ALLIANCE BOWL V
BRADENTON VS ORLANDO
Miramar -- With legacies on the line in Miramar, it's fitting that two teams with so much history, both this season and in past league championships, face each other in the culmination of the 2011-12 season and playoffs.
The Bradenton Gladiators are on a 12-game winning streak to get here, besting the Miami Spartans (23-0) and the Magic City Bulls (10-7) in the divisional playoffs and AFC championship to reach the FFA title game.
The Rage are on a three-game winning streak, beating the Palm Beach Makos (64-7 last regular season game), Tri-County Soldiers (41-12) and the Daytona Beach Wildcats (30-20) in the playoffs to reach the alliance Bowl. They finished the regular season 11-1, making them the first team in FFA history to have three straight seasons with at least 11 wins.
ABOUT THE Gladiators (12-0): Defense has sparked the unblemished season for the G-men, who have surrendered only 7 points in two postseason. Led by #5 Darian Platt the Gladiators has only given up a league leading 7.7 points per game. If defense wins championships the Bradenton Gladiators may just win their first one. #23 Chris Hall, #55 Wickliff Lespinasse and #24 Keon Hines is the anchors of this smothering ameba we know as the G-Men defense. Offensively the Gladiators sport a balanced attack ranked third in the FFA averaging 30 points per game. The Gladiators are lead by #2 Chauncey Jones and #1 Jeff Charlton both FFA All stars and veterans to big games. The Gladiators are the FFA's only undefeated team for a reason and any one doubting them may just have to find out the hard way how good they are.
ABOUT THE Rage (11-1): #7 Kyle Israel followed up a 2012 record-setting effort with one of his worst postseason performances in a 30-20 win over the Daytona Beach Wildcats in the NFC title game. He was picked off three times yet he still bounced back to throw three touchdown passes. Israel overcame a wobbly start to complete four fourth down conversions on the games deciding drive against Wildcats. Levi Raines is one of the centerpieces of the Rage's high-powered offense, rushing for 1272 yards and 11TD. The Rage sports the FFA's number one offense averaging 39.1 points per game. The Rage defense which gets over shadowed by their offense is still a main stay for the Rage's recipe for success. The defense led by #85 Donald Orelus and rookie sensation #24 Jerrel McCoy is the FFA's sixed ranked defense only giving up 17.9 points per game.
Final Thoughts (FFA): For three straight yearsThe Alliance Bowl hascome down to a final play, why? It's because the FFA gets it right and the team who survives the gauntly and make it to the Alliance Bowl are battle tested. This means the two teams are evenly matched and the game comes down to three key elements turnovers, mistakes and coaching. Since both teams boast the league's best coaching staff & Special Teams look for the game to come down to turnovers and defense. The Gladiators have the edge in both categories giving up very few turnovers and leading the FFA in defense. The Rage have experience in big games and they have the rings to show for it. Its the 12-0 Bradenton Gladiators VS the 11-1 Orlando Rage in the Florida Football Alliance's Alliance BOWL V!!
GLADIATORS RANKED NATIONALLY AFTER AFC CHAMPIONSHIP
April 22, 2012
Bradenton Patch
The team heads to Miramar for the Florida Football Alliance bowl.
The Bradenton Gladiators won the AFC Conference Championship Saturday night and are now ranked at 2 nationally in the Semi-Pro Football League nationwide.
The team beat the Magic City Bulls 10-7 to clinch the title. The game was a defensive battle. Strong defense on both sides left the first quarter scoreless. The second quarter looked like it was going to be a repeat of the first until with only 3.1 seconds left, Gladiators kicker Philip Chaltis scored a field goal to end the first half 3-0.
The second half started with Gladiators Chris Hall scoring a touchdown. The Bulls answered back with a touchdown by Johnny "The Show" Johnson in the fourth quarter. With less than a minute left the Bulls made it to the 10 yard-line and were going for a touchdown pass, but Gladiators Darian Platt intercepted the attempt to shut down the Bulls bid for the AFC Conference Championship title.
The Bradenton Gladiators, still the only undefeated team in the AFC, are heading to Miramar to play against the Orlando Rage in the Florida Football Alliance Bowl V May 4th to May 6th. They will be playing at the Ansin Sports Complex - 10801 Miramar Blvd.
BRADENTON VS. MIAMI
The Bradenton Gladiators will host the Miami Bulls at 7 p.m. Saturday at the PAL Sports Complex, 13th Avenue East at U.S. 301 in Bradenton. $7. 941-320-7576.
