(Glendale, AZ) The Rattlers game this afternoon renewed an old rivalry with the Jacksonville Sharks. This is the first meeting since July of 2016 when both teams were members of the AFL (Arena Football League). The Snakes won that shootout 69-67.
Different League, different squads, but Arizona needed a win to pull even at 3-3. The Sharks came into Desert Diamond Arena winless at 0-4.
Jacksonville won the coin toss and chose to defer till the second half.
Arizona drove down to the ten yard line, but on a fourth down play, the Sharks blitzed up the middle to force Dalton Sneed into an incomplete pass and a turnover on downs.
Jacksonville got on the board first with a five yard touchdown pass from Fred Payton Jr to Kamrin Solomon. Sharks up 7-0 with 7:23 left in the opening quarter.
The Snakes used three consecutive run plays to move the ball, but an incomplete pass and a sack forced a thirty five yard field goal by Dawson Evitts to cut the Jacksonville lead to 7-3 at the 3:06 mark.
After offsetting penalties on the Arizona kickoff, the re-kick was right down the middle for a deuce play that tightened the score 7-5 and put the Sharks on the five yard line to start their next possession.
Jacksonville a little out of sync after the Rattlers deuce play, failed to get a first down and the Rattlers took 0ver on the Sharks twelve yard line as the first quarter ended.
After a challenge of an illegal defense by Coach Kevin Guy, it took plays to score on a Shannon Brooks two yard run and the Snakes took the lead 12-7. This all came about off the tough defense and momentum Arizona had following the turnover.
Bad fortune stayed with the Sharks like a bad cold as they were flagged for holding on the kickoff return that put the ball on their own three yard line. With a fourth down and six, Payton connected with Solomon for a much needed first down and just like that, Jacksonville was at the Arizona two yard line. A short pass to Jeremiah Payton gave the lead back to the Sharks 14-12.
Arizona needing a score prior to halftime initiated a strong drive mixing the run and pass. With a fresh set of downs, Sneed threw a sinking line drive pass to Jamal Miles who caught it and rolled into the end zone and the Rattlers went back up 19-14 with a 1:42 left in the first half.
From seventeen yard out Boom Williams jitterbugged his way to score with under a minute left and make the score 21-19 Jacksonville.
Arizona took the ball downfield in a hurry but bogged down inside the Sharks’ five. A third down play had Brooks catch the ball just outside the goal line but couldn’t stretch it over, that put the Rattlers in a fourth down with only 3.4 seconds left before halftime. Brooks calmly ran it in on the next play from inside the one yard line with no time remaining regaining the lead 26-21. Sharks Coach Taylor Genuser challenged the touchdown but was rebuked as the teams headed for the locker room.
The Sharks’ Isaiah Johnson came out of halftime with a goal to goal kickoff return for a touchdown before the crowd had settled back into their seat and Jacksonville regained the lead 28-26.
Lightning struck twice as the Snakes unfazed came right back with four play drive with Miles breaking off his fly pattern for a wide open touchdown catch in the back of the end zone and back and forth we continued 32-28 Arizona.
The quarter continued with big plays as Rattlers’ Omari Alexander picked off Payton and returned it to the Jacksonville six yard line.
Back luck was now with the Snakes as Glen Gibbons Jr fumbled the ball away at the three taking the momentum away.
A determined Arizona defense forced a third and nine from the four, but Payton went to the well and completed a thirty one yard sideline pass to put them back in business. Once again, Arizona couldn’t contain the Sharks with their backs to the wall.
A big intentional grounding call on Payton and a subsequent holding call on the following play had the Sharks looking at a third down and thirty. A dump off pass put them into field goal range where Frankie Onate missed right on a forty yard attempt and Arizona dodged a bullet with 1:39 to go in the third quarter.
Arizona tried their best to put some distance between then and the winless Sharks. Snead called his own number and ran it in from nine yards out and the Rattlers were now up two possesions 39-28 to start the final quarter.
For the remainder of the game, the key was if the Rattlers could sustain their defensive effort. Jacksonville looked at a fourth and twelve. Payton’s pass was complete on an out pattern, but a big hit just short of the yard marker turned the ball back to Arizona.
Good fortune didn’t last long as the Snakes gave the ball right back to Jacksonville on an interception. New quarterback for the Sharks N’Kosi Perry made them pay with with a handoff to Williams from fove yards out and the Rattlers was back to four points 39-35 with 6:04 left.
Now it was Arizona’s offense which needed a spark and Cory Reed cauaght a pass at the sideline wall which put the ball at the Sharks’ four yard line. One play later Brooks smashed in for the score. Once again the lead was two possessions 46-35 with 2:58 left.
An inexplicable short kick off looked like the Sharks may have new life, but a personal foul penalty and two consecutive motion miscues put the ball back in the shadow of the Jacksonville goal line. Bad went from bad got worse as the Sharks were whistled for holding in the end zone which is a safety by rule and the Snakes lead went to 48-35 with just 1:59 left.
Arizona left no chance for the Sharks as Sneed scored from the half yard line to put the nail in the Sharks’ coffin 55-35 that ended the game.
Arizona pulled away in the fourth quarter for good when both offense and defense played their best ball of the season.
Arizona badly needed this win to get to 3-3 on the season. They now find themselves back in early playoff contention. This was the first victory in Glendale since June 2019.
A bye week awaits both the Tucson Sugar Skulls and the Rattlers before meeting in the Old Pueblo on May 11th.
Today’s attendance was 9,178.
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