OCEANSIDE, CA. — It's tough to beat a good team three times in a single season, but this Arizona Rattlers' defense doesn't believe in old adages.
Led by a swarming defense that has established itself as one of the league's best, the Arizona Rattlers took down the San Diego Strike Force 43-37 on Sunday in the Indoor Football League Western Conference Championship game at Frontwave Arena.
"It was a great week of preparation again. We went young this year and these guys really showed up," Rattlers Head Coach Kevin Guy said during the trophy presentation after his team's second straight road playoff win over the top two seeds in the conference. "All credit goes to the players and the assistant coaches — they worked their tails off."
In an uncharacteristic first quarter, both teams struggled to get things going and San Diego led 3-0 after 15 minutes.
The teams traded scores as Rattlers QB Max Meylor found RB Ron Brown Jr. on a 9-yard touchdown pass before Strike Force "Wildcat" QB Kiael Kelly, subbing in for Nate Davis, dashed into the end zone from a yard out.
On the ensuing kickoff, the electric Brown Jr. nabbed the football and went untouched through the Strike Force special teams for a 50-yard TD to give the Rattlers a 14-10 advantage.
It looked like the Arizona D had come up big again near halftime when Yahsyn McKee Sr. picked off Davis in the end zone and returned it 50 yards for an apparent "Pick 6." But game officials ruled an illegal blindside block occurred on the return, negating the TD and McKee's acrobatic back flip.
Rattlers kicker Matthew Cook then missed a field goal but the defense picked him up, logging a safety when the slow-footed Davis was called for intentional grounding in his own end zone with the Rattlers' John Pius bearing down on him. Arizona led 16-10 at the half.
"The game could've gotten out of hand early but our defense stepped up," said Guy.
Big pass plays were on tap in the third quarter as the scoring picked up. San Diego retook the lead on a Davis to WR Shane Hooks 24-yard connection but Meylor then found Trey Odoms-Dukes with a 28-yard strike and the Rattlers led 23-17 with 8:26 left in the third.
After a big stop by the Arizona defense frustrated Davis again, a screen pass to Brown Jr. worked to perfection for a 29-yard TD. Brown Jr. caught the short toss, made some defenders miss and skirted the right sideboards for the score. The Rattlers had the game's first two-score lead at 30-17.
Later in the fourth, it appeared Arizona could start celebrating when Meylor bulled over the pile into the end zone with 5:19 left to make it 37-17.
But is often the case in the IFL, things went a little haywire near the end of the game.
Davis found Hooks on a long, one-play TD that took very little time off the clock. A successful 2-point pass made it 37-25 Arizona with 4:38 left.
San Diego kicker Ernesto Lacayo tried an onside kick but was unsuccessful and Meylor took advantage, scoring another rushing TD to make it 43-25 with 2:35 to go.
Davis then found Dallas Daniels to bring the home team within 43-31 at the :37 mark. It appeared to be too little, too late before some luck and some highly questionable clock keeping came into play.
Lacayo tried another onside, popping this one up and seeing his own teammate able to recover the loose ball on the turf. But as San Diego drove down the field with no timeouts remaining, they were basically handed a free play at the :19 mark. Davis snapped the ball and scrambled inside the 5 yet the game clock never started.
Davis did not secure a first down, meaning the clock should have run out — both game announcers, including Rattlers Ring of Honor member Sherdrick Bonner agreed — however, San Diego was gifted another play as game officials somehow determined that 5 seconds should've been remaining.
Davis threw a final meaningless TD with 2 seconds left and the final score showed a closer game than it really was.
Meylor finished 14-of-23 for 159 yards, 3 TDs and an interception. He added 21 yards rushing and two more scores on the ground. Brown Jr. had 57 yards receiving and a pair of TD catches plus the kickoff return TD. Defensively, McKee Sr. snagged one INT and Carson Taylor had a sack for a 13-yard loss.
Davis was 18-for-24 for 255 yards, 4 TDs and a pick. Three of his TD passes went to Hooks.
With the victory, the third-seeded Rattlers (13-5) advance to next Sunday's IFL National Championship to face the East top-seeded Green Bay Blizzard (15-3). Meylor claimed league MVP honors as a member of the Blizzard last season but he felt the sting of falling a yard short of the title, as Vegas claimed the trophy with a late goalline stand.
The championship game is set for 4:30 p.m. at Tucson Arena and Guy and other Rattlers players are hoping fans make the two-hour drive down south. The game will also be streamed live on the Yahoo! Sports Network.
"Rattler Nation, we want to see all of you down in Tucson next weekend," Guy said. "We need to pack that house."
The West #1 seed Strike Force finished its season at 14-4. Three of those four losses came at the hands of the Rattlers — twice in the regular season and again on Sunday when it mattered most. Arizona rolls into Tucson riding a six-game win streak.
In 34 seasons of football in the Arena Football League and the IFL, the Rattlers have reached the playoffs 30 times and won 15 conference championships. Guy has never missed the postseason as the Arizona head coach, going 17-for-17. He will try to win his 6th title as Rattlers head coach and the franchise's 8th overall next weekend.
"We are going to have a nice celebration tonight, but we don't just play for hats and T-shirts," Guy said. "It's back to work tomorrow."
Matt Loeschman has had two separate stints at Independent Newsmedia. He began as a reporter covering Peoria and later Surprise from 2000-2009. In 2017, he returned to Arizona and INI as the news editor of the Daily News-Sun (now the Phoenix Independent). He previously covered the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League for more than a decade.
Community: During high school football season since 2017, he contributes live postgame radio reports to the AzPreps 365 Friday Night Football Wrapup Show. He supports organizations such as Phoenix Children’s, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley and the American Cancer Society.
Education: The University of Texas at Austin majoring in Journalism-News and Public Affairs.
Random Fact: He can sing and he has been fortunate to meet many famous people during his journalism career including First Lady Hillary Clinton, King of Country Music George Strait and Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey. Attended all 4 home games of the 2001 World Series.
Hobbies: Watching and playing a wide variety of sports, including golf, tennis, pickleball and softball. Playing PlayStation 5, working out, shopping and reading.
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