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RIO RANCHO — Opening their Indoor Football League season at home for the first time in team history, the Duke City Gladiators came out on the short end of a 32-26 final with the San Diego Strikers March 25 in the Rio Rancho Events Center.
Duke City scored six plays into the game.
The Gladiators led 7-6 at the end of the first quarter, but were down, 13-10, at halftime. Ernesto Lacayo’s 44-yard field goal on the final play of the first half made it a three-point deficit.
A 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Javin Kilgo to Tyron Laughinghouse, plus a point-after by Lacayo, were the only points in the third period, which ended with the Gladiators holding a 17-13 lead.
Oddly, comparing the time of possession in the third quarter, the Strike Force (1-0) had the ball for almost 13 minutes without a point. That Gladiators' scoring drive took only 59 seconds.
San Diego had the ball as the fourth quarter began and scored on a short rush, with a pass for a two-point conversion failing, and the Strike Force had the lead to keep, 19-17.
A Kilgo pass was picked off on the Gladiators’ next possession, and San Diego padded its lead after another short run into the end zone.
Down but not out, the Gladiators took advantage of an onside kick by San Diego that the Gladiators returned to the 11. Eight plays later, a 6-yard TD pass from Kilgo to Gourney Sloan, plus a Lacayo PAT, made it a 26-25 Duke City lead.
San Diego then scored the game’s final TD with 17 seconds left in the game. Duke City got the ball back, by Kilgo was intercepted, and the Strike Force ran out the clock.
By game’s end, the biggest difference was on offense, where San Diego ran 51 plays to Duke City’s 36, and had a 173-71 advantage in total offense; the Gladiators managed only 10 rushing yards.
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Former Duke City QB Nate Davis was 17 of 33 for 173 yards, with one TD and one interception.
Kilgo was 9 of 21 for 71 yards, with two TDs but three picks.
Frisco 49, Duke City 40: On March 29 in Frisco, Texas, the Gladiators trailed until the second half, when a 25-yard scoring pass from Kilgo to Sloan gave them a 30-28 lead, and kicker Ernesto Lacayo nailed a two-point rouge on the ensuing kickoff to make it 32-28.
Frisco, now 8-1 all-time vs. the Gladiators and having won the last six meetings, scored the next three TDs to grab a 49-32 lead, with the final TD coming with 3:07 left in the fourth quarter.
Kilgo found Jeff Carr for a 4-yard TD to make it 49-38, and another Lacayo rouge accounted for the game’s final points.
The Fighters recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock to ensure the win.
Kilgo was 15 of 28 through the air for 199 yards and five TDs, and was picked off twice.
TJ Edwards, the Frisco QB, was just 8 of 11 for 44 yards.
Once again, the Gladiators were again humbled in the rushing department, gaining only 17 net yards on the ground to 117 for the Fighters.
Coming up Saturday
The Gladiators (0-2) are back in the Events Center for just one game this month, playing host to the Tucson Sugar Skulls (0-1) at 6:05 p.m. on Saturday, April 6.
