Rattlers falter down the stretch, fall to Wranglers 52-51 in West title game
Northern Arizona advances to IFL championship Aug. 13 in Las Vegas
Posted
At the end of the day, we didn't finish. We had a chance to drive down the field and get a field goal to win it. Just a tough way to lose. We've got to finish it.”
Kevin Guy, Arizona Rattlers Head Coach
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER
10:45 - ARI - Powell, Drew 1 yd run (Lacayo, Ernesto kick), 3 plays, 19 yards, TOP 1:57
08:17 - NAZ - Chiaokhiao-B, R 17 yd pass from Barker, Kaleb (Peterson, Craig kick) 3 plays, 30 yards, TOP 1:42
05:03 - ARI - Haley, Braxton 27 yd pass from Powell, Drew (Lacayo, Ernesto kick) 4 plays, 30 yards, TOP 2:36
PHOENIX — The Arizona Rattlers fell 52-51 to the Northern Arizona Wranglers on Saturday night in the IFL Western Conference Championship Game at the Footprint Center.
In a matchup of the league's two best defenses, points were abundant.
"When you get to the playoffs, you're playing the best teams," Rattlers head coach Kevin Guy said. "Everyone's got good coaches and good players.
"...They were a good football team all year. They battled. They've got tough kids."
Critical plays swing tight one
It was a hot start for both teams on Saturday night, and the Rattlers were on the verge of taking a three-possession lead just before halftime in the contest, but in what became the story of the night, a few moments went a long way.
Up 11 points at the one-minute warning, Arizona had the ball looking to take a three-possession lead, but ran out of time before it could punch one into the end zone. The Rattlers were able to add three points via the leg of kicker Ernesto Lacayo, but his field goal still kept Arizona's lead to a manageable one for Northern Arizona.
The kicking game was the subject of many more occurrences on Saturday night. Lacayo missed a field goal early in the fourth quarter after Northern Arizona cut its deficit down to a single possession thanks to an interception thrown by Rattlers quarterback Drew Powell.
Arizona got back up two scores shortly after, but the Wranglers — in typical fashion on the night — answered back again with a Kaleb Barker touchdown pass.
With the game tied at 45, Powell found Rattlers wide receiver Braxton Haley for an incredible leaping, bobbling touchdown catch in the back of the end zone. While Arizona took the lead in a jubilant moment, the extra point was chaotic, as a holding call was issued to the Rattlers and Lacayo was run into by a Northern Arizona defender without penalty.
The hit on Lacayo, who made the kick, left him down and hurt for several minutes. But the penalty meant Arizona had to redo its try, and with Lacayo hurting, it opted to go for two from the 13 yard line. The Rattlers did not convert.
"We had to rush into a two-point play trying to figure out whether our kicker was good or not," Guy said.
Despite Lacayo's non-attempt of the extra point, he did recover enough to boot the ensuing kickoff the length of the field. However, instead of the ball being fielded and placed at the five-yard line as a touchback, Northern Arizona's returner caught the ball while falling out of the back of the end zone, resulting in the Wranglers getting helpful field position at the Rattlers' 20-yard line with 2:53 remaining. Guy was assessed a penalty for arguing the call, while Lacayo was noticeably limping after the kick.
Despite a holding penalty, Northern Arizona was able to take its first lead of the game with 45.1 seconds left thanks to a diving, tip-toe catch by wide receiver Glen Gibbons Jr. in the end zone, which gave the Wranglers their 52-51 lead.
The drama and controversy was not over there though, as what was essentially the game's final play saw a pass from Powell be intercepted by a Northern Arizona in the end zone. Two Wranglers were draped all over Rattlers wide receiver/running back Jamal Miles and heavy contact seemed quite clear, but no flag against Northern Arizona was thrown, effectively ending the contest and the Rattlers' season.
"At the end of the day, we didn't finish," Guy said. "We had a chance to drive down the field and get a field goal to win it.
"...Just a tough way to lose. We've got to finish it."
Down just one, a game-winning field goal attempt would have likely been in the cards for Arizona on its last drive as opposed to Powell's heave.
"He said he could do it," Guy said of Lacayo. "He sure was limping around."
Two of the league's best duel
Despite the controversial and unfortunate second half for the Rattlers, the opening act between the in-state rivals was among the best action the IFL has seen all year.
It was a constant back and forth early, with both quarterbacks problem solving tough defenses and passing for multiple touchdowns by the break. The Wranglers and Rattlers traded touchdowns until the 4:11 mark of the second quarter, when Northern Arizona kicked a field goal to shorten its deficit to 28-24.
Powell had a nearly perfect first half, totaling 115 passing yards and two touchdowns on 9-13 accuracy. He also had three short rushing touchdowns on the ground.
"We were playing well — we had 38 points at halftime," Guy said. "[But] we scored two touchdowns and got stopped three times in the second half."
Despite Powell's success punching the ball in, both teams struggled mightily early on to run the ball against each other's vaunted defenses. At halftime, each team had just seven yards rushing — Arizona having 10 attempts and Northern Arizona two.
Haley was the main beneficiary of Powell's prowess on Saturday, hauling in 65 yards and two touchdowns before the break.
Standout Rattler performances
While it wasn't the desired outcome, Arizona ended its 2022 season with some highly impressive performances. Defensive back Kyree Woods, who entered Saturday fresh-off a franchise-record four interceptions last week against Duke City, started the game off with another pick, giving him a total of five in two weeks.
Even with an interception that helped shave the Rattlers' lead down, Powell was fantastic against the Wranglers, throwing for 184 yards and three touchdowns while adding four scores on the ground. There was not a single Arizona touchdown scored without the assistance of its quarterback.
Haley added 38 yards and another score in the second half, totaling 103 and three touchdowns on the night. The night was a fitting end to both's years, as Haley emerged as a breakout star for Powell, who very well could find himself in the IFL MVP conversation once again.