UNDEFEATED BRADENTON GLADIATORS TO HOST CONFERENCE FINALS IN FOOTBALL
By Thomas Becnel, Herald-Tribune
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The best thing about covering the Gladiators, Bradenton's semi-pro football team, is that I can interview players right as they come off the field.
After Keon Hines recovered a fumble against the Miami Spartans on Saturday, we talked during the extra point. "If I'm the second or third person on a tackle, I'm going for the ball," he said, high-fiving buddies on the sideline. "One of my teammates says I actually stripped the ball from him, but I got it and scored the touchdown." Bradenton team went on to a 22-0 win over the Spartans.
Some of the younger Gladiators are former high school stars who still dream of college and even pro football. Hines, a 27-year-old who manages a flooring company in Bradenton, is more realistic. Click here for full story.
UNDEFEATED GLADIATORS HEAD TO THE PLAY-OFFS
March 4, 2012 (Toni Whitt)
After defeating the Millionaires in Saturday's game, the Gladiators head into the play-offs with a 10-0 record.
The Bradenton Gladiators finished the regular semi-pro adult football season undefeated in the Florida Football Alliance League. The Gladiators are the only team this year to finish with the 10-0 record.
Jeff Charlton started the first quarter with a 45-yard reception from Quarterback Nicholas Kirby for the first touchdown of the game. The second quarter saw a repeat of Jeff Charlton catching a 70 yard pass from Kirby to score another touchdown ending the half at 14-0.
The second half started off with Sarasota Millioniares getting on the board with a 2 point safety. Gladiator Chris Hall came back to rush for a 3-yard touchdown, while Jeff Charlton finished the third quarter with a 70 yard punt return touchdown ending the third quarter 28-2.
The Millionaires came back in the fourth quarter with another 2 point safety. Millionaire Cho Cho Brown rushed 3 yards to put the Millionaires on the board with their only touchdown of the game and made the 2 point conversion to end the game Gladiators 28 Millionaires 12.
Green Bay Packers Corner Back Sam Shields was the Millionaires honorary Captain of Saturday's game.
The Florida Football Alliance play-offs start Saturday but the Gladiators have a bye week. The Gladiators will have a home field advantage when they play their first play-off game on April 14th at PAL.
(Click here for entire story)
GLADIATORS REMAIN UNDEFEATED AS THEY ROUT THE CHARLOTTE REIGN
March 25, 2012 (Toni Whitt)
Bradenton Patch
The Bradenton Gladiators continued their undefeated season Saturday with a resounding win against the Charlotte County Reign in Port Charlotte on Saturday.
Anthony Hargrove, owner of the Reign, was at the game meeting with the fans after he recently signed with the Green Bay Packers.
But the Gladiators showed were not affected by Hargrove. Craig Carnes started the first quarter off by stealing the ball on kick-off for a touchdown. Jeff Charlton caught a 50 yard pass from Quarterback Nicholas Kirby for a touchdown. That was followed by Craig Carnes 8 yard rush for the third touchdown in the first quarter.
During the second quarter Lenorris Brown's interception from the Reign led to the touchdown Jeff Charlton caught making the score 28-0. Chris Hall made a 30 yard rush touchdown and Vantrez Yarn intercepted for a 70 yard return touchdown making the final score of the game 43-0.
The next game is in Sarasota against the Millionaires. The game begins Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Booker High School.
GLADIATORS ARE 6-0 AFTER WIN IN MIAMI
March 4, 2012 (Toni Whitt)
Gladiators get their revenge against the team that knocked them out of the running for the State Championship last year with a 27-17 win over the Miami Magic City Bulls.
The Bradenton Gladiators had something to prove Saturday night as they faced off against the Miami Magic City Bulls.
Last year the Bulls knocked the Gladiators out of the running for the State Championship and went on to take the state title themselves. But the Gladiators came prepared to exact a little revenge on Saturday night.
The undefeated Gladiators, who were on the road against the Bulls (4-2), were much improved in executing their offensive plays while the defense and specials teams played strong against the Bulls. (Click here for entire story)
BRADENTON GLADIATORS REMAIN UNDEFEATED
The Gladiators took their fifth straight win after defeating the Sarasota Millionaires 27-16.
February 19, 2012 (Toni Whitt)
The Bradenton Gladiators won a tough fought defensive battle against the Sarasota Millionaires (3-2) to continue the team's undefeated streak in the first part of the semi-professional football season.
The Gladiators Offensive team was not making the necessary connections between their players for Saturday's game, which was marked by interceptions, fumbles and blocks.
