Glads' Saturday loss to Jr. Argos tough one to swallow

Emotions ran high as the final whistle sounded to end the Saturday OFC (Ontario Football Conference) matchup between the Toronto Jr. Argonauts and the Sudbury Gladiators - and head coach Aaron Rehel wouldn't have it any other way.

"I would rather have a team that I have to pull back, than one I have to motivate," said Rehel. "They put their heart and soul on the line every game, they're working as hard as they can for me, every practice, every game."

And when the results don't go their way, as was the case in their 17-13 home field loss this past weekend, frustration can set in.

"I think some people might attribute the emotions to the youth on the team, but I think it was just a high emotion game with a lot of hard hits," said Rehel.

"The ball didn't bounce our way, and that was part of the reason the players were frustrated. Nothing really bad happened."

Still, with both teams flagged, quite frequently, for a wide variety of infractions, the rookie coach was not about to give his squad a complete free pass.

"I think the flags contributed to the end result, but not because they were bad calls," he said. "We, as a team, made some stupid decisions. There was no question, for instance, on the roughing the kicker call. It's just something that you can't do in a tight game where you are fighting for field position."

In that sense, this encounter stayed true to form to what many expected. The Argos opened the courtesy of a short run from Treyion James, with the visitors capitalizing on an interception deep in Sudbury territory.

A safety increased the Toronto lead to 9-0, before the Sudbury kicking game broke the ice for the homeside, with Pierce Wallingford connecting on a field goal and a rouge. Throw in a safety on the Gladiators side and the score was sitting at 9-6 with 15 minutes to play.

A 28-yard touchdown pass provided the Jr. Argonauts with a cushion, one that came in handy when Chris Moutsatsos found Brandon Chenier on the receiving end of a 10-yard TD strike.

"Offensively, I think we saw what we, as coaches, have to do when our run game doesn't get going," said Rehel. "We need to get more of our receivers in man-to-man situations, connecting on some short passes."

Defensively, it would be hard for Rehel to ask for more from his unit, who limited Toronto to somewhere around 80 yards of gross offense, with a net total of 50 or so once plays that resulted in a loss of yardage are added in.

Though the defeat was a tough one to swallow, Rehel is not about to let this crew hang their heads. "We're 2-2 and still have a shot at making the playoffs," he said. "I'm definitely not upset at where we are."

The Gladiators are back on the road this coming weekend, making their longest trek of the season when they face the Brantford Bisons on Saturday (June 27) at 5 p.m.