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AFL Arizona Rattlers

Arizona Rattlers Game Notes

May 13, 2003 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Arizona Rattlers News Release


The Stakes: Arizona looks to end the regular season on a winning note against the Crush. A win would seal a home playoff game next week for the Rattlers. Arizona defeated the Chicago Rush 56-44 last week in Chicago. The Crush fell to the Avengers 45-34 in Los Angeles.

The Series: This will be the second meeting between the Rattlers and the first year Crush. Arizona knocked off Colorado 72-45 on March 16.

Playoffs: The Arizona Rattlers will begin the Drive to ArenaBowl XVII next week. The location and opponent of the Rattlers first round playoff game will be determined following AFL action on Sunday.

Radio: All Rattler games are broadcast on KMVP 860 AM. Kent Derdivanis and Ron Wolfley will provide the commentary.

Head Coaches: Head Coach and General Manager Danny White (124-58 overall, 109-50 regular season) is in his 12th season with the Arizona Rattlers. The 2002 Arena Football Hall of Fame inductee is second all-time in coaching victories, with 117 wins. White is only the second coach in AFL history to notch 100 wins. White's career-winning percentage of .681 ranks fifth all-time in AFL history. He is a two-time ArenaBowl Champion (1994, 1997).

Bob Beers is the man chosen to guide the Crush in their inaugural season. Beers has spent the last seven seasons as a scout for the NFL's Denver Broncos.

Last Meeting: The Rattlers turned a three-point halftime deficit into a 72-45 victory over the Crush. The game marked Chris Horn's final contest as a Rattler before departing for the Kansas City Chiefs. Horn caught six passes for 87 yards and two scores. Sherdrick Bonner threw for 275 yards and seven touchdowns.

Playoff Posturing: The Rattlers have clinched a berth in the Arena Football League playoffs for the eleventh consecutive season. A win against Colorado would assure them a home playoff game next week.

Big Hunk: WR/LB Hunkie Cooper cements his status as an AFL legend on a weekly basis. Cooper added another touchdown catchto his season numbers in the win over Chicago. Cooper ranks first all-time in kickoff returns, second all-time in all-purpose yards, third in kickoff return touchdowns, and fourth in pass receptions.

Mr. Bonner's Neighborhood: Rattlers Quarterback Sherdrick Bonner is third all-time in Arena Football history with 527 touchdown passes. He ranks second in passing yards (26,559) and pass completions (2,095). Bonner also ranks fourth for pass attempts (3,384).

New INT Record: Randy Gatewood's interception on 4/26 was the 23rd of his career, putting him alone atop the Rattlers all-time list. Gatewood broke a tie with Cecil Doggette for the top spot. It was his eighth of the season, extending his single season franchise record.

Milestone Marker: Several Rattler players have reached significant milestones this season. Quarterback Sherdrick Bonner passed the 25, 000 career passing yard mark on 4/6 against Orlando. Bonner threw for his 500th career touchdown pass on 4/13 at Los Angeles. Hunkie Cooper became the AFL's all-time leader in kickoff returns on 3/23 at Indiana, returning his 461st career kickoff. Bo Kelly passed the 1,000 career rushing yards mark on 4/26 against Carolina.

Career Year: Sherdrick Bonner has already reached a new career high in touchdown passes in a single season. Bonner has 81 so far this year, eclipsing his old record of 72 set during the 2000 season. Keep in mind that Bonner missed two games this season with a separated shoulder. Bonner is 225 yards away from setting a new career high in passing yards. He threw for 3, 690 yards in 1996. The AFL named Bonner the Offensive Player of the Month for the month of April.

Next Week: Arizona will begin their Drive for ArenaBowl XVII. The first round playoff game site and opponent will be determined following this week's games.

Last Week: The Rattlers earned a road victory over the Chicago Rush, winning 56-44. Sherdrick Bonner threw for 238 yards and six touchdowns to lead Arizona to victory. Randy Gatewood hauled in four touchdowns, his fourth game this season with four TD catches.

Officials: Officials for today's game are: William LeMonnier (Referee), Dan Ferrell (Umpire), Rusty Spindel (Head Linesman), Dana mcKenzie (Line Judge), and Billy Beckett (Back Judge). Winning Tradition: With their victory over Chicago, the Rattlers secured their eleventh consecutive winning season. The Orlando Predators currently own the league's longest streak with winning seasons in each of the last 12 years (1992-present). The Tampa Bay Storm had their eleven winning seasons streak snapped last season. They had a winning season every year from 1991-2001.

Weekly Awards: The Rattlers have won six weekly awards so far this season. WR/DB Randy Gatewood has earned two of them, being named the ADT Defensive Player of the Week against the Fury on 3/7 and Ironman of the Week for his play versus Las Vegas. WR/LB Hunkie Cooper was named Ironman of the Week following the Indiana game. Sherdrick Bonner has been named Offensive Player of the Week three times, including back-to-back awards following the Los Angeles and Grand Rapids games.

IR: OL/DL Lindsay Hassell is on Injured Reserve and expected to miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. K Nelson Garner was activated prior to the Chicago game. K Chris Sailer and FB/LB Joe Jackson were placed on IR prior to the game against the Rush.

Monster 80's: The Rattlers became the first team in the history of the Arena Football League to score 80 or more points in consecutive games when they posted 82 points against Los Angeles on April 13 and Grand Rapids on April 19.

Ironmen: Only two Rattlers players have appeared in all 15 games this season. Hunkie Cooper and Mark Tucker are the only ones who haven't sat out a game. Cooper hasn't missed a game since the 1999 season.

Five Tool Guy: Tom Pace scored his first career rushing touchdown against Chicago on 5/11. The former ASU running back has now scored points five different ways. Pace has caught a TD pass, rushed for a TD, returned an interception for a score (twice), recovered a fumble for a touchdown, and thrown a touchdown pass.

Snake Bytes: The Rattlers are 5-1 this season when they score first...Arizona is 7-3 when they hold a lead at halftime...When the Rattlers score last, they are 6-1...Hunkie Cooper has caught a pass in every game this season...Arizona finished the regular season 5-3 at home. They are 52-22 all-time in the regular season at America West Arena. They are 46-24 all-time in the regular season on the road....Arizona is 27-10 all-time in the month of May.



Arena Football League Stories from May 13, 2003


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