Heavyweights Collide in ArenaBowl XVI
Patrick Daly
Friday August 16, 2002
In one corner, weighing in with 13 victories and three losses, is a team that certainly has the tools to win their third championship. With experience a factor in the playoffs, the Arizona Rattlers need look no further than eight men on their own roster who have tasted ArenaBowl success.
As one of those players with ArenaBowl experience, Hunkie Cooper remains the heart of the Rattlers, even if his playing time has been limited this season. Cooper and San Jose’s Barry Wagner have each earned MVP and Ironman awards, the only two players to ever do so. While the AFL Ironman of the Year award could eventually bear Wagner’s name, both Cooper and Wagner destined for the AFL Hall of Fame.
Other Rattlers players that have earned championship rings include quarterback Sherdrick Bonner, receiver/defensive back Randy Gatewood, defensive specialists Cecil Doggette and Derek Stingley (with the Firebirds), fullback/linebacker Bo Kelly, and linemen Joe Burch and Mark Tucker.
To show how important these veterans are to the Rattlers, in the win over Chicago last week, Tucker recovered a missed field goal in the end zone that helped Arizona maintain a two-score lead at halftime. Meanwhile, Doggette was named Defensive Player of the Week after coming up with an early interception Chicago while also pestering the Rush receivers all game.
In the other corner, weighing in with 15 victories and only one loss, is a San Jose SaberCats team that will get the advantage of playing host on Sunday. The SaberCats have fielded talented teams over the past few years, but they haven’t been able to make that final step to reach the ArenaBowl.
The SaberCats do have some ArenaBowl experience of their own. Wagner’s ArenaBowl experience came as part of the Orlando Predators where he saw action in five ArenaBowls, which includes a title in 1998. Fullback/linebacker Bob McMillen and lineman Darrin Kenney earned rings with the Rattlers in 1997 (Kenney was also part of the 1993 Tampa Bay championship team) and lineman Joe Jacobs helped Albany grabbed the title in 1999.
Over the years, the Arizona-San Jose rivalry has become one of the best in sports. The AFL boasts another great rivalry between Orlando and Tampa Bay, but it is this rivalry takes center stage on Sunday. The Rattlers do hold the lead in the all-time series with a 10-7 record, but it’s been the SaberCats who have won five of the past six meetings.
The one blemish on San Jose’s record this season came at the hands of the Rattlers in Arizona during week 13. San Jose built a 41-31 halftime lead, but Arizona turned it into a 52-44 deficit thanks to three straight touchdown passes from Rattlers quarterback Sherdrick Bonner to Randy Gatewood. Although San Jose tied the game at 52-52, the Rattlers scored on a Chris Horn run and then held off the SaberCats on their final drive to preserve the victory.
In the first game of the season, San Jose pulled out a 52-51 win in San Jose. Although a Chris Sailer missed extra point was the scoring difference, Arizona missed scoring opportunities late in the game that might have given the Rattlers a cushion,. After the loss, the Rattlers went on a five-game winning streak while the SaberCats made the victory their first in a string of 12 wins that opened the season.
This title game will only serve to add to the rivalry, although it marks only the second time these formidable foes have squared off in the playoffs. Last season, the SaberCats triumphed with a 68-49 second-round win over the Rattlers, although it went for naught when they were crushed by Nashville in the semifinals. Like some of the great heavyweight bouts of the past, this title fight should go the distance.
“I think it’s what it should be,” Rattlers head coach Danny White said. “I think the two best teams in the league are going at each other and it’s going to be a heavyweight bout, in the 15th round two guys slugging it out that know each other very well. That’s what this is going to be. We’re just happy to be there.”
To reach the ArenaBowl, the Rattlers have had to overcome some adversity this season. A midseason slump that included losses to Grand Rapids and Dallas cast a shadow on the team. Unlike 2001, when the team never really rebounded from a midseason slump, the 2002 Rattlers have rolled off seven straight victories, the biggest of which was the 61-59 win over Carolina two weeks ago in which Chris Horn grabbed the winning touchdown catch off of the net.