The defensive teams showcased their strength from the beginning, leaving the first quarter scoreless. The first touchdown came 4 minutes into the second quarter when Gladiators linebacker Darian Platt scored. The Millionaires immediately answered when Ben Johnson made the team's first touchdown, followed by a two point conversion. (Click here for entire story)
GLADIATORS DOMINATE WARRIORS
NORTH LARGO -- The Bradenton Gladiators defense recorded two safeties and scored a touchdown Saturday during a 40-6 road win over the Bay Area Warriors in Florida Football Alliance play. Linebacker Darian Pratt intercepted a pass and lateral to Chris Hall, who scored a third-quarter touchdown.
Chauncey Jones, Bon Bean, Jeff Charlton and Craig Carnes scored offensive touchdowns for the Gladiators, who are 3-0.
Bradenton hosts the Charlotte County Reign at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at the PAL Sports Complex, 202 13th Ave. E.
BRADENTON GLADIATORS TAKE DOWN THE X-MEN
Bradenton Patch (Toni Whitt)
January 29, 2012
The team traveled to Jacksonville on Saturday and brought home a decisive victory. The Bradenton Gladiators dominated Jacksonville's X-Men on Saturday bringing home a 27-7 win in their second game of the season.
The Gladiators defense was formidable throughout the game.
Chris Peterson ran the ball for the first touchdown of the game with just 2:13 left in the first quarter. A personal foul was called on the X-Men on a blocked extra point attempt. The Gladiators second attempt for the extra point was good and the team took a 7 point lead going into the second quarter. Jeff Charlton scored in the second quarter making it 14-0 at the half.
Click here for entire article
BRADENTON GLADIATORS WIN HOME OPENER
Bradenton Magazine (Published January 22, 2012)
The Bradenton Gladiators Football tram dominated in their home opener against the Orlando Phantoms Saturday night at Bradenton's PAL Complex.
The Phantoms are a new team this year.
Before Saturday's home opener, the team's coach offered some insights on the team's performance last year and what he expects this year.
"I am very excited about the upcoming season," said Coach Wendell Faison. "The past season was good for us. Though a trip to the league championship eluded us, we were able to combine veterans with several new and young players in key positions." Click here for entire article.
GLADIATORS CARE PROGRAM CONTINUES TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITY
Press Release
The Bradenton Gladiators were doing more than just spending time with its family and friends during the holidays; they were continuing to assist those in the community in any way that they can. To ensure that needy families were able to enjoy their holiday, the Gladiators pulled together to organize its Thanksgiving giveaway on November 23, 2011. Click here for entire article.
IT'S GLADIATOR FOOTBALL TIME!!!!
Coming off another winning season; the Gladiators finished the regular season 9-1, obtained their 5th divisional championship in seven years and advanced to the conference championship game for the third time in team history.
Gladiators' Head Coach, Wendell Faison, and coaching staff ended the season on a positive note by leading the Florida Football Alliance's AFC All-Stars to victory over the NFC in the league's All-Star game. He is the first AFC coach in the four-year history of the FFA to accomplish this task.
When asked about the 2011-2012 football season, Coach Faison said "I am very excited about the upcoming season. The past season was good for us. Though a trip to the league championship eluded us, we were able to combine veterans with several new and young players in key positions. We found out who wants to compete and who doesn't and we are looking for more players who want to compete".
"Success depends on who shows up in October and how dedicated we are in our preparations for the season", Faison said.
The Gladiators are looking for prospective players to add the numbers needed to have depth and competition at each position. Potential players should be 18 and older in Manatee / Sarasota County and surrounding areas with the passion for playing football and looking to make it to the next level.
Gladiators practices are held at Lincoln Park located at
715 17th Street East in Palmetto, FL (click for map link)
every Tuesday and Thursday
from 8:00pm to 10:00pm.
Practice will begin promptly at 8:00pm.
Please arrive 15-20 minutes before the start time to warm up.
Registration fees are $30 for new players and $20 for returning players. Registration fees can be paid by cash, money order, or credit card and due at registration. Additional information will be provided to those qualified applicants at the time of registration and on the website.
GLADIATORS PARTNER WITH ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR
The Bradenton Gladiators are very excited about the new partnership with Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Gladiators' players, friends, and fans can now benefit from special discounted rates available exclusively to them. To take advantage of these great rates, just create an account and make your reservation....it is just that easy.
| Click below to Create Account |
Click below to Make Reservation |
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