Semipro football | Southwest Florida Gladiators win opener, beat Orlando Rattlers 30-6

BRADENTON -- Quarterback PeeJay Jack threw for one touchdown and ran for another in leading the Southwest Florida Gladiators to a 30-6 opening-day victory over the Orlando Rattlers at G.T. Bray park on Saturday.

Running back Chauncey Jones added two rushing touchdowns as the 2015 defending Florida Football Alliance champions won their fifth consecutive game and 12 of 14 dating to last season. Late in the third quarter, Jones scored on a seven-yard run to put the Gladiators up 20-0 with 2.4 seconds remaining. On a night when temperatures dipped in the low 50's and wind gusts of up to 27 mph swirled around the field in unpredictable fashion, both offenses struggled to establish any consistency in the contest.

"The weather was a factor for the better part of the game no doubt, but our guys dug in and got the job done," said Gladiators co-owner Derek Greenwood.

The Gladiators took advantage of several errors by the Rattlers in the form of two safeties, an interception and a fumble that lead to a touchdown. The Gladiators (1-0) will host the Jax X-Men (0-1) Saturday at G.T. Bray.

For more information, visit southwestfloridagladiators.org.

This story was originally published January 25, 2016 at 12:10 AM with the headline "Semipro football | Southwest Florida Gladiators win opener, beat Orlando Rattlers 30-6 ."