Sports stats



AFL I Arizona Rattlers

Arizona Rattlers game notes

March 9, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Arizona Rattlers News Release


The Stakes: Arizona goes for win number four, when they head to Las Vegas for a showdown with the Gladiators. Las Vegas looks to get back on track after a 55-40 loss to Georgia. This is the first of two meetings this season.

The Series: This is the fourth meeting between these teams. Arizona is 3-0 all-time against the Gladiators, including two victories last season. The Rattlers ended Las Vegas' season with a 69-26 romp in the Wild Card Round of the Playoffs.

TV: Tonight's game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Arizona. Kent Derdivanis and Gene Nudo will provide the commentary.

Radio: All Rattler games are broadcast on KMVP 860 AM. All games are also simulcast over the internet at www.AZRattlers.com.

Media Contacts:
Rattlers: Randy Policar
602-514-8302, 602-750-9541 cell
Gladiators: Adam Grant
702-731-4977, 702-480-5995 cell
ARIZONA RATTLERS (3-2)
Date Opponent Time TV
2/8 Los Angeles Loss 32-51
2/13 Detroit Loss 31-48
2/21 @ Carolina Win 45-38
2/29 New York Win 53-41
3/5 Columbus Win 65-42
3/14 @ Las Vegas 4:00 FSAZ
3/18 New Orleans 7:00
3/27 @ Colorado 7:00 FSAZ
4/4 @ Grand Rapids 12:00
4/10 Las Vegas 7:00 FSAZ
4/18 Dallas 12:00 NBC
4/25 @ Indiana 12:00 NBC
5/1 @ Los Angeles 7:30 FSAZ
5/9 San Jose 12:00 NBC
5/15 @ Detroit 4:30
5/30 @ San Jose 1:00 NBC

LAS VEGAS GLADIATORS (2-3)
Date Opponent Time TV
2/6 @ Colorado Loss 42-43
2/14 Los Angeles Loss 55-62
2/22 @ Grand Rapids Win 51-14
2/29 New Orleans Win 50-30
3/7 @ Georgia Loss 40-55
3/14 Arizona 4:00 FSAZ
3/20 @ San Jose 8:30
3/27 @ Orlando 5:30
4/4 Chicago 12:00 NBC
4/10 @ Arizona 7:00 FSAZ
4/25 Detroit 12:00 NBC
5/2 Indiana 12:00 NBC
5/8 @ Philadelphia 4:30
5/16 San Jose 12:00 NBC
5/22 @ Los Angeles 7:30
5/30 Columbus 1:00 NBC

Head Coaches: Head Coach and General Manager Danny White (131-61 overall, 113-52 regular season) is in his 13th season with the Arizona Rattlers. The 2002 Arena Football Hall of Fame inductee is second all-time in coaching victories, with 131 wins. White is only the second coach in AFL history to notch 100 wins. White's career-winning percentage of .682 ranks fifth all-time in AFL history. He is a two-time ArenaBowl Champion (1994, 1997).

Frank Haege is in his third season as the man in charge of the Gladiators. Haege led the Gladiators to their first ever playoff berth in 2002, and followed that with their second straight playoff appearance last year. Haege has a career record of 19-18.

Last Meeting: These two teams hooked up twice in 2003, with Arizona emerging victorious in both games. The Rattlers won the first meeting 46-42 on a last second interception in the end zone. The two also met in the First Round of the AFL Playoffs, with Arizona defending their home field, 69-26. The Rattlers defense scored three touchdowns and a safety to lead them to victory.

Coop, There It Is: WR/LB Hunkie Cooper returns to Arizona for his 12th season. In the AFL record book, 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. Cooper was named the US Army Ironman of the Week for his performance against the Dragons on 2/29.
All-Purpose Yards:
1. George LaFrance 20,480
2. # Hunkie Cooper 19,844
3. # Barry Wagner 19,213
Kickoff Returns
1. # Hunkie Cooper 484
2. George LaFrance 460
Kickoff Return Touchdowns
1. Lamont Cooper 24
2. Steve Papin 23
3. # Hunkie Cooper 19
Pass Receptions:
1. Eddie Brown 949
2. # Barry Wagner 905
3. # Gary Compton 736
4. # Hunkie Cooper 729
# denotes Active Player

Lucky 13: Rattlers Quarterback Sherdrick Bonner is third all-time in Arena Football history with 551 touchdown passes. He ranks third in passing yards (27, 927) and second in pass completions (2, 213). Bonner also ranks second for pass attempts (3, 565).

