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Varsity Gladiators lock up a playoff spot

Sudbury boys wrap up regular season and have a week off before playoffs start.
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The Sudbury Gladiators came out on top in a must-win game against the Vaughan Rebels on the weekend. The win sends the Gladiators to the playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons. File photo. 

It was a game that the Sudbury Gladiators had to win, and more importantly, knew they should win.

Taking to the road on Sunday, the Gladiators blanked the 1-6 Vaughan Rebels by a final count of 28-0, securing fourth place and the final playoff berth in the North Division of the Ontario Football Conference.

"We pretty well took care of business throughout the game," said Sudbury head coach Aaron Rehel.

"We relied on the running game a little more this week, which allowed us to move the ball more methodically instead of just jumps with big plays."

Entering the contest with a record of 3-4, and fully aware that a Huronia Stallions victory on Saturday had bumped the Barrie team briefly ahead in the standings at 4-4, the locals might have still been guilty of slight overconfidence early in the match.

Vaughan marched with their first possession, driving deep into Sudbury territory before a fumble was recovered by Gladiators' linebacker Graeme Stevens. 

That wake up call was all that Rehel and company needed, as the varsity crew advanced to the post-season for the seventh time in their eight years of existence.

Noah Skuce hauled in a pair of touchdown passes from Samson Recollet, Riley Roy returned an interception all the way back for a quick six points, and running back Djuwa N'Galamulume celebrated his return to the lineup with a score of his own, all while the Sudbury defense recorded their first shutout of the year.

Snapping a three-game losing skid, Rehel was more than happy to expound on the positives. 

"In games like this, you hope to get the guys that are deeper in the roster some playing time," he said. "I saw a lot of guys who can make plays within our roster. It was nice to see us building a little depth from within, across different sides of the ball." 

While the playoffs offer some familiarity to the local team, post-season victories have been hard to come by, with the Gladiators seeking to reverse a trend that has seen the team drop six straight first round battles.

The Gladiators may have caught a break in this regard, as a somewhat surprising Toronto Jr. Argonauts win over the Peterborough Wolverines earlier in the year means the GTA club has secured first place, and with it, home field advantage versus the Northern Ontario lads come Saturday, July 30.

The locals went toe to toe with the Jr. Argos in late June in Toronto, losing 23-21. Furthermore, it was the same opponent who eliminated Sudbury from post-season play in 2015, leaving a host of veterans on this team with no lack of extra motivation.

"With the bye week, we're getting a chance to do a lot of self-analysis," said Rehel. 

"We're going to try and perfect our own systems, and make sure that everything that we do, and we know, that we are aligned properly.

"The following week, that's when we really start bearing down and look at attacking the Toronto offense, defense, special teams." 

The Gladiators held a 21-9 lead late in the game against Toronto, surrendering a pair of late touchdowns in the loss.

That said, Rehel is hopeful that his squad can once again limit the damage that is inflicted via the Argos passing game, led by an athletic, gun-slinging quarterback.

 "To be honest, I think if we get a good pass rush from our front four, causing some sort of disruption, we really give ourselves a chance," he said.

"I'm very blitz-happy. I'll often send five, six guys, whcih takes away a little from other areas." 

Still, if the defensive line of Devin McCulloch, Eric Greene, Brandon Maki and Justin Villeneuve can create chaos on their own, all the better.

The Sudbury Junior Gladiators picked up their second win of the year in Vaughan, knocking off the Rebels 24-6. 

The locals will complete their regular season at home this coming Saturday, hosting the North Halton Crimson Tide at 4 p.m. at the James Jerome Sports Complex.


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