Semipro football: Great Falls Gladiators win
The Great Falls Gladiators defeated the Magic Valley Bulldawgs 17-14 in the Gladiators’ home opener Saturday night at Memorial Stadium, but it was a case of woulda-coulda-shoulda.
But for some mistakes in the first half, the game could have easily been a blowout. But a win is a win is a win, and they’ll take it just the same.
“We made it closer than it needed to be,” head coach Jason Kjono said. “We made a few mistake here and there, but I’m proud of our guys for sticking together and pulling it out.”
The Gladiators scored on their first possession after Mike Pease recovered a blocked punt on the Magic Valley 21. Antney Rhanes hit Marshane Haynes with a tidy little six-yard toss to break the ice with 7½ minutes left in the first.
The Bulldawgs countered early in the second as Ryan Verwey hit Cody Quinn from eight yards away to tie the score, but the Gladiators reclaimed the lead two minutes later when Rhanes and Haynes hooked up on a 10-yard pass play.
A 27-yard field goal from Jordan Cunningham made it 17-7 at the break.
The Bulldawgs score late in the fourth when Verway hit Justin Aslett with a 45-yard bomb, but a 42-yard field goal try by Paul Dickey fell well short.
Great Falls had their opportunities to make it a blowout in the first half. An ineligible man downfield flag wiped out a spectacular one-handed grab by Jermaine Saunders, and a block in the back penalty kept Rey Dunn out of the end zone after Dunn picked off a Verwey pass and returned it 85 yards for what would have been a touchdown. The Gladiators finished with nine flags for 55 yards.
“We’re so close to being great again,” Kjono added, referring to the Rocky Mountain Football League title the Gladiators won in 2010 and 2011. “We eliminate the mistakes and we’re there.”
The Gladiators also lost Haynes for the entire second half.
“His knee tightened up on him, and we don’t want to lose him for the season,” Kjono said of his star wideout. “We shut him down as a precaution.”
Haynes had two catches, both for touchdowns, and totaled 16 yards. Rhanes was just 6-for-18 through the air for 97 yards. He threw three interceptions.
“We were a little run-heavy tonight with the change in the weather,” Kjono said. “We just did what we could.”
The Gladiators will host the Brigham Sting and the return of former Great Falls QB and now-league commissioner Brad Thurber for his uniform retirement ceremony next Saturday at 7 at Memorial Stadium.
Magic Valley …0 7 0 7 — 14
Great Falls …7 10 0 0 — 17
First quarter
GF – Marshane Haynes 6 pass from Antney Rhanes (Jordan Cunningham kick), 7:31
Second quarter
MV – Cody Quinn pass from Ryan Verwey (Paul Dickey kick), 11:46
GF – Haynes 10 pass from Rhanes (Cunningham kick), 9:47
GF – FG Cunningham 27, 0:26
Third quarter
No scoring
Fourth quarter
MV – Justin Aslett 45 pass from Verwey (Dickey kick), 5:14