“Last year, when we faced a little bit of adversity on the field, it seemed like we cowered,” White said. “This year, we come out fighting. It’s just a different attitude altogether. That’s been the most pleasant part of this team this year, there’s no quit in them. They finish every play of every game and it’s won us a lot of games.”
For Cooper, reaching the ArenaBowl is not satisfaction enough.
“It’s not good enough to go to the ArenaBowl and not have success,” Cooper said. “Why play all these games to get to the ArenaBowl and lose? They don’t give anything for second place. I don’t like red ribbons; I like blue ones. My teammates know what is at stake. Some of the young guys have never been there and it’s going to be emotional for them; they don’t know what it’s about.”
Which gets you back to one of the younger players that has become a crucial part of the Rattlers but remains questionable for Sunday’s game. Chris Horn injured his knee early in the second quarter of the Rattlers win over Chicago last week and the decision to dress him may not come until the last minute. Arizona was fortunate to have Maurice Bryant active last week, as he was a big part of the victory. Keeping both players active on Sunday may mean that defensive specialist Derek Stingley will not be active again on Sunday unless White takes a different direction.
While Bryant is certainly capable of taking over the game on offense, Horn led the league in scoring this season and is the team’s leading receiver. With or without him, the Rattlers have a core of veterans, like Cooper and Gatewood, who know how to lead the Rattlers to victory.
In the end, Cooper knows that the Rattlers have a shot to capture their third title in their 11-year history, but it’ll come down to executing on the field.
“I like our chances in the ArenaBowl,” Cooper said. “I’ve been twice and won twice. San Jose is an excellent football team, but we’re hitting on all cylinders right now. The defense is playing well. Sherdrick is playing well. Our offense is at about 85-90%. We’ve just got to go out and get it done.”
Players to watch
QB Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona—Bonner’s performance over the first few series in the game could be an early indicator about which way this game will go. In the AFL, a team will only go as far as the quarterback will take it, and Bonner has worked hard this year to get the opportunity to lead his team to the ArenaBowl XVI title.
OS James Hundon, San Jose—Since joining the SaberCats last season Hundon has become a force to be reckoned with. The former Cincinnati Bengals receiver led the league in receiving touchdowns this season and finished second to Horn for the overall scoring title. In the two games against Arizona this season, Hundon has collected 21 catches for 291 yards and five touchdowns.
QB John Dutton, San Jose—When Mark Grieb went down with a broken collarbone against the Rattlers in week 13 all eyes fell on Dutton. Dutton has shown that he’s more than capable of leading the SaberCats, but he’ll need good protection on Sunday to help get San Jose it’s first title.
Rattlers OL/DL—Play the broken record long enough and you’ll learn the three keys to winning in the AFL: pass rush, defensive stops and turnovers. When the Rattlers line is on, the pressure they create makes all three of these things happen. Also, look for more Stacy Evans at linebacker to give the Rattlers a size advantage on the rush.
SaberCats OL/DL—The same thing applies here. The San Jose line has done a great job of harassing opposing quarterbacks all season and the team finished second with 18 sacks in 2002. They’ll need more of the same to get Bonner off his game on Sunday.
OS Maurice Bryant, Arizona—Should Horn not play, Bryant becomes a huge part of the offense. Although, even if Horn does play (it’ll take a lot to keep him off the field on Sunday), Bryant’s speed will help him get behind the San Jose defense since the SaberCats like to play close to the line and hit receivers at the snap. Orlando’s Antonio Stanley spent a lot of time behind San Jose defenders last week, but Jay Gruden just couldn’t hit him often enough to make a difference.
WR/DB Randy Gatewood, Arizona—Gatewood came up with a number of big plays in the last meeting against San Jose. He’s generally the forgotten man in the Rattler offense, but he lives for the playoffs and can be a big part of the Arizona’s offense success.
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.
