Rattlers a Part of History…Again

By Jay Gonzales ꟾ Rattlers Media

As an organization, the Arizona Rattlers are accustomed to making history in the indoor football game with their seven national championships and countless awards and accolades.

The Rattlers will be making a new kind of history on Monday when they kick off the first-ever professional football midseason tournament in the American Dream IFL Cup in East Rutherford, N.J.

The four-team event has the Rattlers facing the league's newest franchise, the New Mexico Chupacabras, bright and early Monday, at 9 a.m. MST, in the tournament's opening game at American Dream Arena. The Vegas Knight Hawks face the Orlando Magic in the second game of a doubleheader. The Rattlers game will be broadcast on the Overnight streaming service.

The two winners will face off in the championship game on Sunday, May 24, at 4:30 p.m. MST, on Yahoo! Sports. The week-one losers play at 11 a.m. 

Head Coach Kevin Guy welcomes the opportunity to take his players – many of them young rookies − across the country for the experience of playing for an in-season championship but also seeing the big city with New York City across the river from where they'll be staying.

"I'm trying to keep our schedule as normal as possible," Guy said noting the three-hour time difference. "These guys are grown men, and I treat them that way, and when it's time to go to work, we go to work."

The Rattlers, 5-2 overall, 4-1 in the Western Conference, have sandwiched two wins in which they scored in the 60s around a loss to the Knight Hawks for first place in the conference. The teams could face each other in the second round in New Jersey.

New Mexico is 1-5 with its only victory a 47-40 win over the Northern Arizona Wranglers on April 11. The Chupacabras have lost three straight.

Still, Guy said, the Rattlers are just thinking about taking care of business on Monday with no thought to a possible rematch with Vegas.

"You have to be ready to play week in and week out in this league," Guy said. "You've gotta show up with your 'A game.' Anything less and you can get beat."

Leading up to Monday's game, Guy had not announced a starting quarterback to face New Mexico. Max Meylor started the first six games posting a 4-2 record. Veteran Drew Powell got the nod against Tucson last Sunday and produced a 66-14 victory over the Sugar Skulls. Powell accounted for six touchdowns, four on the ground and two in the air. The points scored were a season high, and the points allowed were a season low.

"He played well," Guy said of his three-time league MVP. "We've got some competition going on at quarterback."

The team will remain in New Jersey for the week leading up to the second-round game on May 24. Activities and appearances will be part of the schedule throughout the week. The next home game is May 30 when Northern Arizona visits for a rematch of a game the Rattlers won, 44-32, in Prescott Valley on April 19.