(Glendale, AZ) A new season with high expectations as always for the Rattlers. Arizona got the 2025 MVP Quarter Max Meylor from Green Bay in the offseason to guide the team in 2026.
The front office was busy and also signing newcomers Kimo Clarke on offense and Hayden Hatcher on defense.
The Snakes have won the last seven season openers as Coach Kevin Guy started his seventeenth season at the helm.
The San Diego Strike Force knocked Arizona out of the IFL Playoffs last season 49-48 after the two teams split their regular season matches.
First Quarter
San Diego won the coin toss and deferred to the second half.
Arizona took two plays to score as Meylor hit Armand Bruce on a 33 yard deep fly pattern for the season’s first score. Rattlers 7-0.
Thw Strike Force converted two third and long plays to keep their opening drive alive, but went to the well once too often and faced a fourth and goal at the one yard line. After three unsuccessful run attempts, quarterback Nate Davis threw a pass behind his receiver and the Arzona defense held and forced the turnover on downs.
Meylor’s pass on a quick out route was intercepted by Jalani Jefferson of the Strike Force at the 22 yard line and returned to the 5 yard line and they were back in business. After a challenge that overturned a Strike Force turnover. The next play, Edward Vander crashed into the end zone to tie the score at 7-7 with 1:21 left in the quarter.
Both teams’ defenses made some good plays to keep the scoring low.
Corey Reed Jr. catch down the sideline for a touchdown – Yahoo Sports
Second Quarter
The quarter began with the Snakes on their own 17 yard line. They used the pass and run to score, with Brown Jr. who took it in from the 2 yard line to put the Rattlers back in front 14-7 with 11:05 on the clock.
San Diego got help from two Rattler penalties that put them into Arizona territory at the 16 yard line. The Strike force used short quick passes and rushes to get inside the 5 yard line. Davis scored on a naked bootleg from the 2 yard line to draw within a point due to the missed extra point, 14-13.
Once again, the quick strike Rattlers’ offense scored on two plays, this time Meylor kept the ball off the right side and bolted 28 yards for the touchdown and a 21-13 lead with 1:23 left til halftime.
San Diego got the ball back with a minute left to try to keep pace, but on the second play, Davis was picked off by Carlvainsky Decius and the Snaked tried to steal some points before haftime. Corey Reed Jr. was wide open across the middle and could have scored, but went down intentionally at the 5 yard line to run more time off the clock. With 12 second left, Bruce went left to score from the 3 yard line and mission accomplished for a 28-13 with just 8 seconds left.
San Diego’s 42 yard field goal attempt was short to end the half.
Halftime
There were quite a few penalties and thats to be expected in a season opener.
The story of the first half was the Arizona defense which held the high scoring Strike Force offense to just a couple of touchdowns. A big turnover on downs in the first quarter set the stage giving the Rattlers the advantage that San Diego had to chase the entire first half.
With the late interception, the Snakes got a key score to make the game a two possession affair heading to the second half.
Third Quarter
The Strike Force got the ball to start the second half at their own 8 yard line.
Davis hit Dallas Daniels in stride for a 34 yard touchdown early in the quarter. San Diego went for two points after missing the extra point in the first half. The try was successful and cut the lead 28-21.
Arizona faced a third and nine from their own 15 yard line, but Bruce hauled in a 16 yard catch to get the first down. Meylor then with a a ton of time in the pocket and everyone covered, dumped it off to Brown Jr to get the ball to the San Diego 4 yard line. On the next play, Meylor dropped the football but stayed with the play and found Trey Odoms-Dukes with a short shovel pass. The Rattlers went back ahead by two touchdowns 35-21 with 4:42 left in the quarter.
After a great defensive play by the Rattler secondary to fight through the block on a wide receiver screen that forced a fourth down. Arizona shot itself in the foot with an offsides penalty on the play to give San Diego its first down.
A blown coverage on the next play, saw Jalen Sample wide open in the corner for the touchdown. Again, San Diego missed the extra point as it hit te left upright and a 35-27 score wiht just 7 seconds left in the third quarter.
Arizona recovers a fumble on the goal line – Yahoo Sports
Fourth Quarter
Two deep passed from Meylor were dropped forcing a third and ten from the Arizona 11 yard line. A 9 yard sideline pass fell short of the first down by a yard. with a fourth and less than a yard, Reed Jr. took a check off pass and streaked down the left sideline to score from 31 yards out. The Snakes extended their lead to 42-27 with 10:47 left in the game.
Great special teams play on the ensuing kickoff for the Rattlers, tackling the San Diego return man inside his own 5 yard line. That didn’t faze the Strike Force as they got a bog chunk of yardage on a 29 yard pass deep into Arizona territory.
With the ball just outside the goal line, a muffed pitch resulted in a fumble and a Rattler recovery.
Wasting to time, Meylor already with two big pass completions deep down field, threw another bomb to Trey Odoms-Dukes to the one yard line. Two plays later Meylor called his own number and waltzed in for the score and a 49-27 lead.
That score all but sealed the win for Arizona with only 4:25 left on the clock.
With noting to lose, Davis had to pass virtually every down and the Snakes defense knew it, Yahsyn McKee Sr. with his second take away after his fumble recovery, good night Strike Force with just 1:00 left.
Coach Kevin Guy instead of running out the clock tried a shot into the end zone which fell incomplete. The following play Meylor took a knee to close out the game.
Final Score 49-27.
Wrap Up
This game featured great pass-catch long bombs, hard hitting and a lot of flags. Taking into consideration it was the first game, Arizona had some stout defensive play forcing turnovers including a turnover on downs.
Sn Diego, tried to make it two in a row, but the Snakes pulled away in the second half. The key play was a pickoff just before halftime. Coach Kevin Guy, the master of stealing points before halftime gave his team 28-13 halftime lead. With the Strike Force getting the ball first as a result of deferring the coin toss, San Diego could have tied the score. The entire game, San Diego had to chase the Rattlers, never getting the lead.
So Arizona wins its eighth straight season opener and gets off to a 1-0 start. The kinks will be worked out throughout the season, but it was an above average effort and a sign of things to come.
Tonight’s attendance was 8,727 with the NCAA Basketball Tournament being played simultaneously.
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