Italy beats Chilton for first win, 21-6

ITALY – After a back-and-forth struggle early, Italy took control of the game in the second-quarter after a 46 yard keeper by senior quarterback Gared Wood gave the Gladiators a 1st-and-goal opportunity at Chilton’s 1 yard line. Senior tailback Eric Solis did the honors from there to put Italy up 6-0. Junior kicker Rogelio Torres-Landeros added the extra-point to help the Gladiators take a 7-0 advantage into the break.

After a scoreless third-quarter, Wood called his own number again and maneuvered down the left side of the field for a 38-yard touchdown scamper. Up 13-0, and with senior long snapper Austin Cate snapping to Freshman holder Tripp Slovak, Torres-Landeros booted through the bonus point to increase Italy’s advantage to 14-0.

Italy sealed the deal when Wood threw deep down the right side to senior receiver Treylan Fennell who made the catch in stride, shook off a Chilton defensive back, and then cut inside to cross the endzone. The connection between Wood and Fennell covered 46 yards and gave the Gladiators a solid 21-0 lead, after Torres-Landeros split the uprights for his third successful point-after kick of the game.

Italy’s offensive line, consisting of LT Landon Johnson, LG J.J. Acosta, Center Grayson Jones, RG Maddox Dickerson, and RT Brayden Enriquez, got the job done against the Pirate’s bulky and physical defensive front.

Chilton showed some fight and scored on a late drive from 2 yards out by junior Pirate X’Zavion Taylor to make the final score 21-6.

Leading the way defensively for the Old Gold were senior DB Terrence Jones who recorded 8 solo tackles, 7 assists, and 2 tackles for a loss, MLB Tristan Camacho had 3 solos, 8 assists, and half of a sack, and Fennell who recorded 5 solos, 4 assists, 3 tackles for a loss, and claimed the other half of that sack. Sophomore DB Kaelynn Cockran picked off a Chilton pass and had 3 solos and 4 assists and senior DE Douglas Johnson recovered a fumble and had 4 assisted tackles.

With the win over Chilton, the Class 2A Gladiators improve to 1-1 after dropping their first game of the season to 3A Scurry-Rosser, 27-20.

Next up, Italy will host the 3A Clifton Cubs Friday night at Gladiator stadium with a 7 p.m. kickoff time. The Cubs boast a 2-0 start to their 2024 season and are looking to improve on that by clawing out a win over the Gladiators and spoiling Italy’s homecoming celebration.