Gladiators face another tough test

Adam Candee

Friday, April 11, 2003 | 10:01 a.m.

Ten games into a 16-game season, the Las Vegas Gladiators are playing the type of simple, efficient arena football they expected from day one.

Good thing, too, because the Gladiators (6-4) continue their brutal out-of-division schedule with a Sunday game at Grand Rapids (7-3) in a matchup of division leaders.

This game will be Las Vegas' sixth against a non-division opponent with a .500 or better record. It appears, though, that top competition has toughened the Gladiators, who whipped Colorado at home last week for their third consecutive win.

Las Vegas wideout Mike Horacek, who caught a team-record 15 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns against Colorado, said the tough schedule is just part of the territory after winning the Eastern Division last season.

"Anytime you're a (division) champion, you're supposed to play upper-level teams," Horacek said. "It gives us a good experience as a team to play teams with playoff experience and playoff wins, and it makes us better. It also gives you a sense of what the playoffs are going to be like."

Although the Gladiators exposed their Achilles heel against Colorado with three turnovers, coach Frank Haege believes his team has turned the corner by getting onto a winning streak.

"We're playing more consistent and guys are playing with a little more confidence," Haege said. "We've managed to cut down on the turnovers and the penalties were limited last week."

That confidence begins with last week's game MVP, quarterback Jay McDonagh. The Gladiators' win streak began Mar. 23 at Buffalo, when McDonagh returned from being benched.

Since his stint on the sideline, McDonagh has thrown 13 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

Haege changed the game plan to scale back deep passes and to include more short and underneath passes that McDonagh likes. No one has benefited from McDonagh's return more than Horacek, his favorite target.

"I've been saying it all season long," Horacek said. "If we cut out our mistakes and our turnovers, we're a pretty good team."