The Arizona Rattlers will make their 27th playoff appearance in franchise history this Saturday at the Footprint Center
(Phoenix, AZ) The Arizona Rattlers are set to make their 27th playoff appearance in franchise history this Saturday at the Footprint Center. Kickoff time is set for 6:05 pm.
The Rattlers will host the Northern Arizona Wranglers in the Snake Pit for the second straight week. Last Saturday, Arizona clinched the number one seed in the West and finished the season 11-4 with their 55-39 victory.
PLAYOFF SUCCESS
The Arizona Rattlers have made it out of the first round of the playoffs every year (except 2018) since entering the IFL back in 2017. Arizona has made it to the Championship Game in three out of the past five seasons. They won the United Bowl in 2017 and lost in the Conference Championship last year to this same Northern Arizona Wranglers squad in a heartbreaker.
Arizona has made the playoffs in 14 straight seasons under the guidance of Kevin Guy. In 13 of those 14 seasons, they finished with 10+ wins. They enter the playoffs as the number 1 seed in the West for the fourth consecutive season.
THE GUY FOR THE JOB
Head Coach Kevin Guy secured the 250th win of his career last week against the Wranglers. He is the winningest coach in Rattlers history in both wins and win percentage by a wide margin.
Guy has had strong playoff performances since joining the Rattlers in 2008. He boasts a 20-9 record in the playoffs, which includes a 16-8 home record. Since taking the helm, he has won four championships for the Arizona Rattlers, including a three-peat from 2012-2014. The fourth championship came during their first IFL season in 2017. Coach Kevin Guy will look to add to his resume when the IFL Playoffs begin this weekend.
The Rattlers were the top offensive team in the league this season. Although they faced much adversity with several key injuries across the board, they still managed to score the most points in the league with 820. They scored 116 touchdowns and 88 extra points which both lead the league. That mark puts them at 54.9 points per game along with an IFL-best 6.5 yards per play.
MONEY MCINERNEY
The Rattlers were one of the top-kicking teams in the IFL this season. They ranked second in field goal percentage kicking 50% on 6/12 field goals and 89.8% on 88-98 PAT kicking. Kicker Shane McInerney, after joining the team in the middle of the season, has been one of the most efficient kickers in the league, connecting on 60/64 PATs (93.75%) and 3/5 on field goal attempts (60.0%).
DEFENSIVE PRESSURE
The Rattlers’ defense has been vital this season in securing tough wins. They are tied for the top of the IFL in sacks with 19 (tied with Tucson) and have the second least amount of sacks against at seven. DL Chris Terrell has seven sacks and is tied for the sacks leader in the IFL this season with Maurice Jackson (Tucson), and Tramond Lofton (Wranglers). This defense should prove important in advancing further in the playoffs, as they look to get stops and takeaways to shift the momentum.
The Rattlers have been excellent this season in stopping their opponents on fourth down. They ended the regular season ranked third in opponents’ third down conversion percentage, only allowing their opponents to convert on 50% of fourth downs, opponents were successful on only 18 of 36 attempts. They only trail the Frisco Fighters (36.2%) and the Iowa Barnstormers(48%) in that department.
Press Release courtesy of the Arizona Rattlers – Ben Siamon
Click on Logo
