1 October 2010 - Inside American Football

MATCH REPORTS
Gladiators Youth Storm to Division Title
Colchester Gladiators Youth 40 - Kent Exiles Youth 8
15th August 2010
The Colchester Gladiators Youth
completed their undefeated regular
season with a resounding 40 - 8 victory
over their closest divisional rivals, the
Kent Exiles, at the Royal Oak Stadium,
Harwich on Sunday 15th August. Both
teams are heading into the southern
playoffs but the Gladiators have
secured home field advantage for as
long as they stay alive in this year’s
competition.
The Gladiators, who already had six
wins and one tie from seven games,
were always favourites and their
defence started in typical fashion when
Isaac Hogarth recovered a loose ball
to set up the offence with a short field.
QB Curtis Bourke hit WR Richard
Day on a post pattern and RB Josh
Sijuwade powered over from the one
yard line. Following the Nick Waring
conversion the Gladiators led 8 - 0.
After the kickoff LB Adam Dickens
stripped the ball from an Exile runner
and the Gladiators recovered the ball
again. This time LB Piers Harrisson-
Reid was on the spot giving the
offence great field position. Sijuwade
bounced to the outside and ran in
untouched for the touchdown. Nick
36 Inside American Football - October 2010
Waring again kicked the conversion
and increased the lead to 16 points.
On their next possession the Exiles
tried the passing game on first down
and narrowly escaped another score
as safety Nick Waring intercepted
the wayward pass and ran in to the
endzone. The points were nullified
however as the referees called the
defensive penalty of ‘roughing the
passer’. This 15 yard penalty gave
the Exiles their only first down of the
day but three plays later they had to
punt the ball away. The next offensive
series for the Gladiators was a little
sloppy and soon they were punting
themselves. Punter Adam Dickens
unleashed a superb kick and by the
time Ben Smith had alertly downed the
ball at the Exiles two yard line it had
travelled 63 yards and the visitors were
up against it. The QB tried a short
pass which was picked off by nose
tackle Isaac Hogarth who rumbled into
the endzone for the touchdown only to
have it called back for another penalty
- this time it was for defensive offside.
During the second quarter the
Gladiators conceded only the second
touchdown of the season when a
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series of odd events and some
excellent awareness helped
the Exiles onto the board. QB
Bourke slipped as he attempted
to make the hand-off and the
ball ricocheted off the running
back’s knees and straight into
the arms of the defender who
happily sprinted 40 yards for
the touchdown. After the
conversion the score was 16 - 8.
This seemed to inspire (or
anger) the young Gladiators
who then marched straight down
to score again with running back
Sam Hogarth rushing for 14 and
11 yards before bursting through
for a 30 yard touchdown run.
The kick was not successful this
time and so the halftime score
was 22 - 8.
At the beginning of the second
half the Exiles Head Coach
boldly called for an onside
kick but Reece Youlton was
alert to recover the ball and
the Gladiators offence had the
ball on the Exiles 43 yard line.
Bruising running by Hogarth
and Bourke took the ball to the