The Italy Gladiators turned muddogs to defeat the Kerens Bobcats for the title
Senior receiver Trevon Robertson(3) eludes Bobcat tacklers on his way to a 32 yard gain against Kerens to help the Italy Gladiators route the Bobcats 33-7. Robertson contributed 163 all-purpose yards to the Gladiator cause to earn his team’s game MVP honor. (Barry Byers)
Italy — With a soggy Willis Field field quickly deteriorating into a mud pit, it was the Italy Gladiators who handled the treacherous surface like champs. In fact, the Gladiators mudded their way to 392 total yards of offense and 4 touchdowns to claim the 2013 1A-1 Region II District 6 Championship outright with a 33-7 thrashing of over the visiting Bobcats.
Thanks to 3 rushing touchdowns from quarterback TaMarcus Sheppard and another from Coby Bland, the 6-4 Gladiators completed a 5-0 win streak in district and will bring home the golden football for the third consecutive season. The Gladiators will return to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season and earn an automatic bi-district championship for the second straight season.
More big plays were turned by Cody Boyd, Ryan Connor and Sheppard with each intercepting a Bobcat pass. Sheppard converted his pick into a defensive touchdown, the second defensive score for the Gladiators this season. After a Gladiator touchdown, Cody Medrano recovered a kickoff by teammate Kevin Roldan to set up Italy’s offense. Bailey Walton nearly had a safety but managed to force an incomplete pass out of the end zone and Zain Byers popped the ball out during a tackle but Keren’s recovered that one for a loss on the play. Bland was bullish running the ball all night but Robertson’s 78 rushing yards on 4 carries paved the way for Italy’s success despite the slippery surface.
It was a fitting end to Senior Night for our 12 senior players, 2 senior cheerleaders and 2 senior band members who exited Willis Field bursting with pride.