Most Passing Touchdowns
1. # Aaron Garcia 574
2. # Andy Kelly 568
3. # Sherdrick Bonner 551
Most Passing Yards
1. # Andy Kelly 28,907
2. # Aaron Garcia 28,001
3. # Sherdrick Bonner 27,927
Most Pass Completions
1. # Andy Kelly 2,604
2. # Sherdrick Bonner 2,213
3. # Aaron Garcia 2,181
4. # Clint Dolezel 2,169
Most Pass Attempts:
1. # Andy Kelly 4,260
2. # Sherdrick Bonner 3,565
3. # Todd Hammel 3,501
4. # Aaron Garcia 3,479
# denotes Active Player

Activated: The Rattlers activated OL/DL Tim Engelhardt from IR prior to the Columbus game. Engelhardt contributed immediately, recovering a fumble.

Count Down: Hunkie Cooper needs only 156 yards to reach 20, 000 all-purpose yards for his career. Only George LaFrance has reached that milestone. Sherdrick Bonner needs 2,073 passing yards to reach 30, 000 for his career.

Next Week: Arizona returns home to get their first look at the expansion New Orleans Voodoo. The Thursday March 18th game kicks off at 7:00 PM at AWA.

Officials: Officials for tonight's game are: Riley Johnson (Referee), Paul Frerking (Umpire), Darrell Leftwich (Head Linesman), Paul Engelberts (Line Judge), and Bud McCleskey (Back Judge).

Injury Report: The Rattlers have five players currently on Injured Reserve. Arizona placed FB/LB Frank Trentadue on IR with a strained thigh. QB Travis Cole has a left ankle sprain, WR/LB Terence Davis is dealing with an eye injury, OL/DL Pete Tramontanas has a right ankle sprain, and WR/LB Larry Nixon has a right thigh contusion.

Last Week: The Rattlers handled the Columbus Destroyers 65-42 on March 5th. Siaha Burley put on a scoring clinic, catching four TD passes, and returning the game's opening kickoff for a score.

Old Friends: Former Rattlers OS Maurice Bryant is currently a member of the Gladiators, as is former lineman Joe Burch. Bryant spent the first three and a half years of his career in Arizona. Burch was a member of the Rattlers from 1996-99, and from 2001-2002. He was a member of the 1997 ArenaBowl Champions. Steve Scifres appeared in two games for the Rattlers in 2001.

Siaha In The End Zone: OS Siaha Burley put on another show for the fans in the Snake Pit Friday against Columbus. Burley started the game by taking the opening kick 54-yards for a touchdown, the Rattlers first KO Return touchdown since Chris Horn brought one back against Detroit on 3/7/03. Burley wasn't done scoring, hauling in four touchdown passes. It was all a part of his nine catch, 105-yard performance. Burley is currently second in the AFL in catches (41), and first in receiving yards (515). In 2003 with the Avengers, Burley had 34 catches for 493 yards and nine touchdowns. He has 10 TDs this year.

Nice Debut: With the Rattlers holding a big lead in Friday night's contest, Danny White decided to see what back up QB Joe Germaine could do. The former Ohio State Buckeye showed he could play, shaking off an early interception to finish the game 6-10 for 57 yards and two touchdowns.

Big Gaines: Although mainly a defensive player, Wendall Gaines is making a case for the All-Ironman team. Gaines added another touchdown to his season's stats, this one a 12-yard catch and run. Gaines now has a touchdown in each of the last two weeks. He has four catches on the season, two of them for scores. Gaines also added two tackles for loss on Friday, giving him 4.5 TFL on the year.

First of Many?: Rookie OL/DL Antionne Scott recorded his first AFL sack on Friday night, dragging Destroyers QB Ryan Vena down for a three yard loss. Scott, a rookie out of Ole Miss, played in af2 the past two seasons.

Big D: Doug Plank has his defense playing well, forcing two more turnovers on Friday. Arizona ranks fourth in the League in total defense, while Bryan Henderson leads the AFL with four sacks.

Key AFL Dates: The AFL Trading deadline is April 7...The AFL claiming order will be established on April 8...The Regular Season ends May 30...AFL Playoffs begin on June 5...ArenaBowl XVIII is on June 27.

Other Games This Week:
Georgia (3-2) @ Orlando (2-2)
Detroit (2-2) @ New Orleans (4-1)
Philadelphia (2-3) @ Columbus (1-4)
Dallas (4-1) @Carolina (2-3)
Indiana (0-5) @ Austin (3-1)
Colorado (4-1) @ San Jose (3-1)
Los Angeles (2-2) @ Grand Rapids (0-5)
New York (2-3) @ Tampa Bay (2-3)
BYE: Chicago (4-1)

• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League (1987-2008) message board...

Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 9, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Arizona Rattlers Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central