris Laverdure(6’-1” 260), and Caleb Cunningham(5’-8” 230). If this line has trouble stopping the pressure on Thurber, this could be another long year offensively for the Gladiators. In order for them to make to the championship they are going to need to double the production of last year and Thurber needs to be more efficient. I expect this group to drastically improve barring any unforeseen injuries as they are not very deep.

DEFENSE:

The Gladiators had the 5th ranked defense only behind four teams that are now in AAA. The 2008 Gladiators will make a statement defensively in 2008 and it’s that they expect to dictate their opposing offensive schemes. They are a solid group who return almost their full defense. They have made minor changes to improve their defense including the additions of Joe Payne (6’-3” 220) at Defensive End and Frank Sandavol (5’-9” 160), who Thurber describes as a “shut down” corner to bolster an already tough group. With the addition of Sandoval in the secondary across from Jared Matlock (5’-9” 190) with safeties Yahreen Collins (5’-9” 195) and Brad Thurber, the secondary who was suspect last season has now been vastly improved.

The Line backing corps is lead by former AA All star Michael Rhode (6’0” 245) who will have John Green (6’0” 230) and Will Prescott (6’0” 230). Anchoring the line is perennial all star and team leading tackler Mike Pease (6’-1” 275) alongside him will be the teams sack lead in Dave Moore (6’-0” 260) who will lineup opposite of new addition Joe Payne.

SUMMARY:

With an already solid defense the Gladiators have to make some drastic improvements on the offensive side to be a contender for the AA Championship. They have a huge task ahead of them to accomplish their goal, but remember this is a very disciplined and focused group. This is a team no one should look past cause they may just sneak up on you when you’re not looking.

OVERALL RANKING: 5th