IFL Northern Arizona Wranglers

Northern Arizona Wranglers Face Offensive Woes, Fall To Frisco Fighters 37-29

June 18, 2023 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Northern Arizona Wranglers News Release


Northern Arizona Wranglers carry the ball against the Frisco Fighters
Northern Arizona Wranglers carry the ball against the Frisco Fighters
(Northern Arizona Wranglers, Credit: Blushing Cactus Photography)

PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. - The Northern Arizona Wranglers struggled to overcome their offensive woes on Saturday evening, and lost to the Frisco Fighters by a score of 37-29.

Saturday evening's game in Prescott Valley, Ariz., began with the Fighters scoring on their opening drive. The Wranglers matched the score at six apiece on their following possession. Wranglers quarterback Garett Kettle connected with wide receiver Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman for the 10-yard touchdown. The first quarter of the game ended with the Fighters in possession of the football, and on the move in Wranglers territory.

The Fighters managed to score a touchdown on fourth and goal from the one-yard line, and the Wranglers were now behind, by a score of 13-6. On the following possession, the Wranglers scored a touchdown in just one play with a bomb from Kettle to wide receiver Ryan Wisniewski. The Wranglers trailed by just one point, down by a score of 13-12. On the first play of the Fighters ensuing possession, Wranglers defensive back Travion Banks grabbed an interception in the end zone. Momentum began to swing the Wranglers direction, and this moment was a potential turning point for Northern Arizona. However, after marching down to the Fighters three-yard line, the Wranglers turned the ball over on downs on fourth and goal. Frisco came back with a touchdown to extend their lead to eight points. Wranglers' kicker Conor Mangan was able to nail a 30-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter.

The Wranglers entered the locker room at halftime down by five points, with the game's score standing at 20-15.

The Wranglers offense started the third quarter with the football, and only mustered four straight incomplete passes. Frisco regained possession of the ball with the turnover on downs and scored a touchdown. On the following drive, the Wranglers turned the ball over on downs once again. This drive stalled with an incomplete pass on fourth and goal from the Fighters six-yard line. The Wranglers started to struggle heavily on offense, and were behind by a score of 27-15 heading into the game's final quarter.

The Fighters opened the fourth quarter with a touchdown, extending their lead to three possessions. The Wranglers and Fighters exchanged turnovers on the next two drives, with a fumble by each team. Northern Arizona fumbled first, then regained possession of the football just a few plays later. Wranglers defensive back Daniel Wright came up with the fumble recovery. Kettle threw two more incomplete passes and was in some pain on the field for a better part of the game. The Wranglers decided to go with a signal caller change, they allowed Kettle to rest and brought in quarterback Nick Watson. The Wranglers finished their drive with a touchdown, as Watson threw a great pass to Wisniewski for the score. On the next drive, the Fighters answered with just a field goal. The Wranglers tightened the gap in the score on the following possession, with another touchdown pass from Watson. This time on the receiving end of the score was Chiaokhiao-Bowman. Northern Arizona successfully scored on the two-point conversion attempt with a pass from Watson to Wisniewski. The Wranglers faced an eight-point deficit with just one minute in the game, and zero timeouts remaining. The Wranglers attempted an onside kick, but were unable to come up with the recovery.

The Wranglers fell short and were unable to comeback against the top team in the Indoor Football League. The Wranglers ultimately fell by that eight-point margin. Wisniewski and Chiaokhiao-Bowman each caught two touchdown receptions, and the defense looked solid for a majority of the contest. Northern Arizona falls to a 6-6 record on the season, but remain in their current playoff positioning. The Wranglers will play their next two games at home before finishing their regular season in Phoenix against the Arizona Rattlers.

The Northern Arizona Wranglers 2023 home games, with dates and matchups and results, are listed below.

Saturday, March 25th, 6:05 P.M. vs Duke City Gladiators LOSS, 43-35

Saturday, April 1st, 6:05 P.M. vs Vegas Knight Hawks WIN, 48-42

Sunday, April 16th, 3:05 P.M. vs San Diego Strike Force WIN, 48-9

Saturday, May 13th, 6:05 P.M. vs Bay Area Panthers WIN, 35-34

Saturday, June 3rd, 6:05 P.M. vs Arizona Rattlers LOSS, 63-62

Saturday, June 17th, 6:05 P.M. vs Frisco Fighters LOSS, 37-29

Saturday, June 24th, 6:05 P.M. vs Tucson Sugar Skulls

Saturday, July 8th, 6:05 P.M. vs Massachusetts Pirates

Season tickets for your 2022 IFL National Champions, the Northern Arizona Wranglers, are on sale now for the 2023 regular season.

You can check our website, nazwranglers.com, for a seating map of the Findlay Toyota Center, and pricing breakdown. This is located under the Season Tickets tab on the homepage.

For any Season Ticket inquiries, call us at 928-379-5581

You can also email emaleighwalter@nazwranglers.com

Use the link below to purchase your single game tickets. You can also purchase single game tickets by visiting the Findlay Toyota Center box office.

https://www.ticketmaster.com/northern-arizona-wranglers-tickets/artist/2769030




Images from this story

Northern Arizona Wranglers carry the ball against the Frisco Fighters
Northern Arizona Wranglers carry the ball against the Frisco Fighters
(Blushing Cactus Photography)		   



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