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IFL Northern Arizona Wranglers

Northern Arizona Wranglers vs Duke City Gladiators Game Preview

March 24, 2023 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Northern Arizona Wranglers News Release


The Northern Arizona Wranglers are excited for their 2023 season opener on Pinnacle Bank Field at the Findlay Toyota Center, as they host the Duke City Gladiators.

The Wranglers will be opening their 2023 season at home, where they were accustomed to winning last season. The last time the Wranglers hit the field, they finished the 2022 season as National Champions of the Indoor Football League. The IFL is known as a year-to-year proposition, and the Wranglers are no stranger to that fact. After going from worst to first between season one and season two, the Wranglers have just seven returning players from 2022 heading into year three.

The Wranglers earned their right to enter their third season as a franchise as defending champions. The visiting Duke City Gladiators were eliminated in the first round of last year's playoff push. However, veteran quarterback Nate Davis returns to the team after serving as the Gladiator's offensive coordinator in 2022. Davis was sidelined due to injury and helped mentor quarterback Ramone Atkins last season. Atkins earned the 2022 IFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Davis was a force for the Gladiators prior to his injury, as Duke City was the IFL's highest scoring offense during 2021. While the Gladiators enter 2023 with some familiarity at the quarterback, the Wranglers do not. Both quarterbacks on the Northern Arizona roster will be IFL rookies in 2023. No matter which Wranglers quarterback gets the starting nod from head coach Les Moss, either Nick Watson or Garrett Kettle will be starting their first game in their perspective IFL careers.

The Wranglers have retained three out of their four coaches from their Championship winning staff, while adding a new defensive coordinator in Jason Simpson. Will the Wranglers start their 2023 season off the right way, with a win at home? It is a new season, but the Wranglers have not lost a game on Pinnacle Bank Field at the Findlay Toyota Center since 2021. Coach Moss and the Wranglers look to continue their winning culture, becoming underdogs once again.



Indoor Football League Stories from March 24, 2023


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