IYAA football and cheerleading splits wins with Mildred
C-team safety Curtis Benson(1) fills the lane to stop a Mildred player from advancing further. (Barry Byers)
Italy — Head coached by Jasenio Anderson and assisted by Shedrick Walker, Bobby Wooldridge and IYAA coaching legend Gary Wood, the IYAA C-team Gladiators (K-2nd) is very young with only four holdovers from last season’s playoff squad but loaded with future stars.
Dustin Duke (the lone second grader), Curtis Benson, Cory Johnson and Damien Wooldridge have returned to lead a new cast of gold cladded Lil’ Gladiators as they all learn to be good teammates and to work and play hard when wearing ITALY across their chest.
Against Mildred on Saturday and at home on Willis Field, the C-team played their hearts of gold out against the larger more experienced Eagles but never wavered in their quest for a victory. Duke and Benson, who returned a kickoff earlier in the season back in the final moments to seal the C-team’s opening day win over Itasca, 31-25, led Italy’s offensive charge against Mildred.
Benson accounted for both Italy touchdowns but Mildred led by halftime and finished the game on top, 27-12. Defensively for Italy, Benson, Garred Wood, Duke, Wooldridge and Johnson played well along with Dylan Rose, Devin Anderson, Charles Davis, Elijah Davis, Jayden Story, Ryland Cagle, Kaelyn Cochran, Dereon Simmons and Christian Posey.
Italy’s C-team Gladiators are now 1-2 on the season but are still in the thick of things.
IYAA 2013 C-team Roster:
| Jersey # | Lil’ Gladiator |
| 1 | Curtis Benson |
| 3 | Jayden Story |
| 4 | Elijah Davis |
| 5 | Damien Wooldridge |
| 6 | Dylan Rose |
| 7 | Garred Wood |
| 8 | Devin Anderson |
| 11 | Ryland Cagle |
| 19 | Cory “Lucky” Johnson |
| 26 | Kaelyn Cochran |
| 29 | Dereon Simmons |
| 34 | Dustin Duke |
| 40 | Charles Davis |
| 77 | Christian Posey |
The IYAA B-team Gladiators powered by hard-hitting Ty Cash, the talented Laveranues Green, skill players Jalyn Wallace and John Hall, Jr., and quarterback Jeremy Munoz have their team on the hunt for another B-division championship and they have the roster to do it.
The B-team’s offensive line was extremely effective against Mildred with Bryce Ballard, Gabe Martinez, Phillip Huskins, Wyatt Ryan and Taylor Sparks controlling the line-of-scrimmage while Munoz masterfully orchestrated Italy’s scoring machine.
The rain began to pour by halftime but not neither Mildred nor mother nature could stop the Italy B-team from lighting up the scoreboard. Dylan Rose, Chance Shaffer, Osbaldo Rodriguez and Darrin Jackson helped finish off the Eagles, 26-7, as Italy improves to 3-0 on the season and remains at the top of their division standings.
Congratulations to head coach Carl Cash and assistant coaches Michael Davis, Cory Johnson and John Hall, Sr., definitely have their team on the right track.
IYAA 2013 B-team Roster:
| Jersey # | Gladiator |
| 2 | Jalyn Wallace |
| 5 | Jeremy Munoz |
| 7 | Laveranues Green |
| 9 | John Hall, Jr. |
| 10 | Ty Cash |
| 11 | Dustyn Rose |
| 22 | Taylor Sparks |
| 21 | Osbaldo Rodriguez |
| 30 | Bryce Ballard |
| 55 | Gabe Martinez |
| 80 | Jordan Clamon |
| 88 | Darrin Jackson |
| 89 | Wyatt Ryan |
| 90 | Phillip Huskins |
| 18 | Chance Shaffer |
IYAA president Charles Hyles invites parents, alumni and fans to the IYAA Homecoming games to be played on Saturday, October 19. There will be 4 games played on homecoming to make up for a rain cancellation from earlier in the season so it should be a fun-filled event. Game times are TBA.