Arizona Rattlers (8-2) at Portland Thunder (3-7) Game Preview

Tuesday June 9, 2015

 Phoenix, Ariz. – The Arizona Rattlers (8-2) will be looking to win their fifth straight game when they visit the Portland Thunder (3-7) this Friday, June 12th at 7:00 PM.

The Rattlers are coming off of a decisive 69-46 victory against the Tampa Bay Storm (4-6). Arizona calmed the Storm with the return of Nick Davila and the constant pressure that the Rattler defense put on Tampa Bay.

Quarterback Nick Davila was making his first start since Week 5 and the reigning AFL MVP returned with 9 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Week award. Wide receiver Chase Deadder stepped up and caught 5 touchdown passes after not playing the last two games. The Arizona defense continued to be dominate as they forced 4 turnovers against the very durable Tampa Bay offense. Defensive back Jeremy Kellem earned the Riddell Defensive Player of the Game as he caught 2 interceptions and broke up 4 passes. AJ Cruz was named the J. Lewis Small Playmaker of the Game as he got the job done in all aspects of the game with a rushing touchdown, 125 kickoff return yards, and a team leading 8 total tackles.

The Portland Thunder are coming off their loss to the Los Angeles KISS (1-9), 52-40. The first win for the KISS this season was the sixth loss in the last seven games for Portland. Wide receiver Duane Brooks totaled a game-high 252 all-purpose yards and recorded 2 kickoff return touchdowns for the Thunder. Quarterback Kyle Rowley started the game for Portland before he was relieved midway through the third quarter after throwing 2 interceptions.

Arizona has already faced Portland in the 2015 season back in Week 4 where they convincingly beat the Thunder by a score of 65-47 in the Snake Pit. The Portland Thunder are coming off of three straight losses and will face the surging Arizona Rattlers who will look to continue their dominating winning streak at the Moda Center.