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Las Vegas Gladiators game notes

March 16, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Las Vegas Gladiators News Release


GLADIATORS VS. SABERCATS: THE FACTS

Date: Saturday, March 20, 2004
Kickoff: 7:30 PM PT
Site: HP Pavilion (San Jose, CA)
Officials Referee: Pat Garvey, Umpire: Paul King, Head Linesman: Bill Ward, Line Judge: James Mello, Back Judge: Greg Steed

THE GAME CAN BE HEARD...

On ESPN Radio 920 in Las Vegas with Andrew Siciliano handling play-by-play and Mike Pritchard with color commentary.

THE SERIES – GLADIATORS VS. SABERCATS

This will be the second all-time meeting between the two teams. The SaberCats took the only other meeting last season as Mark Grieb threw four touchdown passes and the SaberCat defense scored two touchdowns en route to a SaberCat 72-37 victory in Las Vegas.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

Another division opponent, another pivotal game for Las Vegas, who tries to climb above .500 for the first time this season.

If the Gladiators win, it would...
• Give Las Vegas a 1-1 record against the SaberCats
• Give Las Vegas a 4-3 overall record
• Give Las Vegas a 2-2 road record

GLADIATORS LAST WEEK

GLADIATORS GET BY RATTLERS IN OVERTIME

Las Vegas, NV, March 14, 2004 – Army Ironman of the Game Maurice Bryant caught a three-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 64 in overtime and Brian Gowins' extra point sealed the Las Vegas Gladiators 65-64 victory over the Arizona Rattlers at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV.

The Rattlers tied the game with no time on the clock when Bo Kelly scored from one-yard out and Sherdrick Bonner hit Hunkie Cooper on the two-point conversion.

After a four-yard run by Kelly in OT gave the Rattlers a six-point lead, kicker Nelson Garner missed the extra point opening the door for a Gladiator victory.

The Gladiators evened their record at .500 behind Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Game Marcus Nash's team record for receptions (16) and receiving yards (192) in a game. Clint Dolezel lit up the scoreboard for 334 yards and eight touchdowns on 34-of-51 passing. Bryant caught 11 passes for 76 yards and three touchdowns on offense and totaled 2.5 tackles including one for a loss on the defensive side of the ball.

The Rattlers were led on offense by Bonner, who completed 23-of-31 passes for 239 yards and five touchdowns, four of them to Tom Pace. Pace finished the game with seven receptions for 85 yards and the aforementioned four touchdowns.

GLADIATORS NEXT WEEK

The Gladiators hit the road again as they travel to take on the Orlando Predators on Saturday, March 27. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 PM PT.

THE COACHES

Frank Haege (Third Season 20-16 regular season, 0-2 in playoffs)

The Las Vegas Gladiators third-year head coach can look back upon his first two seasons in the AFL and boast about his wide array of accomplishments. Haege led the Gladiators to the fourth-best record in the AFL and their first-ever playoff berth in franchise history in 2002.

The 2003 season was the first for the Gladiators in Las Vegas and Haege led them to a second consecutive playoff appearance and an 8-8 record.

In 2002 the Gladiators 9-5 record and first place finish in the Eastern Division of the National Conference was the biggest turnaround in AFL history. The Gladiators finished the 2002 regular season with seven more victories than the previous season.

Haege was named the second head coach of the New Jersey Gladiators on August 23, 2001. Haege brought with him six players and an assistant coach from the Steamwheelers.

Previously, he spent two years as the head coach and director of football operations with the Quad City Steamwheelers (af2) in 2000 and 2001. Haege posted a remarkable 37-1 record, including an undefeated 2000 season.

Haege is in his tenth season in the Arena Football League.

