Rattlers rally, down Duke City 60-48 to keep IFL’s top spot
5 more rushing TDs for Arizona QB Powell, leads league with 29
PHOENIX — The two leading scoring offenses in the IFL were on full display Saturday night at the Footprint Center but it was the Arizona Rattlers’ defense that made the big play late in the game to lock down a gritty 60-48 victory over the Duke City Gladiators.
“We did not play well defensively tonight,” said a less-than-pleased Rattlers Head Coach Kevin Guy after the game. “We’ve got plenty we need to work on and that starts with me. Some changes need to be made so we will look at that on Monday.”
Despite the problems on defense, the unit did make the play of the game with under a minute left.
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PHOENIX — The two leading scoring offenses in the IFL were on full display Saturday night at the Footprint Center but it was the Arizona Rattlers’ defense that made the big play late in the game to lock down a gritty 60-48 victory over the Duke City Gladiators.
“We did not play well defensively tonight,” said a less-than-pleased Rattlers Head Coach Kevin Guy after the game. “We’ve got plenty we need to work on and that starts with me. Some changes need to be made so we will look at that on Monday.”
Despite the problems on defense, the unit did make the play of the game with under a minute left.
Hanging on to a 12-point lead with the Gladiators driving, Duke City’s Dello Davis caught a pass over the middle but he was stripped by the Rattlers’ Tyrell Pearson. The ball popped up into the air where Dillion Winfrey corralled it to seal the game.
“We made basically one play all night on defense and that was it,” Guy said. “It was close but we’ll take it.”
Duke City Head Coach Robert Kent wanted to challenge as it appeared Dello Davis might have touched the turf before the ball was jarred out but he was out of challenges and the call stood.
The victory keeps Arizona (9-2) in the top spot in the IFL along with the playoff home-field advantage that goes to the #1 seed. With three games remaining, they hold a slim lead over Frisco (8-2) and Massachusetts (8-3).
Despite the win, Guy was unhappy with his team’s execution — especially on defense.
“The way we blew coverages tonight was unacceptable,” he said. “We’ve got to play better defense.”
To start the game, Duke City’s second-ranked scoring offense got to work in a hurry as quarterback Nate Davis threw a 23-yard TD pass to Xavier Amey as the fans were still settling into their seats. Connor Hollabaugh made the PAT and Duke City led 7-0 less than two minutes into the game.
The Rattlers looked to tie quickly but instead, receiver Jarrod Harrington caught a pass and fumbled on a textbook strip of the football by the Gladiators’ Antwan Smith. Gregory Dent Jr. recovered for Duke City’s 11th ranked defense.
“That one was on me,” Harrington explained. “I was determined to make plays the rest of the game to make up for it.”
The Gladiators cashed in a few plays later when running back Raymond Taylor bulled into the end zone from 8 yards out. The PAT put the visiting Gladiators up 14-0 at the 10-minute mark of the 1st.
In need of a score, Rattlers’ QB and MVP candidate Drew Powell used his legs to outrun the Duke City defense from 22 yards out. Powell’s 25th rushing TD this season and Ernesto Lacayo’s PAT brought the Rattlers back within 14-7.
As the first quarter wound down, the teams exchanged scores as Nate Davis found Dello Davis with a 7-yard TD pass followed by Powell throwing a 9-yard dart to a wide-open Jamal Miles.
Duke City (5-6), who nearly doubled Arizona’s total yardage in the first quarter (120-61), led 21-14 after one.
As the second stanza commenced, the Rattlers defense needed a stop badly and they got it. Nate Davis pitched the ball to Taylor but he mishandled it and Arizona’s DJ Williams pounced on the loose ball as a small but vocal home crowd of 3,398 roared.
Powell would make the Gladiators pay on the next series, Not able to find an open receiver, Powell danced along the left sideboards for a 6-yard TD scramble. Arizona faked the PAT and it failed. Duke City led 21-20 at the 10:03 mark of the second quarter.
It appeared the momentum would continue with the home team on the next series as the Gladiators faced a 4th-and-5 inside the red zone. But Nate Davis calmly delivered an 8-yard TD pass to Dello Davis all alone on the left side of the end zone. Hollabaugh’s kick gave Duke City a 28-20 lead four minutes before halftime.
Arizona got back within two when Powell scored his third rushing touchdown of the half from 7 yards out but the 2-point conversion failed, leaving the Rattlers down 28-26 at the :53 mark of the first half.
Guy called on Lacayo to execute an onside kick and the former XFL kicker delivered. Lacayo hit a perfect dribbler that bounced the needed 10 yards before Ricky Wyatt Jr. recovered for the Rattlers around the 11-yard-line.
Powell then methodically led his team down the field, connecting with Harrington on a 10-yard touchdown pass against the backboards with 8 seconds left. Lacayo hit the PAT to give Arizona a 33-28 lead.
Hollabaugh tried a 55-yard field goal at the buzzer that was short. Harrington slowly meandered out of the end zone and nearly scored before he was tackled at the Duke City 15. Arizona outgained Duke City 109-27 in total yardage in the second quarter and the Rattlers held a 33-28 halftime lead.
The scoring pace slowed down in the third.
Powell continued his ground dominance with a 3-yard TD run at the 9:22 mark. Lacayo’s PAT gave Arizona 40-28 lead and capped a 20-0 scoring run.
“I’m in the moment and enjoying this,” Powell said of his stellar season thus far. “Playing and performing well for my coaches, teammates and Rattler Nation — there’s nothing quite like it.”
The Gladiators weren’t going anywhere and they showed it when Nate Davis found Jared Elmore with a 19-yard passing strike to bring Duke City within 40-35 after three quarters.
“Nate Davis is accurate,” Guy said. “We needed to get to him but we didn’t get much pressure tonight.”
The lead was extended back to 12 when Arizona’s Nick LaSane scored on a nifty 19-yard run as the final quarter got started.
Nate Davis found Amey from 6 yards out on the next series but Hollabaugh’s PAT was blocked. Arizona led 47-41 with 12 minutes left.
It appeared Powell was limping on the previous possession but he showed no ill effects with a brilliant 17-yard scoring run, his fifth of the night on the ground, to make it 53-41. Another 2-point attempt — a jet sweep by Harrington — failed and the lead reamined 12 points with 8:05 left in the game.
Duke City drove the field again, with Nate Davis finding Amey with a perfect 20-yard TD pass on a post pattern as Amey split the Rattlers’ secondary perfectly down the middle. Hollabaugh’s PAT brought the Gladiators within 53-48 at the 5:14 mark of the fourth.
After a failed Duke City onside kick attempt, LaSane darted in from 4 yards out to push the advantage back to two scores. Lacayo’s PAT gave Arizona a 60-48 lead with 1:52 left in the game, setting the stage for the defensive heroics.
Powell finished the night with 95 yards rushing and increased his season total to a league-leading 29 rushing TDs. He was 12-for-16 through the air for 117 yards, 2 TDs and no interceptions. LaSane added 57 yards and two rushing scores. Nate Davis led Duke City with 6 TD passes on the night.
The Rattlers will remain home at the “Snake Pit” to face the Tucson Sugar Skulls (4-7) next Sunday, August 8. Kickoff is set for 3:05 p.m. and the game will broadcast locally on LATV and streamed live on YouTube.
“The mindset is ‘don’t blink’ with Tucson coming in,” Powell said. “We want to control our own destiny.”
Harrington agreed with his quarterback.
“We want the playoffs to come through the desert,” he said.
Matt Loeschman Managing Editor | West Valley @MattLoeschman
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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