AFL’s Cleveland Gladiators Open the Season Tonight at Home Against Tampa Bay Storm

By Cole Liggett

The Gladiators are walking into the Quicken Loans Arena for their eighth season of arena football in Cleveland on April 8th. After finishing their season third in the National Conference with a 7-9 record, the Gladiators look to bounce back strong as they open up their season at home against the Tampa Bay Storm.

The Cleveland Gladiators are battling for their chance to play in Arena Bowl XXX and bring home their first ever Foster Trophy after they revamped their coaching staff this offseason, where they promoted Assistant Coach Ron Selesky to head coach, and add big name players such as NFL veteran QB Shane Boyd and reigning Playmaker of the Year Brandon Thompkins.

Their first battle of the season is at home as they go up against the Tampa Bay Storm, who finished their season 2-14 just a year ago. The Storm kept key players around such as All-Arena linebacker Dexter Jackson, quarterback Randy Hippeard, wide receivers Justin Hilton and Michael Lindsey, and center Raymond McNeil.

In addition, the team rounded out the roster with several All-Arena players that include linebacker Alvin Ray Jackson, defensive lineman Caesar Rayford and 2016 Offensive Player of the Year Joe Hills.

Considering their record from last season, the Gladiators cannot afford to let the Storm take control as they revamped their roster with the help of  the Dispersal Draft. Tampa Bay looks to move on and be a contender for their chance of the Foster Trophy.

This will be the 10th matchup since 2012 between these two teams, where Cleveland is 6-3 (11-9 Overall) against the Storm.

 

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

Cleveland:

• Collin Taylor, WR – Entering his fourth season as a Gladiator, and set a Gladiator record of 32 consecutive games scoring a touchdown. He put up nearly 1,500 years last season and I expect him to match that this coming season.

 

Tampa Bay:

• Joe Hills, WR – Hills is back in Tampa after being in Jacksonville since 2014. Hills will want to put on a show for the fans, so expect a big time game from the reigning Offensive Player of the Year.