Gladiators Hold Off Storm 70-63

(photo credit: Cleveland Gladiators/Twitter)

The Tampa Bay Storm hosted the Cleveland Gladiators at the Amalie Arena in Tampa on Monday night. The Storm were looking for their first win of the season while the Gladiators were looking for their second win in a row.

The Storm scored on the second play of the game when T.T Toliver caught a Jason Boltus pass and took it the distance. The Gladiators scored on their first touchdown with a little trick play. Larry Beaver found Quentin Sims for a touchdown on a reverse play to tie the game at seven. 

After the Gladiators stopped the Storm on fourth down, Arvell Nelson found Collin Taylor for a touchdown, the 23rd straight game in which Taylor caught a touchdown, and the Gladiators led 13-7 after the first quarter.

In his AFL debut, Jamie Bender picked off a Boltus pass and returned it for a touchdown to give the Gladiators a 20-14 after the Storm retook the lead in the beginning of the second quarter. 

After the Storm scored to take the lead, they attempted an onside kick, which DB Joe Powell picked up and returned for a touchdown to make it a 28-21 lead after a successful two-point conversion. 

The two teams went back and forth the rest of the way, and the two teams went into the locker room tied at 35.

On a fourth and goal from the 23, the Gladiators scored when Nelson found Quentin Sims for a touchdown. 

The Gladiators would take their lead in to the fourth quarter.

With one minute left in regulation, with the score was tied at 56, Boltus found his new receiver in Julius Gregory to give the Storm a 63-56 lead with 54 seconds left. The Gladiators would tie it up with a Collin Taylor touchdown to send the game into overtime.

Like they did at the end of regulation, the Gladiators scored when Nelson found Beavers again. The Storm would have a chance to tie it up, but for the second straight week, Marvin Ross sealed a Gladiators win. The Storm remain winless at 0-7 while the Gladiators go to 4-4. The Storm will host the Rattlers this weekend and the Gladiators head back home to face the Philadelphia Soul for the third time this season.