Rattlers Advance with Unscripted Finale
Patrick Daly
Tuesday August 6, 2002
A 16-yard touchdown pass from John Fitzgerald to Cory Fleming and the ensuing extra point put the Carolina Cobras up by a score of 59-55 with only nine seconds remaining, setting the stage for one of the most amazing sequences of plays you’ll ever see.
If Hollywood had written the script, Arizona’s Ironman, Hunkie Cooper, would have calmly fielded the kickoff off the net and returned it 50 plus yards for the winning touchdown to ensure victory and send the Rattlers to the next round of the playoffs. Overjoyed by the victory, fans and players alike would rush the field in celebration. The players, knowing their work is not yet done, would savor the moment before moving on.
Instead, the Brian Schmitz kickoff bounded off of the bottom bar of the right side net and over Cooper’s head, leaving Rattler Chris Horn to leap into the air in order to pull in the ball. Carolina’s Nick Ward punished the airborne Horn with a bone-jarring tackle that left Horn a little woozy, but resulted in a personal foul, putting the ball at the Arizona 15-yard line.
With eight seconds to play, the Cobras were flagged for encroachment when linebacker Andre Bowden entered the second neutral zone prior to the snap. (For those unfamiliar with the nuances of the game, just as the neutral zone is the area along the line of scrimmage as wide as the ball that is off limits to the defensive line, the ‘second neutral zone’ is the 2-yard area extending back from the line of scrimmage to the spot behind the defensive linemen that is off limits for either linebacker until the snap.) The play cost Arizona five seconds of time and a chance to run a play, but it moved the Rattlers out to the 18-yard line.
Referee Wes Fritz warned Rattlers quarterback Sherdrick Bonner that the clock would begin to run as soon as the ball was placed. Rattlers head coach Danny White called for Bonner to spike the ball to stop the clock and allow Arizona to get a man in motion. However, Bonner made the call to his receivers, sending them downfield to play one last chance off of the net.
The entire arena grew quiet as the ball was snapped at the first sound. Bonner launched a high, spiraling pass to the left hand net. At first, the pass appeared destined to sail over the net, but it hit high on the net and rebounded to the right, falling into the arms of a lone Rattler.
Horn cradled the ball in his arms and the entire place erupted. Touchdown!
Dejected Carolina players tossed their helmets into the air. Bowden and other Carolina players were too distraught for words.
One final play did remain: the point after try. Carolina’s only hope was to return the extra point attempt for the two points that could still tie the game. However, Arizona smartly decided to sit on the ball rather than risk a kick that could be returned.
Final score: Rattlers 61, Cobras 59.
For those of you that missed it, find yourself a replay of the final few plays. You’ll never experience the feeling of being there, in the arena, but it’s a sight worth seeing. Should the Rattlers go on to win ArenaBowl XVI, you can rest assured that this was the series that won it all.
Patrick Daly has been an Arena Football League enthusiast since he first stumbled across the late-night ESPN broadcasts and has followed the Arizona Rattlers since their inaugural season in 1992. He graduated from Arizona State University with an engineering degree and is currently a member of a web development team for Direct Alliance in Tempe. Patrick currently resides in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, Arizona with his beautiful wife, son and a very large football helmet collection.
