Rattlers Win Third Straight Trip to the ArenaBowl
Brian Knapp
Wednesday June 16, 2004
Before their seasons begin, Cardinals’ and Suns’ fans convince themselves that this will be the year their respective teams go deep into the playoffs and earn respect. The Cardinals haven’t made the playoffs since 1998 and have been the laughing stock of the NFL since they moved to the valley. The Suns, who have been ‘rebuilding’ since the good old days of Charles Barkley, are yet to win a championship in the franchises 35-year history.
Not to mention the Diamondbacks, who are in a fight to stay out of the NL West basement while still celebrating the World Series they won three years ago. Then there are the Coyotes, who haven’t gotten out of the first round of the playoffs since moving to the valley in 1996.
Being the Arizona homeboy that I am, it is very difficult to bad mouth the local favorites until I take a good look at the Rattlers.
During Sunday’s last-second semi-final win over Colorado, I realized that the Rattlers are heading to their fifth championship game. Fifth! The Rattlers were the first team ever in Arizona to win a professional championship (1994), and until the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees in 2001, the only other team in Arizona to win a title was the Phoenix Mustangs of the WCHL.
The Rattlers give Phoenix what the Red Wings give to Detroit, the Packers give to Green Bay and the Yankees give to New York: tradition. The Rattlers have two championships under their belt and have made the playoffs 12 years in a row. The four major sports franchises in Arizona don’t hold a stick to what the Rattlers’ have done since 1992.
The atmosphere at America West Arena during the Colorado game was electric unlike any other venue in the valley. All 13,151 fans in ‘The Snake Pit’ rallied behind their Rattlers and cheered at a deafeningly loud level until the final horn sounded.
Despite the frustration of blowing a 17-0 second quarter lead, the Rattler faithful never lost hope, “rising with their Rattlers” en route to victory.
The Crush erased Arizona’s lead and tied the game at 17 early in the third quarter when former Rattler FB/LB John Peaua bulldozed his way into the end zone from one yard out.
Then came the expected Damien Harrell show. Harrell, Colorado’s offensive leader at OS, answered each of the Rattlers’ following two touchdowns with two TD’s of his own. It didn’t take long for Harrell to get on the Rattlers’ bad side, staring down the Arizona bench after every score, and riling up the Rattler fans with his high-intensity play.
Unfortunately for Harrell and the Crush, Arizona’s defense held Colorado to a field goal on their second-to-last drive of the game, opening the door for the Rattlers to take the lead. Arizona took advantage of the opportunity, and scored with 17 seconds remaining to take a 45-41 lead. The Rattlers defense forced Crush QB John Dutton to throw an incomplete pass on the game’s final play to seal the win for Arizona.
“That first half really hurt us,” Harrell said. “We came out and fought in the second half and that’s pretty much all you can ask.”
The Rattlers were led offensively by WR/LB Tom Pace’s 110 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
“I think we had to pick it up,” Pace said. “They scored 17 unanswered points, came back and tied the game, but we answered back and kept balance. Great game all the way through.”
DS Kelvin Hunter paced the Rattler defense with six pass deflections and five tackles.
“It was just time to buckle down. This was do or die,” Hunter said. “We played with our hearts and we gave it our all.”
With the win, the Rattlers will move on to host the San Jose Sabercats in Arena Bowl XVIII in a rematch of Arena Bowl XVI. San Jose embarrassed Arizona 52-14 in 2002 in a game everyone in the Rattlers organization wishes they could forget.
“We’re playing a team (San Jose) we’ve played so many times,” Rattler head coach Danny White said. “We know them, they know us. We’re going to watch the same old tapes over and over again and we’ve got to find some creative ways to break up the monotony, but I guarantee you come the 27th (Arena Bowl) it’s going to be a heck of a showdown.”
Brian Knapp was a writer for ArenaFan Online from 2003 to 2005.
