Coming off an undefeated regular season, the Sudbury Gladiators are looking to come back from a tough first round upset at the hands of the Nipissing Wild and finally get to the championship game.
“It’s not easy, when you get to the playoffs,” said Gladiators head coach Brent Richer. “You are playing top calibre teams when you get to the playoffs no matter what.”
“Expectations are high, everybody is waiting to see how we will respond.”
However there is no panic, Richer knows what his team has to do.
“Our expectations are the same as always, get to the playoffs,” said Richer. “We have been fortunate enough over the past two seasons since they made the north division, that we have won it. You get to the playoffs and anything can happen.”
“You can ask our team from last year about that.”
Richer believes the reason they haven’t been able to make a championship game yet is because of little mistakes.
“For us to succeed, it’s always the same every year, eliminate the little mistakes,” said Richer. “The little things we do wrong in the regular season are amplified in the playoffs, and we do them even worse.”
The biggest loss for the Gladiators comes at quarterback. Dan Poirier who had been on the team the past three seasons is gone and two young players Hunter Holub and Aaron Campbell, younger brother of former Gladiators quarterback Travis Campbell, will step in and fight for the job.
Injuries will take away the services of Emerson Carniel who lead the Gladiators in interceptions with eight, six more then the next best last season and Cameron McDonald. Both are recovering from knee injuries suffered during the high school season.
The Gladiators have a shortened training camp this season and are focusing on doing the basics.
“Right now we are looking for chemistry and to fill needed holes,” said Richer. “We lost some key players from last year.”
“We are looking to see which guys fit in our system the best and make it work.”
That system, with rookie quarterbacks will be playing small ball on offense, similar on a smaller scale to the 2000 Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens.
“We are really hammering home ball control, security, and to not turn it over,” said Richer. “We can go two and out and live for another series, rather than try to squeeze the ball in to a young receiver from a rookie quarterback.”
“We are really stressing the technique, just know the play and run the play.”
The Gladiators were big up front on the offensive line last season, a line that is all returning. They are what Richer sees as the team’s biggest strength.
“That is another year together, they are a big big group,” said Richer. “Alex Hynes who may be our biggest lineman just came up and he has two more years with us.”
Other key returning players are running back Zacharie Roque who rushed for 489 yards on just 52 carries which gave him a very impressive 9.4 yards per carry. On defense, sack leader Logan Bisschops will return to the defensive line.
The Gladiators schedule is favourable. Three out of the first four games are at home, and their one road game is away at North Bay.
“It gives our young guys an opportunity to settle in and sink their teeth in, feel comfortable,” said Richer.
There are a number of new teams that the Gladiators haven’t face before but there is one game that Richer says the team is looking forward to on their schedule.
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