Gladiators impress coach, foe
Duke City is 2-0 after win in its 2018 home opener
If there were any doubts that the Duke City Gladiators are a much-improved team over previous seasons, Saturday night’s Champions Indoor Football victory over the Wichita Force surely erased most of them.
The Gladiators (2-0) scored touchdowns on four straight drives in the first half to take charge in an eventual 60-38 win over Wichita (1-2) at Tingley Coliseum.
The victory comes on the heels of last week’s 36-12 road victory against the defending champion Texas Revolution and gives Duke City the best start in its four-season existence. The Gladiators are in a first-place tie with Amarillo in the CIF South Conference.
“If you told me at the beginning of the year that we’d be 2-0, I’d have told you that I’d take it even if we win by only point,” Duke City coach Dominic Bramante said. “We have a lot of talent on this football team. These guys are elite-level athletes.”
Joe Hubenor, starting quarterback for Wichita, would agree. He was under siege most of the game.
“Their D-line was coming hard,” said Hubenor, who was 7-for-16 for 86 yards and also rushed for a TD. “Their D-line is one of the best I’ve seen.”
Gladiator defenders Brett Bowers (eight tackles, 3½ for losses and Jayson Serda (nine tackles, one sack) led the way.
On offense, Duke City receiver Dello Davis was particularly impressive with
three scores. Two came in the fourth quarter to snuff out Wichita’s hopes to rally from an early 22-point deficit.
Probably the most backbreaking TD occurred with 11:48 left when Davis squirted 25 yards on a run along the left sideline to give Duke City a two-score lead again at 43-29. Less than six minutes later he provided the dagger when he caught a 26-yard TD pass from Caleb Holbrook. The two also teamed for a 32-yard score in the second period on which Davis caught the ball on the goal line with no defender within 25 yards.
Spicing up the attack was 313-pound offensive lineman Terrale Johnson, who scored on a 2-yard run in the second quarter.
Said Bramante: “Dello is electrifying. We have electrifying talent all around. We have elitelevel athletes that this city, this state has never seen. No disrespect to UNM, which has sent us some of their best players.”
Included in that group would be Fatu Ulale, a defensive lineman who had seven tackles.
TAKING A HIT: In the final minutes Bramante took a shot along the boards when the Gladiators were making a return on a botched point-after attempt.
“I’m doing good,” Bramante said. “That’s what happens inside the walls. Everybody’s vulnerable. It’s not the first time I took a shot. In fact, I think my guy (Darrain Winston) did it a little on purpose.”
Said Davis, who gave his coach grief on the bench afterward: “We said coach needs to do some conditioning drills with us.”
DISTANT JOURNEY: The Force endured its longest trip of the year to reach Albuquerque.
“Took 10 hours,” Force coach Morris Lollar said before the game of the 600-mile bus ride the team took Friday. “It was tough.”
The Gladiators will learn firsthand how tough when they make a return trip for games on May 5 and in the season finale June 9.
UPCOMING: The Gladiators will be home next week against the Dallas Marshals, the third straight team to face the Gladiators off a bye. A week later Amarillo visits, followed by the Revolution. GLADIATORS 60, FORCE 38 Wichita 6 13 10 9—38 Duke City 7 30 0 23—60 Att: Estimated 1,800