SPORTS

3 for a dynasty: Rattlers claim 3rd straight ArenaBowl title

Mark Kern
Special for azcentral sports


Arizona Rattlers Kerry Reed returns an interception for a touchdown to put the Rattlers ahead 14-0 over the Cleveland Gladiators as coach Kevin Guy celebrates the return, in the 1st quarter in the ArenaBowl XXVII on Aug. 23, 2014, at Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland.

CLEVELAND – The easiest way to take out a fired up crowd is to get off to a fast start.

On Saturday night, the Rattlers did just that, building a 14-point lead early in the first quarter and silencing a raucous crowd at Quicken Loans Arena en route to their third consecutive ArenaBowl championship with a 72-32 victory against the Cleveland Gladiators.

Entering the championship game, it was the Rattlers' offense that got all the hype as the Arena League's highest scoring unit. However, according to Rattlers coach Kevin Guy, it was the defensive unit that sparked the big early lead.

"We knew coming into this game that Cleveland had six comeback wins this season," Guy said. "However, when we watched the film, we felt that a lot of those teams had let them get back in the game. We did a great job of really getting after them early, and our defense made sure that once we got a lead, we did not allow them to get back into the game."

The Rattlers' offense was its normal high-flying self, as quarterback Nick Davila finished his MVP season with a 237-yard, eight-touchdown performance.

The defense got its night off to a big start when Kerry Reed took the first of his two interceptions back for a 46-yard touchdown to give the Rattlers a 14-0 lead less then seven minutes into the game.

Davila, who was also named the MVP of the game, said that it was Reed that earned the award.

"In my opinion, Kerry should have been the MVP tonight," Davila said. "Not only did he have the two interceptions, but he also had the two touchdowns on offense. He was just everywhere tonight, and he just made every play that we needed.

The Gladiators responded with a touchdown of their own, as Shane Austin hit Collin Taylor on a 9-yard pass with 2:28 left in the first quarter. However, as the rest of the night would go for Cleveland, they missed the extra point to leave the Rattlers with a 14-6 lead.

Davila's big night was just getting started, as the quarterback had three of his eight touchdown passes in the second quarter. A 10-yard pass to Rod Windsor with 32 seconds left in the first half was right after the Gladiators had picked up a little momentum, and sent the Rattlers into the half with a 44-13 lead.

Taylor said that his team was confident going into the game, but in the end, the Rattlers made the plays needed.

"We had a great season, but tonight just wasn't our night," Taylor said. "Those guys are the champions for a reason, but we felt going into this game we were the best. It obviously didn't play out like that, but I am proud of my team."

Winning one championship is hard enough, but to win three in a row and play in four consecutive title games, is something that Guy said is truly special.

"I give all of the credit to the players and everyone in our organization," Guy said. "A few years ago, we knew we had a group of young players that could be something special, but I wouldn't have guessed four consecutive appearances in the ArenaBowl and now three championships."

Joining Reed with a big night on defense was Jeremy Kellem, who had six tackles and two interceptions for the Rattlers. Windsor was the star on the offensive side of the ball, finishing with seven catches for 123 yards and three touchdowns.

With the victory, the Rattlers join the Detroit Drive (1988-1990) as the only team to ever pull off the three-peat in Arena League history.