Northern Arizona Wranglers Second Half Struggles Continue, Fall to Arizona Rattlers on the Road

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IFL Northern Arizona Wranglers

Northern Arizona Wranglers Second Half Struggles Continue, Fall to Arizona Rattlers on the Road

April 29, 2025 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Northern Arizona Wranglers News Release


PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. - The Northern Arizona Wranglers dropped their fourth consecutive game to open the season, losing to the Arizona Rattlers by a score of 49-20 this past Saturday.

The Wranglers opened the game on offense, and the Wranglers first drive ended with an interception of a pass from quarterback CJ Fowler. The Rattlers capitalized off the early turnover, scoring a touchdown and putting the Wranglers behind by a score of 7-0. On the ensuing kickoff Wranglers wide receiver David Elder ignited the Wranglers with a major spark on special teams. Elder took the kickoff return 51 yards for the touchdown as he blazed past Rattlers defenders in a blink of an eye. The Wranglers evened the score at seven apiece. On the following drive, the Rattlers scored a touchdown in just two plays, retaking the lead. Northern Arizona answered immediately, as Fowler threw a great pass to wide receiver Deshon Stoudemire on the first play of the drive. Stoudemire caught the pass and stiff armed a defender as he crossed the goal line for the 39-yard touchdown. The Wranglers tied the game yet again in the first quarter, with a 14-14 score. The Rattlers answered with another touchdown before the opening quarter closed. The Wranglers were behind the Rattlers by a score of 21-14 at the end of one quarter.

On the first drive of the second quarter, the Wranglers offense marched down the field and capped off the drive with another touchdown. The score was courtesy of running back Marvin Kinsey Jr. Northern Arizona found themselves down by just one point early in the second quarter. The Wranglers defense surrendered a score on the next drive, then turned the ball over on downs on offense. The Rattlers got another score and extended their lead to 15 points. Northern Arizona received a kickoff with just seven seconds remaining in the first half. Elder took another return all the way for the touchdown as time expired, which gave the Wranglers a HUGE bump in momentum just before the half... or so we thought. The return was called a touchdown on the field but was overturned after a review. Elder was called down by contact against the wall at the Rattlers one-yard line, and the Wranglers did not get the points before the half.

Northern Arizona went into the locker room at halftime down by a score of 35-20. In the opening drive of the third quarter, the Wranglers surrendered a score to the Rattlers and found themselves down by three possessions. The Rattlers held the ball for quite some time on this drive and killed some good clock time. On the following drive, the Wranglers turned the ball over on downs again. Northern Arizona's defense surrendered another score which made it 42-20. The game was pretty much on ice. Despite two defensive turnovers forced late in the game, the Wranglers could not recover. Defensive back Kieran Page nabbed an interception, and defensive lineman Darius Johnson recovered a fumble. The Wranglers offense continued to struggle and could not muster any points in the second half of the game. The final score was 49-20, in favor of the Rattlers.

The Wranglers were shutout in the second half of the game for the second consecutive week, and the story of the Wranglers first four games has felt all too similar each week. Northern Arizona has talent on the roster and have many bright spots, but have lacked consistency. The Wranglers have appeared to be a first-half team through their first four losses. The offense has struggled to find their stride, and the Wranglers could make roster moves and strategic changes to shake things up. In a sixteen game season, the Wranglers have plenty of time to turn the tide, but will need to move fast with the playoffs in mind. The Wranglers will hit the road again to take on the Vegas Knight Hawks this upcoming Saturday. After Vegas, the Wranglers will take on the San Diego Strike Force on the road the following weekend before returning home to play in front of their own fans on Sunday, May 18th.

The Northern Arizona Wranglers 2025 HOME games, with dates and matchups, and results are listed below. (All games are listed in AZ time.)

Saturday, March 29th, 6:05 P.M. vs Fishers Freight LOSS, 41-29

Saturday, April 19th, 6:05 P.M. vs Tucson Sugar Skulls LOSS, 44-24

Sunday, May 18th, 3:05 P.M. vs Massachusetts Pirates

Saturday, May 24th, 6:05 P.M. vs Arizona Rattlers

Saturday, June 7th, 6:05 P.M. vs Vegas Knight Hawks

Saturday, June 14th, 6:05 P.M. vs San Diego Strike Force

Saturday, June 28th, 6:05 P.M. vs Bay Area Panthers

Saturday, July 12th, 6:05 P.M. vs Tucson Sugar Skulls

Grab your Season Tickets for the 2025 season today! Deposit through the link below and we will contact you to select your seats!

https://sparkpages.io/?i=_A1lb

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

Single game tickets are also on sale now! Grab your seats for our season opener on March 29th through the link below!

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

You can also email ticketdirector@nazwranglers.com

Written by: Tucker Welch

Edited by: Ed Cole



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