Gladiators can lock up conference with a win tonight
With two weeks left in the regular season, the Duke City Gladiators already have clinched a Champions Indoor Football playoff berth and home game for the first round of the postseason. But they want more.
Tonight at 6:05 p.m. in Tingley Coliseum, the Gladiators will be out to win the league’s South Conference and secure the top seed with a victory against the Texas Revolution (4-6). That result guarantees Duke City would be awarded a second-round home playoff game if it progresses that far. The Gladiators also would clinch if Amarillo (7-3) loses at home tonight to Quad Cities (7-3) of the North Conference.
And, since the Gladiators (8-2) have the best record in the league, they also are close to securing home field throughout all three rounds.
“Getting to play at home, it’s so important,” quarterback Caleb Holbrook said after Thursday’s early-morning practice. “We’ve been preaching that all year because of the altitude. When you have a North team coming up to 5,000 (feet) that’s a real advantage.”
Holbrook has led the league’s highest-scoring offense (57.8 points a game) with 30 TD throws and only three INTs. That’s 10 fewer interceptions than he had last season when playing for the CIF’s Bloomington Edge.
“This is my third year and it’s just playing smart football,” he said. “It’s knowing when to force the ball in, or to throw it away and live for another play.”
The Gladiators have an extra bounce in their step of late thanks in part to receiving a forfeit April 28 when the Dallas franchise ceased operations and then a bye two weeks later. Prior to that, Duke City played seven straight weeks, including an exhibition, coming directly out of training camp.
“We feel great going into the last portion of the season and then heading into the tournament,” said defensive back Jayson Serda, a Manzano/ENMU alum. “A couple byes like that gave us a chance to get our bodies healthy.”
Serda has been a defensive dynamo all season and had a team-high four hurries of Amarillo’s QB last week in a 79-63 home victory. But, alas, no sacks.
“The way the defense is set up, I get some shots at the quarterback,” he said. “Yeah, I want to get those sacks, but anything to help the team.”
He does have five of the Gladiators’ league-best 25 sacks this season.
Coach Dominic Bramante’s team is in uncharted waters, having never had a home playoff berth before, much less a conference crown. But he said his players aren’t dwelling on their achievements.
“You would never know we’re 8-2,” Bramante said. “You never hear us talking about it. The one thing I like about this team is that they understand it’s all about the tournament.
“We’re not arrogant. We’re a lunch-pail team that just goes to work. This league is tough, real tough, and we know it. Half the teams are at least 7-3. It’s going to be a battle.”
The CIF title game is scheduled for the weekend of June 30/July 1 at the home of the highest remaining seed.
SPECIAL HONOR: Duke City kicker Kimo Naehu was named the CIF’s Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance last week against the Venom. Naehu was 1-for-1 on field goal tries and 10-for-11 on extra-point attempts.
UP NEXT: The Gladiators close the regular season next Saturday in Wichita against the Force, which is scrambling for one of the final playoff berths available in the eight-team tournament.
“We’re thinking they could be the team we wind up playing the first round,” Bramante said of the game scheduled for June 16 at Tingley.
There are four other teams they also could play, including three from the North the Gladiators haven’t faced this season. That means getting a jump-start on film study for the coaching staff.
“Actually, we’ve been doing that (film work) all season since we knew the wild card we’d face could be coming from the North,” Bramante said. “All the teams are doing it because this league has a lot of great coaches.”
TINGLEY CONFLICT: A World Wrestling Entertainment event is booked at Tingley for Saturday, June 23, which would be the second week of the playoffs. If the Gladiators were to play host to a game that round the building would be available the following Monday, June 25, according to Expo New Mexico general manager Dan Mourning.