Arizona Rattlers win in a thriller, 61-56
Sunday April 4, 2010
Team caps furious second-half comeback with opening day win
CLEVELAND – Arizona Rattlers football was officially back Saturday night, and Head Coach KEVIN GUY’s squad got things started off with a bang. The Rattlers defeated the Cleveland Gladiators 61-56 at Quicken Loans Arena in Ohio.
Down 35-14 to open the second half, Arizona star WR TRANDON HARVEY returned the opening kickoff 58 yards for score. But the special teams weren’t done yet, as DB TERRANCE SANDERS returned a kickoff for a touchdown with under 90 seconds to play to give Arizona its first lead of the game. Cleveland still had a chance to win the game, but the Rattlers forced and recovered a crucial fumble on the ensuing kickoff and ran the clock down to clinch the victory. Arizona would finish the night with seven kickoff returns for 212 yards.
The Rattlers starting QB NICK DAVILA, who joined the team after winning the ArenaCup last season, completed 26-of-39 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns. Davila connected six different receivers, but WR ROD WINDSOR was his favorite target, as Windsor grabbed 13 passes for a game-high 175 yards and two touchdowns.
Arizona’s defense picked off four Gladiator veteran QB John Dutton four times, with DB RILEY SWANSON making the last interception to set the team up for the victory. Swanson also returned an earlier interception 24 yards for a touchdown.
BOX SCORE
1 2 3 4 F
Arizona Rattlers 7 7 21 26 61
Cleveland Gladiators 14 21 7 14 56
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing
Arizona – Nick Davila, 26-39, 273 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 INT
Cleveland – John Dutton, 19-31, 287 yards, 7 touchdowns, 4 INT
Rushing
Arizona – Johnie Kirton, 5 rushes, 17 yards, 1 touchdown
Cleveland – TJ Watkins, 1 rush, 4 yards
Receiving
Arizona – Rod Windsor, 13 catches, 175 yards, 2 touchdowns
Cleveland – Ben Nelson, 8 catches, 154 yards, 4 touchdowns
Defense
Arizona – Riley Swanson, 3 tackles, 2 INT, 24 return yards, 1 TD
Cleveland – Carlos Campbell, 10 tackles, 1 pass breakup
