Philly Sports Jabronis
Report From Philadelphia Soul
CLEVELAND — The Philadelphia Soul (7-2) suffered their first loss on the road, falling to the Cleveland Gladiators (5-4) in front of 11,278 fans at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH on Saturday night.
“Cleveland came out to win tonight and they were the stronger team,” said Soul head coach Clint Dolezel. “We made too many mistakes tonight but we have to correct them and prepare for Jacksonville next week.”
Soul WR Darius Reynolds led the receivers with nine receptions for 144 yards and three touchdowns. Ryan McDaniel tallied eight catches for 97 yards and three touchdowns. Shaun Kauleinamoku reached two major career milestones tonight, completing his 400th pass and reaching 5,000 receiving yards with seven receptions for 99 yards and one touchdown. Gladiators’ WR and J. Lewis Small Playmaker of the Game, Quentin Sims led the offense with 10 receptions for 114 yards and three touchdowns.
Philadelphia QB Dan Raudabaugh completed 25-of-44 passes for 342 yards and seven touchdowns. Cleveland QB and Under Armour Offensive Player of the Game Arvell Nelson completed 22-of-36 passes for 307 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Soul lost the coin toss and Gladiators kicked off to start the game. The Soul were unable to complete a first down, turning over the ball to the Gladiators. Nelson quickly found Collin Taylor for the Gladiators’ first touchdown of the night. Trevino’s kick was good and the Gladiators took the lead 7-0 with 7:56 left in the quarter. Raudabaugh fired back with a 26-yard pass to McDaniel, putting the Soul on the board 7-7 with 4:56 remaining. Another quick turn around for the Gladiators as Nelson found Larry Beavers for a 49-yard touchdown. Kick was good and with 2:08 left in the quarter, the Gladiators took back the lead 14-7. Money Reynolds helped tie up the game with a 29-yard catch with 2:08 remaining. A Gladiators’ fumble on the kick return gave the Soul possession and Raudabaugh capitalized with an 11-yard pass to SK for a touchdown. At the end of the first quarter, the Soul led 21-14.
The Gladiators started the second quarter off strong with a quick touchdown by Quentin Sims, bring the game back to a 21-21 tie. The Soul were again unable to complete a first down, turning over the ball. Nelson connected with Sims again for a 4-yard touchdown. The kick was good and with 8:25 to play in the half, the Soul trailed 28-21. Raudabaugh found Money with a 37-yard touchdown pass and with 7:10 to play in the half, the Soul tied back up 28-28. The Gladiators responded with a 14-yard pass to Sims for his second touchdown of the night. The kick was good, and at the end of the first half, the Soul trailed 35-28.
Another strong start by the Gladiators’ with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Beavers, giving Cleveland the lead 42-28. McDaniel found his second touchdown of the night with a 10-yard pass by Raudabaugh. Kick was good and with 10:19 left in the quarter, the Soul still trailed 42-35. On their next possession, Nelson handed off to Phillip-Keith Manley for his first rushing touchdown of the night. The Soul responded with a 10-yard touchdown pass to McDaniel. With 5:29 to play in the quarter, the Soul trailed 49-42. In the final minute Nelson connected with Taylor and the Gladiators remained in the lead 56-42 to end the third quarter.
With a slow start to the fourth quarter, Raudabaugh passed to Reynolds for a 4-yard touchdown. The kick was good and with 9:23 left in the game, the Soul trailed 56-49. The Soul began to see a light of hope when the Gladiators turned over the ball with under eight minutes of play. Raudabaugh’s pass was intercepted by Marvin Ross, giving the Gladiators’ their final touchdown of the night. The final score was Gladiators 63, Soul 49.
Next week, the Soul travel to Jacksonville to take on the Sharks on Saturday, June 4 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports, 97.5 The Fanatic. Kick-off set for 7 p.m.
Under Armour Offensive Player: Cleveland QB Arvell Nelson
Riddell Defensive Player: Cleveland DB Marvin Ross
J Lewis Small AFL Playmaker: Cleveland WR Quentin Sims
Cutter’s Catch of the Game: Cleveland WR Quentin Sims’ second quarter one-handed touchdown
AFL Highlight of the Game: Cleveland DB Marvin Ross’s fourth quarter interception for touchdown
