Northern Arizona Wranglers vs Fishers Freight Game Preview

Sports stats



IFL Northern Arizona Wranglers

Northern Arizona Wranglers vs Fishers Freight Game Preview

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


PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. - The Northern Arizona Wranglers are ecstatic to begin their 2025 regular season with their home opener against the Fishers Freight on Saturday evening.

Story Links

The Fishers Freight are a new franchise to the Indoor Football League and will be led by former Bay Area Panthers offensive coordinator, and former Tucson Sugar Skulls Head Coach, Dixie Wooten. For Northern Arizona, the team will be at the direction of newly appointed Head Coach Ron James in his Wranglers debut. Coach James was a two-time Arena Football League Coach of the Year and brings a wealth of experience to the Wranglers organization. This highly anticipated season opener is presented by The Prescott Times Media, and coming soon The Northern Arizona Times Media, which will be covering all of Northern Arizona. The game theme for the Wranglers first game of 2025 is "This is Our Community!" The Mayor of Prescott Valley, Kell Palguta will be the coin toss guest, alongside Wranglers super fan Linda McCreight. The Wranglers will also be debuting the Storm Elite Mustangs during this matchup.

On the football side of operations for the Wranglers, they look to handle business at home and start their season off with a 1-0 record for the first time in franchise history. The goal is clear: win a IFL National Championship, and that all begins with starting the season on a high note. Alongside coach James will be a star-studded coaching staff that includes offensive coordinator Siaha Burley, defensive coordinator Larry Hendrix, and returning coach Mikell Mair. Burley is coming fresh off a IFL National Championship with the Arizona Rattlers, as he was the assistant head coach under Kevin Guy. Hendrix also brings a ton of experience to the Wranglers on the defensive side of the football. Hendrix most recently was the defensive coordinator for the Quad City Steamwheelers during the 2024 season. Coach Hendrix was also the co-defensive coordinator for the Tucson Sugar Skulls during the 2023 season. During that season, the Sugar Skulls touted the second-best scoring defense in the Indoor Football League. Coach Mair will be working alongside Coach Hendrix and will lead the defensive line and linebackers. Mair also brings continuity back to the locker room as recent former player, and a returning coach for the Wranglers.

The Wranglers coaching staff includes proven winners at the highest levels of Indoor Football. Northern Arizona has six players returning from their 2024 roster, and look to bring veteran leadership and high production to a young Wranglers team. These familiar faces are defensive back Malik Sonnier, linebacker Kalen Hicks, and defensive lineman Mason Newton. Local product and former Wranglers kicker Brandon Fischer will also return to the team for 2025. The players returning for the Wranglers offense will be wide receiver David Elder, wide receiver Deshon Stoudemire, and offensive lineman Chris Simon.

The Wranglers will be led by one of two rookie quarterbacks on Saturday evening: Christian Arrambide, or C.J. Fowler. Join us inside the Findlay Toyota Center for an exciting season debut as one quarterback will take the reins in the first game of the season. The Wranglers defense will also showcase young talent who have been flying to the football. This game will be thrilling and will answer some looming questions about both the Wranglers and the Freight. The Wranglers are an established organization but will be under new leadership. On the contrary, the Freight will be playing in their first game ever as a team. The Freight also will have a choice at quarterback to make, with two rookie signal callers on the roster in Keegan Shoemaker and Jiya Wright. The Freight have a few IFL veterans on their roster that the common IFL fan may recognize. Namely, former Bay Area Panthers wide receiver JT Stokes, and former Duke City Gladiator defensive back Aaron Jackson.

Both Northern Arizona and Fishers maintain a good mix of both veteran and young players on their respective rosters. Each team will be expecting an intense and hard-fought battle with high intensity. The Wranglers crowd will be electric for their 2025 season debut, while the Freight enter enemy territory for their inaugural game. Don't miss out on an exciting game of Indoor Football, alongside many giveaways and interactive moments for fans and families in attendance. Reserve your seats through the link below, and we will see you inside the Findlay Toyota Center!

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

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

Saturday, April 19th, 6:05 P.M. vs Tucson Sugar Skulls

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



Indoor Football League Stories from March 29, 2025


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.

OurSports Central