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Varsity Glads show great D in loss to Stallions

The defences were on top of their games.
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The Sudbury Gladiators start their football season May 23. Supplied photo.
The defences were on top of their games.

In a matchup that produced less scoring than a good number of the Toronto Blue Jays games in 2015, the young Sudbury Gladiators gave the two-time league finalist Huronia Stallions all they could handle, eventually succumbing 8-5 Saturday in Barrie.

The Glads opened the scoring with a 25-yard field goal from Pierce Wallingford in the first quarter, deadlocked at 3-3 at the half with the Stallions. Unfortunately, the visitors could add only a safety to their total, not quite enough to pull off the upset.

Not that rookie head coach Aaron Rehel was disapointed with the effort, most notably on the defensive side of the ball.

"I thought our defense was probably top four in the league," he said. "(Huronia) may have picked up 90 yards on the ground. The guys were just staying true to what their assignments were, and just did what the system asked of them — to play responsible, disciplined, schematic football."

Holding an opponent which scored 82 points in a pair of games versus Sudbury last year to just eight points in their season opener meant that there was plenty of praise to go around.

"It really just seemed like at some point in the game, everyone was making a play," said Rehel. "Connor Mick was basically the brains of the operation on the field, which is fantastic for me to work with.

"I saw plays from (John) Bronicheski, I saw plays from Mick and (Joe) Jelen, Miller Donnelly had two picks, Pierce made an incredible pass break-up in the end zone that kept us in the game, Cam McDermid was sealing the edge."

And though his offense could not reach the end zone, the graduate of St Charles College was far from discouraged.

"(Quarterback Chris) Moutsatsos had some early jitters, to be honest," noted Rehel. "But throughout the game, we could literally see him grow up in front of our eyes. I think that's going to be the story-line of our offense this entire year, watching Chris mature. He learns from his own mistakes.

The Gladiators will get a chance to continue their work in progress this coming Saturday, travelling to North Bay to face the Nipissing Wild. The Wild were beaten 48-14 on the weekend by the North Halton Crimson Tide.

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