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Coach says players can build on win; Marshall leads team in all-purpose yardage
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Saturday, May 03, 2008
CLEVELAND: The Philadelphia Soul might have come into Quicken Loans Arena expecting to sing their same old song Friday night, but that tune came up a bit flat against the Cleveland Gladiators.
The Gladiators muffled the undefeated Soul 67-55 in an Arena Football League Eastern Division game that could go a long way in establishing whether the Gladiators are the team that started 3-1 in the first quarter of the season or the one that had flipped that record to 1-3 in their past four games.
Coach Mike Wilpolt said more than once this season that his team had yet to put together a game where all three phases meshed. Had it not been for some sloppy special teams play, which caused the miss or block of several extra-point attempts, this one was pretty darn close.
''We played hard this game. We eliminated the mental mistakes, some fortuitous bounces went our way, the ball was on the ground and we got a couple of fumbles,'' Wilpolt said. ''That was a good game.
''We can still play better. We still had a couple of mistakes — turnovers, holding penalties. We can play better, but this is something to build on.''
Offensively, quarterback Raymond Philyaw delivered his normally reliable game, tossing five touchdowns on 25-of-30 passing. He had two turnovers (one fumble, one interception), but several teammates performed brilliantly to help lift the Gladiators.
Fullback Marlion Jackson, a runner built like a tank and with deceptive speed, bowled over Soul defenders to add to his league-leading rushing total. He ran for 50 yards on 11 carries and scored four times.
After the game, Jackson didn't say much about his individual effort, because the team's victory concerned him more, especially given what happened last week in a losing effort against the New York Dragons.
''We had a lot of hard work in practice. We always want to do things to make ourselves better,'' Jackson said. ''Coach came out with a lot of poise this week and he demanded poise from us. He wanted us to play better, and we definitely went out and did that.''
Probably the most welcome contribution came from wide receiver/kick return Willis Marshall, a player the Gladiators picked up some weeks back who has made contributions here and there. Friday night, it's doubtful the Gladiators could have won without him.
Marshall led the team in all-purpose yardage — 125 on kick returns and 68 receiving yards on seven catches. Those returns, including one for 52 yards, that set up the Gladiators in good field position on several occasions.
''One thing about me, throughout my entire career, you're never going to hear me ask or demand the ball, but any time they give me a chance to touch it, I'm going to try to score a touchdown,'' Marshall said. ''Tonight, I got the ball in my hand and a couple of good blocks on kick returns and I was able to make some plays.''
The game didn't start all that well for the Gladiators, who found themselves down 13-0 courtesy of a Soul score on their opening drive and the recovery of the subsequent kickoff off the net in the end zone.
To their credit and knowing that it's the AFL, the Gladiators fought back and eventually went up for good with 2:27 left in the fourth quarter.
Marching orders
Marshall wasn't the game's leading receiver. That honor went to Robert Redd, who caught nine balls for 109 yards. His running mate, Otis Amey, added seven catches for 107 yards and four scores. . . . The team continues to impress with attendance. With the Tribe next door and the Cavs on TV, the Gladiators pulled in 13,731 fans.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/sportsblitz/
CLEVELAND: The Philadelphia Soul might have come into Quicken Loans Arena expecting to sing their same old song Friday night, but that tune came up a bit flat against the Cleveland Gladiators.
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