(Prescott Valley, AZ) The 2-1 Arizona Rattlers traveled north this weekend to face the 0-3 Northern Arizona Wranglers at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley, AZ. Long time Rattlers’ coach Kevin Guy led his team against second year Wrangler’s coach Ron James. The Wranglers won the IFL Championship in 2022 stunning the Rattlers, 52-51, but have had mixed results since then, going 2-14 last year.
1st quarter
The Rattlers won the toss and deferred to the second half and the opening kickoff skipped out the back of the endzone giving the Wranglers’ the ball from their own 5. On their first play from scrimmage Ramone Atkins connected with Marlon Cook Jr. for 34 yards down to the Rattlers’ 11 yard line. Three plays later, Atkins ran the ball in from the 1 yard line. The point after by Manny Higuera was good, but a penalty committed by the Wranglers during the kick was deferred to the ensuing kickoff. The kickoff went out of bounds and with the extra penalty yardage, the Rattlers’ first drive started at the Wranglers’ 20 yard line. After driving down to the 2 yard line, Rattlers’ quarterback Max Meylor called his own number and dove across the end line, scoring the Rattlers’ first six points. Matthew Cook added the point after making the score 7-7.
On the Wranglers’ next drive, they marched down the field and Ramone Atkins hooked up with Ka’Ron Ashley in the endzone from the 5 yard line. Manny Higuera added the point after giving the Wranglers’ a 14-7 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, Manny Higuera kicked a deuce adding to the lead, 16-7. By rule, the Rattlers began their drive from their own 5 yard line. Before the end of the first quarter, the Rattlers had made their way down the field to the Wranglers’ 14 yard line.
Photo – Joanna Riggle
2nd quarter
The Rattlers’ began the second quarter with 3rd and 10 to go from the 14 yard line. Meylor scrambled to the 5 yard line but, on the 4th down play, he could not escape pressure and his pass fell incomplete and the Wranglers’ took over on downs at their own 5 yard line. Two plays later, Carlvainsky Decius intercepted Ramone Atkins’ pass at midfield. The Rattlers’ only managed to gain a net 7 yards on the next 4 downs and turned the ball over on downs again, this time at the Wranglers’ 18 yard line. The Wranglers were unable to make any headway down the field and after penalties for holding and a false start, Manny Higuera attempted a 50 yard field goal. The attempt was unsuccessful and the Rattlers’ took over on their own five yard line. Four plays later, Kymani Clarke carried it in from the 5 yard line and Cook’s kick cut the lead to 16-14. The Rattlers’ attempted an onside kick which failed to go the required yardage before recovery giving the Wranglers’ the ball at the Rattlers’ 9 yard line. A defensive facemask penalty moved the ball to the Rattlers’ 4 yard line and Ramone Atkins found Nolan Susel in the endzone for six. Higuera’s point after brought the score to Wranglers 23-14 Rattlers at the one minute warning.
Higuera’s kickoff went out of bounds and the Rattlers’ began their next drive at their own 20. At the end of the drive, Meylor called his own number again from the 2 yard line to score a touchdown and Cook’s kick made the score NAZ 23-21 with just 39.4 seconds left. Cook’s kickoff bounced into the endzone and Benji Omayebu brought it out but good kick coverage by the Rattlers brought him down on the 7 yard line. Atkins pass on 2nddown to Kylan Herrera to the Rattlers’ 14 was extended by a personal foul by the Rattlers’ Carson Taylor and the Wranglers had first down from the seven yard line. The Rattlers employed a shut down defense and the next 3 passes were incomplete. Higuera’s 23 yard field goal attempt doinked off the upright and with 5.4 seconds remaining in the half, the Rattlers took over at their own 5 yard line. Meylor’s second pass from scrimmage, with 2.3 seconds left, was intercepted by Dayvia Gbor in the end zone but he was ruled down by contact. The half ended with the score 23-21 and the Rattlers set to receive after halftime.
Photo – Joanna Riggle
At the Half
The Rattlers offense was out of sync in the first half but the defense and inopportune penalties against the Wranglers kept the game close for the visitors from the Valley. The Wranglers were playing with a lot of confidence as they sought their first win of the season.
3rd quarter
The Rattlers received the 2nd half kickoff and wasted no time driving down the field on the ground. Five rushes found Kymani Clarke in the endzone from the Wranglers’ one yard line, giving the Rattlers their first lead of the game. Cook’s point after brought the score to Rattlers 28-23 Wranglers. Primarily using his legs, Atkins led the Wranglers’ down the field on their first possession of the 2nd half. A lengthy drive was stalled out at the 2 yard line. Two offensive holding penalties against Ben Key moved the Wranglers back to the 22 yard line and the Wranglers turned it over on downs at the 14 with just 42.7 seconds remaining in the quarter.
Photo – Joanna Riggle
4th quarter
The Rattlers started the quarter from the 25 after an 11 yard gain by Ron Brown, Jr. at the end of the 3rdquarter. The Rattlers’ drive stalled out at the 10 yard line, but a Matthew Cook 25 yard field goal increased the Snakes’ lead to 31-23. Benji Omayebu returned Cook’s kickoff to good field position but an illegal block in the back by Trae-Varis Ferrell on the 10 yard line moved the Wranglers back to their own five. Sergio Morancy intercepted Atkins’ pass at the Rattlers’ 16 yard line and following a scramble by Meylor and a defensive holding penalty by the Wranglers’ Ryan Johnson, Corey Reed Jr. ran it into the endzone from the 19 yard line. Cook’s point after kick extended the Rattlers’ lead to 38-23.
Omayebu was upended by the Rattlers’ Kenneth Gallop at the 9 yard line during the runback of the kickoff. John Pius stuffed Atkins on his first play from scrimmage but Amir Wallace was burned on second down and the Wranglers were at the Rattlers’ 16 yard line one play letter on a pass from Atkins to Marlon Cook, Jr. The two connected a few plays later from the 2 yard line for another touchdown with 4:33 remaining. Higuera added the extra point and booted another deuce on the following kickoff. The Rattlers went back on offense with a reduced lead of 38-32. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Kieran Page gave the Rattlers a first down at 12 yard line. After the one minute timeout, Meylor, from the 9 yard line found Corey Reed Jr. in the endzone. The two point conversion failed and with 57.7 seconds remaining, the Rattlers’ lead was 44-32.
Omayebu had trouble handling Cook’s kickoff and the delay almost allowed the coverage to overrun him. The ball was on the 18, Atkins scrambled to the Rattlers 13 yard line in two plays with 37.4 seconds remaining. The Rattlers’ John Pius tipped Atkins’ final pass of the game into the waiting arms of Autjoe Soe who returned it from the 9 to the 13. The Rattlers offense ran out the clock and the final score was Rattlers 44-32 Wranglers.
It was a tale of two teams between the first and second halves for the Rattlers. The halftime speech must have been inspiring (or possibly terrifying) and the adjustments were obvious on the first drive. The second half the offense relied much more heavily on designed run plays and Meylor was not forced to scramble as much as the first half. The defense had a crucial goal line stand which seemed to deflate the previously confident offense of the Wranglers. The Wranglers penalties were instrumental in helping the Rattlers secure their third win of the season. The Rattlers return to the Snakepit on Saturday the 25th to face off with the Tulsa Oilers. The Wranglers will travel to San Antonio in search of their first win of the season on Saturday.
Article by Joanna Riggle – 602 Sports Talk
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