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AFL I Arizona Rattlers

Arizona Rattlers game notes

April 20, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Arizona Rattlers News Release


The Stakes: The Rattlers come off their bye week looking for their second straight victory. Arizona took care of Columbus 70-53 on April 8, while Austin fell to the Tampa Bay Storm last week 54-42 in Austin.

The Series: This will be the first ever meeting between these two franchises. Austin is in their second year of existence.

TV: Tonight's game will be broadcast on FSN Arizona. Kent Derdivanis, Ron Wolfley, and Kevin McCabe will call the action.

Radio: All Rattler games are broadcast on KMVP 860 AM. Craig Grialou and Dale Hellestrae will provide the commentary.

ARIZONA RATTLERS (3-8)
Date Opponent Time TV
1/28 @ Grand Rapids Win 58-38
2/3 ORLANDO Loss 40-51
2/12 @ Georgia Loss 47-61
2/19 COLORADO Loss 69-74
2/27 @ New York Loss 37-61
3/6 LOS ANGELES Loss 29-33
3/13 @ Tampa Bay Loss 56-59
3/19 LAS VEGAS Loss 63-66
3/28 @ Nashville Win 48-35
4/3 @ San Jose Loss 27-48
4/8 COLUMBUS Win 70-53
4/22 AUSTIN 7:00 FSNAZ
4/30 @ Los Angeles 7:30 -
5/6 CHICAGO 7:00 FSNAZ
5/14 SAN JOSE 7:00 -
5/22 @ Las Vegas 12:00 NBC

AUSTIN WRANGLERS (4-7)
Date Opponent Time TV
1/30 PHILADELPHIA Loss 35-66
2/6 @ Tampa Bay Loss 45-62
2/11 LOS ANGELES Loss 51-64
2/19 @ Grand Rapids Win 73-61
2/25 GEORGIA Loss 63-66
3/4 @ Las Vegas Win 42-41
3/13 DALLAS Loss 28-52
3/19 NEW YORK Win 57-47
3/25 @ Orlando Loss 21-51
4/1 NEW ORLEANS Win 56-55
4/8 @ Georgia Loss 53-56
4/17 TAMPA BAY Loss 42-54
4/22 @ Arizona 7:00 FSN
4/30 @ Columbus 4:00 FSN
5/7 ORLANDO 5:30 FSN
5/14 @ New Orleans 5:00 FSN

Head Coaches: Todd Shell is in his first season as Head Coach of the Rattlers. The 2003 AFL Coach of the Year has a regular season record of 49-44 (.527), with stints in San Jose and New York. Shell has won three division titles, including back-to-back Eastern Divisions with New York in 2003 and 2004. Shell was Arizona's original Defensive Coordinator, helping lead the team to the 1994 ArenaBowl Title.

Skip Foster is in his second season as Head Coach of the Wranglers. Foster went 8-8 last season. He won the 2003 af2 championship with the Tulsa Talons.

Next Week: Arizona heads to Los Angeles to meet up with the Avengers in a Western Division swing. The April 30th game will kickoff at 7:30 PM.

Officials: Officials for today's game are: Bill McCabe (Referee), Doug Wilson (Umpire), Royce Cooley (Head Linesman), Dirk Bell (Line Judge), and Scott Helverson. (Back Judge).

Last Game: Arizona took care of the Columbus Destroyers 70-53 prior to their bye week. Siaha Burley had five TD receptions, part of an eight TD night for Joe Germaine to lift the Rattlers to their first home victory.

Smashing Debut: Jerald Brown didn't waste any time making an impact in his Rattlers debut. The second-year WR/DB caught five passes for 68 yards and a score against Columbus. "The Playmaker", who played briefly for New York last season, was named the Ironman of the Game in the win over the Destroyers.

Records in Sight: With five games left, Siaha Burley has his sights set on some Rattlers single season records. Burley has 31 TD receptions so far, 13 short of the team record held by Calvin Schexnayder. The AFL record is 46 in a single season, held by four players. Burley also has 92 receptions, 44 shy of Schexnayder's mark. He needs to average nine receptions a game to break the record.

Penalty Marker Down: The Rattlers have committed 106 penalties so far this season, after being flagged 119 times last season. Those flags have translated into 644 yards, or 58.5 yards a game. They have given opponents 31 first downs via the penalty, and have had five touchdowns and four takeaways overturned by the flags.

Slippery Fingers: The Rattlers have turned the ball over 23 times already this season, equaling last season's total. The Rattlers have not forced many turnovers this season, as their -8 turnover ratio proves.

Roster Moves: Arizona made one move during their bye week. The Rattlers placed OL/DL Steve Mascorro on Injured Reserve with a knee injury suffered against Columbus. He is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

Welcome Back: Wranglers Defensive Specialists Kelvin Hunter and Cedric Walker are both former Rattlers. Hunter played in Arizona the previous three seasons, while Walker spent four seasons in Black and Copper, including the 1997 ArenaBowl title year. The Rattlers all-time sack leader, Bryan Henderson, is currently on IR for Austin.

Bonner Time?: The Rattlers are waiting to find out if Sherdrick Bonner will be back under center this week. Joe Germaine has filled in admirably since his relief duty against Las Vegas, throwing for 1,086 yards and 23 touchdowns in the four games.

Line Rash: The Arizona line has suffered a crippling number of injuries in the last few weeks. Mark Tucker, who had not missed a game since 2000, tore his bicep against San Jose and will miss the remainder of the season. John Frank has missed the last three games with a toe injury, while Zach Rupp has been out five weeks with a hamstring pull. Anthony Hutch has missed two straight games with an ankle sprain, and now Steve Mascorro will miss 4-6 weeks with his injury.

Hunkie Night: The Rattlers will host "Hunkie Cooper Appreciation Night" on May 6th when they take on the Chicago Rush. Cooper will be honored at halftime, featuring his jersey being retired and several special guests. Former Rattler greats will be in attendance, including Cedric Tillman and Luis Zendejas.

Burley Stats: Despite the Bye week, Siaha Burley leads the AFL in scoring with 188 points. Marcus Nash trails him by eight...Siaha is third in All-Purpose yards, 226 yards behind the leader, Steve Smith...Burley trails only Marcus Nash in receptions, one behind at 92. He also trails Nash in receiving yards, 111 yards behind him...Burley has a three TD lead on Nash for the league lead in that category with 31.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 20, 2005


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