Gladiators

The La Cañada Gladiators football teams played the Glendale Bears last weekend in their homecoming celebration at La Cañada High School. ? JR. GREMLIN CARDINAL The La Cañada Gladiator Cardinal team had a very successful homecoming game against the venerable Glendale Bears on Sunday morning. Showing off a competent cadre of offensive weapons, the Gladiators moved the ball quite effectively against the Bears. Quarterbacks Noah Kim and Andrew Van Ginkel passed the ball well, connecting with receivers Will McConnell, Bobby Gazmarian, Kudzai Kachingwe and Myles Webb . Kachingwe also played quarterback, completing a long touchdown pass to Kim. Will McConnell came up big with a fourth-down catch from the Gladiator?

For the fourth straight year, the San Gabriel Valley Junior All American Football Conference honored the La Cañada Gladiator Midget Cheerleaders with the team scholastic award. In addition, for the first time, the Junior Midget Cheer squad also received the scholastic award from the Conference. There are 25 cities that participate in the San Gabriel Valley Junior All American Football Conference, and, in addition to mastering the skills necessary to play football and compete in cheer competitions, all the participants are required to maintain at least a C grade point average throughout the season.

Jr. Gremlin Gladiators and Covina Vikings (Flag teams do not keep score) The Jr. Gremlin Team traveled to Northview High School on Sunday to face a tough Covina Vikings squad. The young Gladiators responded to the challenge with a spirited performance on both sides of the ball. The Gladiators? defense set the tone early and never let up. Defensive lineman Carson Okland, Henry Alvarez, Cory Koehler, Derek Albanese and John Lytle kept the speedy Vikings contained with solid play up front.

The undefeated La Cañada Gladiator Midgets soundly defeated the East Los Angeles Bobcats, 25-0, last Saturday afternoon at Mountain View School in El Monte to claim their third consecutive Conference Championship before a large and noisy crowd. Although the Gladiators won the toss, they deferred to the second half. After a short kickoff, the Bobcats took the ball at their own 42-yard line, but fumbled on their first play from scrimmage. The fumble was recovered by defensive tackle Kris Durham.

Junior Pee Wees The La Cañada Junior Pee Wees fell to the Charter Oak Chargers 20-14 in a tough fought game at Wilson High School in El Sereno last Saturday morning. The Gladiators took the opening kickoff at their own 35-yard line and marched down field, the key plays being Phil Gandara's fourth down run of 19 yards on a fake punt and a 12 yard pass on third down from quarterback Daleep Sandu to wide receiver Chris Gilchrist. Then, on fourth down from the Charger 25-yard line, Sandu dropped back behind the blocking of Randel Mancilla, Joshua Lacey, Coleman Monroe, Johnny Cauble, Allen Dearman, Jason Potter and Matt Alegria, and found Gilchrist at the Charger one-yard line to set up a first and goal.

The La Cañada Gladiators youth football team looked discouraged even before the first snap of their first-round playoff game against the Pico Rivera Dons. However, that feeling didn't last long, "We just had to get their heads up, get out there and play our game," Gladiators running back Kyle Tavizon said. The Gladiator Junior Midgets did just that after giving up a touchdown on the opening kickoff, giving Pico Rivera an early 6-0 lead. For the first time all year, the Junior Midgets trailed in a game.

All five Gladiator tackle-football teams were in the hunt for the playoffs as they entered the final week of the regular season. The Pee-Wees, Junior Midgets and Midget teams all advanced to the playoffs, while the Gremlin and Junior Pee-Wee teams were eliminated from postseason contention with defeats on Saturday. The Pee-Wees are Arroyo League champions, boasting a 6-1 record at the end of the season after a convincing 40-16 victory against the Walnut-Diamond Bar Cowboys on Saturday in Rosemead.

Flag Football La Cañada Junior Gremlins-Gold vs. Arcadia Indians (no score is kept): Bennett Oakes came out ready to lead the Gladiators on both sides of the ball in the team's third game of the 2010 season. Oakes, the Gladiator quarterback, completed a pass to Valentine Nunez in the third quarter for a gain of 10 yards, but the Gladiators were unable to score on the drive. Oakes proved he was an all-around player, playing strongly on defense, pulling a flag, coming up with an interception and batting down an Arcadia pass.

Football takes a back seat when it comes to the La Canada Gladiators. The Gladiators have been providing athletes of ages 6-14 the chance to get their feet underneath them on the football field since 1968. However, what Gladiator athletes accomplish off the field is more important than what they do on it. "Our focus remains the same,â€ÃƒÂ‚¿Â¿ Gladiators President Kevin Lacey said. "We use football as a vehicle to build character, show kids the proper way to behave in a certain situation and apply it to what they do elsewhere.

Youth football registration The La Cañada Gladiators Youth Football and Cheer programs will conduct their only public registration for the 2010 season from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at La Cañada Memorial Park. The organization is open to girls and boys 6 to 14, and early registration is suggested, as spaces fill up quickly. The Gladiators field one or two flag teams (depending on enrollment), and five tackle squads. The Gladiators also field three to five cheer teams.

Pee Wee (Conference Championship) La Cañada Gladiators 36, Walnut Diamond Bar Cowboys 6 The La Cañada Gladiators left no doubt that they deserved the conference championship with a 36-6 triumph over the previously undefeated Walnut Diamond Bar Cowboys on Saturday afternoon at Mountain View High School in El Monte. In addition to finishing 10-0 and undisputed conference champs, the Gladiators also received the conference trophies for the highest team GPA and sportsmanship scores.

Early on it became apparent that Friday’s CIF Southern Section Western Division first-round playoff game between St. Francis High and Gahr would be a shootout and the Golden Knights would have to match the Gladiators’ high-profile offense bullet for bullet. Easier said than done, even for an offense as talented St. Francis’, as Gahr proved it could score in a variety of ways, each of them lightning-quick. But St. Francis was able to match Gahr’s every move late into the fourth quarter, setting up a go-ahead touchdown drive, followed by a huge defensive stop and two Golden Knights touchdowns late in the game to break it open for a 55-34 victory, the team’s first in the playoffs since 2005.

Pee Wee (playoffs) La Cañada Gladiators 30, Charter Oak Chargers 0 On a perfect football afternoon at Muir High School in Pasadena, the La Cañada Gladiators squared off against the Charter Oak Chargers in the quarter final playoffs. Although tentative in the first half, the Gladiators nevertheless dominated the entire game. Quarterback Kyle Cheung had an outstanding afternoon. Cheung was 3-4 on the day and two of his passes were completed for touchdowns. In addition, Cheung had a 56-yard touchdown scramble.