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Rattlers hit on all cylinders in 62-19 rout of Wranglers

Arizona records sixth straight win

Posted 7/10/21

PHOENIX — Sitting atop the Indoor Football League standings midway through the season, the Arizona Rattlers aren’t about to take any opponent lightly.

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Rattlers hit on all cylinders in 62-19 rout of Wranglers

Arizona records sixth straight win

Posted

PHOENIX — Sitting atop the Indoor Football League standings midway through the season, the Arizona Rattlers aren’t about to take any opponent lightly.

The expansion team to the north learned that lesson the hard way on Saturday night as the Rattlers jumped out to a four-score lead then cruised to a 62-19 dismantling of the Northern Arizona Wranglers at the Snake Pit.

“Our guys came out and executed very well tonight but we do need to control our emotions when we make big plays,” said Rattlers Head Coach Kevin Guy, whose team won its sixth consecutive game. “These last three games especially, I feel like we’ve been playing really good team football and we will continue to build on that.”

Missing six starters on both sides of the ball, the Rattlers had to “plug and play” various players across their roster but those “backups” showed up big against their neighbors to the north.

“One thing I love about this team is our depth,” said Guy, whose Rattlers have yet to ever lose a game to either in-state opponent — the Wranglers or the Tucson Sugar Skulls. “We moved guys all around tonight and they all performed. Our coaches do a great job of cross-training our players so they can excel in multiple positions on the field.”

Arizona QB Drew Powell got the Rattlers off to a quick start by firing an 8-yard touchdown pass to Troy Pelletier in the right corner of the end zone. Ernesto Lacayo hit the point after to give Arizona a 7-0 lead three minutes into the game.

The Rattlers D immediately responded with a stop, getting constant pressure on NAZ QB Verlon Reed Jr., a former Rattler. Tim Parker was forced to attempt a field goal from his own end zone and it was deflected, wobbling down the field into the hands of Arizona’s Dillion Winfrey.

With Arizona in control of the ball again, Powell flipped a pass to Jeremiah Harris who darted into the end zone from 10 yards out. Lacayo was good again to make it 14-0.

Disaster struck for the expansion Wranglers on the ensuing kickoff.

Daron Clark Jr. was hit and stripped of the football — the ball bounced backward into the end zone where it was recovered by the Rattlers’ Treyvon Williams for a special teams TD to the delight of the 4,899 in attendance. Arizona had a 21-0 lead at the 4:19 mark of the first quarter.

Another fourth-down stop for the ravenous Rattlers D ultimately led to Arizona’s Nick LaSane walking in from one yard out. Lacayo made the PAT to give the Rattlers a 28-0 lead.

The Wranglers finally got on the board with about a minute to go before the half.

Using Arizona penalties to their advantage, Clark scored on a 1-yard run but Parker’s PAT was stuffed and the score remained 28-6 at the :53 mark.

Northern Arizona (1-7) tried an onside kick but LaSane calmly grabbed the skittering football to give Arizona possession deep in NAZ territory.

Powell then threw an 11-yard laser to Harris to give the Rattlers a 34-6 lead. The PAT was wide left.

“The DB who was guarding me, he’s a good friend of mine,” Harris joked. “I couldn’t let him get up on me.”

Reed completed a bomb to Todd Athey in the final 30 seconds of the half to put NAZ in scoring position, but the Wranglers inexplicably let time run out on them without calling one of their three allotted timeouts.

With Wranglers head coach Dominic Bramante in COVID protocol, Landrick Brody was Northern Arizona’s acting head coach on Saturday night.

Arizona (7-1) started the second half with a defensive stop but Powell threw an interception on the next possession as Robert Brown Jr. picked him off.

But the Rattlers’ Tyrell Pearson immediately returned the favor, intercepting Wranglers’ backup QB Caden Walters who was in for an injured Reed.

“Their game plan was to match up a bigger receiver against me on the back side,” Pearson explained after the game. “I saw the ball and went and got it. This defense is coming along as a unit — each week we are getting better.”

NAZ’s defense then responded with their own fourth-down stop as a defensive third quarter continued into the fourth.

As Walters continued to have trouble leading the NAZ offense, Parker was forced into a 54-yard field goal attempt. The kick had a low trajectory and banged off the back of NAZ’s Kalen Hicks and back toward the goal line. Pearson scooped up the loose ball and tried to dive in but was ruled down at the 1.

One play later, backup QB TJ Edwards — subbing in for Powell in a blowout situation — darted in from one yard away.

After another fourth-down stop by Arizona, Edwards duplicated the feat to make it 48-6.

Walters provided a small spark on the next drive with a 13-yard dash to the end zone. Parker’s PAT cut the Wranglers’ deficit to 48-13.

Edwards, making the most of this opportunity under center, then connected with Jarrod Harrington on a 23-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead back to 42.

NAZ’s Jonathan Jones followed with a 50-yard kickoff return for a TD.

The scoring was capped when Edwards found Harris on a nifty 9-yard strike to the right corner of the end zone — Harris’ third touchdown catch of the night.

“Edwards was 3-for-3 with two touchdowns and ran for two more touchdowns,” Guy said of his second-string QB. “We saw what we wanted to from him. He sparked us in the fourth quarter.”

The head coach also had kudos for his D.

“Defensively, we only gave up two scores. We got a ton of stops,” Guy said. “There are little things to clean up but we will take care of that.”

Powell finished the game 10-for-13 passing with 2 TDs and one INT. He also led Arizona with 42 rushing yards. Harrington had four grabs for 51 yards and a score. Harris also had four catches with three of them going to the house. Pelletier, LaSane and Isaiah Huston recorded 2 catches each.

Defensively, Josh Gordon recorded 1.5 sacks for Arizona.

The Rattlers will next travel to the east coast and put their winning streak on the line against the Massachusetts Pirates (6-3) on Sunday, July 18.

Kickoff is at 10 a.m. and the game will be streamed live on YouTube.

“Massachusetts is a very talented team,” Guy said. “This will be a good road test for us to see where we’re at.”