New coach, same goal for JV Gladiators

Coming off two sub-par season the Sudbury Gladiators Junior Varsity team will look to match success the senior team has been able to capture.

“We beat the teams that we need to beat, but then we lose to the upper level teams,” said Gladiators head coach Kevin Garbio.  “We need to take that next step into beating those teams.”

“They shouldn’t be shockers anymore when we take on teams like Burlington and Twin Cities. We have seen the senior team beat Burlington and Twin Cities in the past and that was the turning point for that program, that was when they started winning divisions.”

Garbuio is in his first season as the junior varsity head coach and is just looking forward to getting the season underway.

“We think we have a good team, we see some good things in practice but it will be nice to go up against another team and see how we match up,” said Garbuio.

For Garbuio it is going to be a little different giving out the orders.

“It was something I wasn’t really thinking about this year, but now my word is the final word, I can get used to this,” said Garbuio.  “You notice the pressure, it is something I never really had before but it is something I can get used to. I am just really relishing the responsibility.”

The talent that he has coming back on the roster will take some of the pressure off him.

The biggest returning player will be defensive tackle Eric Fraser who recently went down to Texas with Team Ontario. They will also be leaning heavily on running back Thomas Rideout.

“He had a great year in high school and he came into camp in great shape,” said Garbuio.  “He has surprised us a bit with some of the things he is capable of.”

“His athleticism has shot through the roof.”

A loss for the junior team is a major gain for the senior team, but the junior team will miss linebacker Connor Mick and quarterback Hunter Holub who threw for 647 yards with 5 touchdowns last season.

“You can’t hope to have players in the same position replace them,” said Garbuio.  “You need the younger guys to step up.”

“Like Thomas Rideout, we will have a running back to lean on rather than leaning on our quarterback.”

 

The biggest challenge for their team is learning on a week to week basis.

“It’s the same challenge as every year, we have to see what we have and adapt from there,” said Garbuio.  “We know what we have, but it may not work, so after week one we can tinker.”

“We just have to evolve, we need the ability to grow as an offense as a defense and as a team.”

Team chemistry is a major factor in a long playoff run and it is something that Garbuio thinks should come somewhat naturally.

“Building a team, a lot of it has to be organic I find. There is only so much a coach can do,” said Garbuio.  “ The team needs a good mix of the jokesters, and the serious guys.”

“We have a good mix of that this year. If you look at championship teams they have a good mix of guys who keep the mood light and have guys who know when to be serious as well.”

Regardless of the result Garbuio wants his team to battle every game.

“We really want to be a tough team to play against,” said Garbuio.  “We want to take shots when we have the chance, make sure we are physical, and play to the finish.”

“Some games you win some games you lose, but we want to make sure we are in every game.”

The Gladiators open the season against Peterborough at home on Saturday May 25 at 1 p.m.