Gladiators Come Back to Shock Sharks 41-40

(photo credit: Cleveland Gladiators/Twitter)

In a game in which many thought Cleveland would hang around but lose late, tonight at the Q the Gladiators pulled off a mild upset over the Sharks 41-40.  Collin Taylor led the charge once again with two touchdowns and 101 yards receiving on the night, including a clutch one-handed game winner with 34 seconds to go.  That makes 22 games in a row for Taylor with at least one touchdown.

Arvell Nelson maintained his focus and kept the team afloat despite being down by 12 going into the fourth quarter.  The young QB had a balanced night, passing for three touchdowns and rushing for three more.  Nelson, who started the season as a Jack Linebacker on the defensive side of the ball, took some hard hits, but he kept getting back up and he fought through the pressure and performed much better than he did in his first QB start last week.

The Gladiators bounced back from being outscored 21-0 by Orlando in the final quarter last week by pitching a fourth quarter 13-0 shut-out of their own over Jacksonville tonight.  Besides having a banged up receiving corps, the Glads also lost DB Joe Powell this week when he signed with the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles.

Despite the win, Cleveland is still two games under .500 and their defense gave up 131 receiving yards and four touchdowns by Joe Hills, as well as 48 yards on the ground by Derrick Ross.

The true leader of the Gladiators' team has been hot from the start.  And that is Collin Taylor. He caught the game-winning touchdown with 34.3 seconds left. The Sharks would get in position for a 29-yard field goal, but the kick was no good, giving the Gladiators the 41-40 victory.