Darren Arbet (6th Season, 57-20 regular season, record, 6-3 playoffs)

One of the most successful head coaches in the Arena Football League, two-time Coach of the Year Darren Arbet enters his sixth campaign leading the SaberCats in 2004. Last season, Arbet guided the SaberCats to a league-high tying 12 victories, their fourth straight double-digit win season - the longest current streak in league history - and captured its fourth consecutive Western Division title and fifth overall. Along the way, Arbet earned his 50th career victory with a 71-49 win at Chicago on March 9, and achieved his 50th regular season victory with a 65-49 defeat of Colorado on April 27. He became the eighth coach in league history to win 50 career games and the second fastest to reach the milestone. San Jose also earned the top playoff seed in 2003 for a second straight season and the third time in four years. With a regular season winning percentage of .736 (53-19), Arbet ranks second in league history among coaches with at least 20 victories and his 59 career wins place him eighth in AFL annals.

Along with his duties as head coach, Arbet will also continue as the team's director of player personnel, a position he has held the past eight seasons. In that capacity he works with negotiating player contracts and has a decision in all personnel moves. Arbet was responsible for acquiring the nucleus of the 2002 team that won a league record 16 games and captured the first title in team history with the most lopsided game in ArenaBowl history. An original member of the team's coaching staff, Arbet became the SaberCats second head coach and ninth former Arena Football League player to be named head coach of an AFL franchise on January 13, 1999. Arbet joined the SaberCats for their inaugural season in 1995 as a defensive assistant and special teams coordinator. He was named the team's player personnel director the following season. Prior to joining the SaberCats, Arbet spent one year with the Albany Firebirds as an assistant to their defensive coordinator, and current Los Angeles assistant, Doug Kay. His duties at Albany included working with the fullbacks and linebackers, breaking down game film and handling the players' living arrangements. His previous year of head coaching experience came in 1993 when he guided the semi-pro River City Gamblers to a league championship.

GLADIATORS' NOTES AND TRENDS

All Of A Sutton

From the practice squad to the big time, Chameion Sutton started for the Gladiators at DS and totaled 9.5 tackles in quest to being named the games ADT Defensive Player of the Game against Arizona last week. It was his first game since finishing his college career at UNLV.

Big Smooth

Marcus Nash wanted to prove his worth as the program cover story last week against Arizona. He came out on a mission as he set Gladiators team records in receptions (16) and receiving yards in a game (192). Former Gladiator Mike Horacek held the previous records with 15 receptions against the Colorado Crush and against the Buffalo Destroyers when he went for 182 yards receiving. Nash is ranked number one in the league with 56 receptions and has 39 first downs. On the season he has 542 receiving yards and 11 TD's.

Turning Of The Tide

The Gladiators prevented losing yet another game to a Western Conference opponent last week when they came away with their first victory against the Arizona Rattlers. Las Vegas is now 1-6 against the Western Conference (1-3 vs. Arizona, 0-2 vs. Los Angeles and 0-1 vs. San Jose).

Perfection

In the three-year history of the Gladiators they are 5-0 in overtime games following their 65-64 victory over the Western Conference rival Arizona Rattlers on Sunday. Other overtime games the Gladiators have come away on top of are in a 62-61 victory over Indiana in 2001, a 76-69 win against New York and a 57-55 triumph over Toronto in 2002 and a 61-55 win vs. Tampa Bay in their first home game in Las Vegas last year.

Da' Club

Maurice Bryant was a man possessed last week when he played against his former team. With 11 receptions for 76 yards and three TD's, Bryant brought himself within four receptions of 200 for his career and was named the games Army Ironman of the Game.

Face Off

Cedric Pittman will be playing his former team this Sunday for the first time as the Gladiators travel to San Jose to face the SaberCats. Pittman played for San Jose during the 2003 season, but was limited to only three games of action due to injury. In his three games he contributed with four total tackles, 2.5 sacks and forced one fumble. For the SaberCats, OL/DL Brian Johnson is a familiar face in Las Vegas as he coaches high school football at Bishop Gorman as a defensive line coach.

Taylor Made

Marvin Taylor has excelled for the Red and Black since being acquired from the Philadelphia Soul prior to the first game of the 2004 season. Taylor stepping into the Gladiators defensive scheme and has flourished. On the season he is tied for the lead in the AFL with three interceptions and has 23 total tackles with five breakups. He is 2.5 tackles shy of 100 for his career and will be facing the SaberCats for the first time in his three-year career.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 16, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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