Football Game Preview: Roma Gladiators vs. Sharyland Rattlers

Roma is 2-8 against Sharyland since October of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Gladiators will be playing at home against the Rattlers at 7:00 p.m.

On Friday, Roma came up short against Pioneer and fell 35-28.

Roma didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Ahmed Guerra and Joel Haines.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Sharyland, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. In a tight game that could have gone either way, they made off with a 32-31 victory over Alice. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Rattlers as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.

Roma better keep an eye on Kevin Alaniz. He was instrumental in Sharyland's win, rushing for 146 yards and one TD on only 13 carries. Alaniz's longest rush was for an incredible 87 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Oscar Cantu, who picked up 68 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Roma's defeat dropped their record down to 4-3. As for Sharyland, their victory bumped their record up to 5-3.

Roma came up short against Sharyland when the teams last played back in October of 2024, falling 35-31. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Rattlers' Calvin Harris, who threw for 262 yards and four TDs, and also rushed for 41 yards and one score. Now that the Gladiators know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.