Coming off of an exciting win in the Pacific Coast Championship, the Gladiators suit up and polish their skills going into the next week’s playoffs. I spoke with fullback Tyler Harrison to get the latest news on the team’s mindset going into next week’s game.
“We scored a try in the last three minutes of last week. The guys showed a lot of heart,” says Tyler. “It was a win but we played well in spurts. Going into next week’s game we expect to play an excellent 80 minutes and we expect to win, just like last year.” I asked Tyler how he plans to defend Life West’s title, and he said “We have to have the right battle mind set. All eight teams will be well prepared and we’re going to have to fight. We need to focus on the fundamentals, and hold composure in crunch times.”
The team gets some of its toughness from their captain Akuila Uaisele, who leads by example and is one of the hardest tacklers in the league. Guys have really stepped up lately. With Zach Tannous at the lock position playing very well and making big tackles, and Calvin Nell scoring three tries in the last three games, Life West is going for the win. Josh Drake has had many good carries as of late, and Anthony Munoz runs like the wind and “makes the game fun to watch.” Hopes are high for the Gladiators, but they won’t be satisfied with anything but a win in next week’s USAR Championship game.