Arizona Hosts Duke City Saturday Night at Footprint Center
March 18, 2022 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Arizona Rattlers News Release
PHOENIX - The Arizona Rattlers open their 2022 season on Saturday, March 19 against the Duke City Gladiators, looking to avenge their 2021 IFL United Bowl loss en route to the franchise's seventh world championship. Led by Team President and Head Coach Kevin Guy, the Rattlers have another talented squad that is looking to bring the United Bowl Championship back to the desert.
Last season, Arizona finished with an overall record of 14-3. They went a perfect 8-0 at home during the regular season for the second consecutive year. Since 2014, the Rattlers have posted a dominant 58-7 record at home.
Returning Rattlers
QB, Drew Powell- IFL MVP
Quarterback Powell is looking to build off his impressive MVP campaign in which he guided the Rattlers to a league-best record. Powell led the league in rushing, running for 902 total yards for an average of 64.4 yards per game for 6.6 yards per carry while adding 35 rushing touchdowns.
Powell completed 69.4 percent of his passes (1st) for 1,745 yards (4th) and 30 passing touchdowns. Powell earned two Offensive Player of the Week nods throughout the year.
DB, Dillion Winfrey- Defensive Player of the Year
Winfrey is fresh off a league-leading 13 interception season for the Rattlers a year ago. His off- the-charts production in the backfield led to him being honored as the defensive player of the year. Winfrey took home Defensive Player of the Week honors twice this year.
OL, Lamar Mady- Second Team All-IFL
Mady helped lead the offensive line of the Rattlers which finished as the best rushing team in the IFL with 1,649 yards and 63 touchdowns. The Arizona offensive line protected the quarterback as the team finished with the second-fewest number of sacks on the season.
Kicker, Ernesto Lacayo- All-IFL Special Teams
Lacayo hit 85-of-93 total PATs on the season and knocked in six of his ten field goal attempts to lead the league in field goal percentage (60.0%). Lacayo earned Special Teams Player of the Week honors once during the season.
Both teams looking to rebound from tough season-ending losses
Arizona and Duke City both had their 2021 seasons end in tough fashion. The Rattlers fell to the Massachusetts Pirates 37-34 in the United Bowl last year after a game-winning field goal as time expired by Pirates kicker Garrett Hartley, while it was the Rattlers who forced a miss by Duke
City kicker Kevin Goessling as time expired in the IFL Semifinals in 2021, ending the Gladiators' season.
High flying offenses on tap again?
The Rattlers and Gladiators met three times during the 2021 IFL season, and each time, fans were treated to a shootout. Two of Arizona's four highest combined scoring contests last year came against Duke City, which both resulted in Rattlers' wins - a 58-55 battle in the IFL Semifinal and a 60-48 win in July. With Drew Powell and Jamal Miles back in a Rattlers uniform - both of whom helped torch the Gladiators last year - Saturday shapes up to be an exciting contest.
New Names
The Rattlers will have an all-new backfield in 2022, featuring rookies Malik Williams, and Shannon Brooks (IR), to complement 2021 IFL MVP Drew Powell, who ran for a league- leading 38 touchdowns last season. Williams, a product of the University of Louisville brings NFL experience to the table, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Atlanta Falcons in the preseason. Brooks was a standout at the University of Minnesota and ranks 12th on the Golden Gophers' list of all-time rushers.
Arizona also brings in two new defensive linemen in 2022 - Trevon Hill and Robert Landers, both of whom are rookies. Landers was a fan favorite at Ohio State, where he played in 52 career games, while Hill has experience playing at two ACC schools in the University of Miami and Virginia Tech.
Indoor Football League Stories from March 18, 2022
- Barnstormers Fall to Steamwheelers in Season Opener - Iowa Barnstormers
- Pirates WR Teo Redding Selected by Houston in USFL - Massachusetts Pirates
- Arizona Hosts Duke City Saturday Night at Footprint Center - Arizona Rattlers
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