Post by DiamondThief on Jun 1, 2019 19:22:45 GMT -8
FINAL - Rattlers 56, River Kings 0
6/1/19 --
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA - It hasn't been done in nearly four years.
The Arizona Rattlers recorded the first shutout in the Indoor Football League since the 2015 season as they blanked the Cedar Rapids River Kings tonight, 56-0, at U.S. Cellular Center. In an ironic twist of fate, the last IFL shutout also took place in Cedar Rapids when the then-Titans defeated the Bemidji Axemen 48-0 on June 13, 2015. Mark Stoute, who is in his second stint as head coach in Cedar Rapids, was the team's head coach in that game.
While this game was going on, there was another threat of a shutout in a game being played simultaneously, but the San Diego Strike Force scored it's only points of the game, a touchdown with 41 seconds remaining in the first half as they would end up losing to the Sioux Falls Storm, 60-7, in South Dakota.
Arizona dominated in all facets of the game and its defense forced four red zone stops to secure the win. Two of those came via turnovers and another two by blocked field goal attempts. The Rattlers moved to a perfect 12-0 and earned a first round bye in the playoffs with the win. Depending on what happens with next week's game between the Iowa Barnstormers (11-1) and the Sioux Falls Storm (10-2), the Rattlers may have an opportunity to clinch the first seed in the playoffs next wek. If the Rattlers defeat the Tucson Sugar Skulls in Phoenix, and the Storm defeat the Iowa Barnstormers in Des Moines, that will be the result.
The River Kings, which recorded their lone win back in March, fell to 1-11 and were officially eliminated from playoff contention two weeks ago. Arizona defeated Cedar Rapids, 81-37, on March 3.
The Rattlers bit on their first offensive possession when Drew Powell rushed in from 10 yards out. Roland Genesy, Jr. scored his first rushing touchdown of the game on a one-yard run with 3:51 remaining in the first quarter. The Rattlers led 14-0 at the end of one.
Genesy struck again with another one-yard run midway through the second quarter to give Arizona a three-touchdown lead. Drew Powell hit Jarrod Harrington on a 45-yard bomb four minutes later. Arizona led 28-0 at intermission.
The Rattlers added three touchdowns in the third quarter to blow the game wide open; two of them defensively. Davontae Merriweather picked off a Dalton Oliver pass and returned it 26 yards for the pick-six. They followed that up with a one-yard run from Jamal Miles with just over four minutes to go in the quarter. Devin Cockrell's 38-yard fumble return for a touchdown as time expired gave Arizona a 49-0 lead heading into the final quarter.
Genesy added a four yard run around the left guard early in the fourth to put the Rattlers up, 56-0.
Dalton Oliver became the third starting quarterback for the River Kings this season, but struggled against a tough Arizona defense. He was replaced by Ben Wilkerson, who had started the previous three games for the team.
Arizona gained 223 yards of total offense to 95 for Cedar Rapids. That included a 94-yard edge in the passing game and a 101-yard edge in the return game. The Rattlers were penalized seven times for 62 yards while the River Kings were flagged six times for 24 yards.
Powell tossed just a half-dozen passes, but completed four of them for 70 yards with a touchdown. He also rushed three times for 38 yards and a score. Genesy finished with 11 rushes for 60 yards and three touchdowns, while Harrington had a pair of catches for 52 yards and a score. Phillip Henry had eight tackles. Merriweather and Kamron Johnson each recorded an interception. Nikolaus D'Avanzo had 2.5 sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss a fumble recovery a pass break up and a blocked kick. Lance McDowdell added 1.5 sacks and a blocked field goal try.
Wilkerson had the better day of the Cedar Rapids quarterbacks, going four of nine for 49 yards with an interception. He also rushed nine times for 64 yards. Marquel Wade caught five passes for 41 yards. La'Darius Newbold recorded six tackles for the River Kings' defense and Jason Gibson recovered a fumble.
Both teams are in action next week. The Rattlers will host the Tucson Sugar Skulls on June 8 with kickoff slated for 5 p.m. The River Kings will host the Green Bay Blizzard on June 8 as the first of a home-and-away with their rivals to the north. Kickoff in that one is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. All times listed are pacific standard time.
6/1/19 --
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA - It hasn't been done in nearly four years.
The Arizona Rattlers recorded the first shutout in the Indoor Football League since the 2015 season as they blanked the Cedar Rapids River Kings tonight, 56-0, at U.S. Cellular Center. In an ironic twist of fate, the last IFL shutout also took place in Cedar Rapids when the then-Titans defeated the Bemidji Axemen 48-0 on June 13, 2015. Mark Stoute, who is in his second stint as head coach in Cedar Rapids, was the team's head coach in that game.
While this game was going on, there was another threat of a shutout in a game being played simultaneously, but the San Diego Strike Force scored it's only points of the game, a touchdown with 41 seconds remaining in the first half as they would end up losing to the Sioux Falls Storm, 60-7, in South Dakota.
Arizona dominated in all facets of the game and its defense forced four red zone stops to secure the win. Two of those came via turnovers and another two by blocked field goal attempts. The Rattlers moved to a perfect 12-0 and earned a first round bye in the playoffs with the win. Depending on what happens with next week's game between the Iowa Barnstormers (11-1) and the Sioux Falls Storm (10-2), the Rattlers may have an opportunity to clinch the first seed in the playoffs next wek. If the Rattlers defeat the Tucson Sugar Skulls in Phoenix, and the Storm defeat the Iowa Barnstormers in Des Moines, that will be the result.
The River Kings, which recorded their lone win back in March, fell to 1-11 and were officially eliminated from playoff contention two weeks ago. Arizona defeated Cedar Rapids, 81-37, on March 3.
The Rattlers bit on their first offensive possession when Drew Powell rushed in from 10 yards out. Roland Genesy, Jr. scored his first rushing touchdown of the game on a one-yard run with 3:51 remaining in the first quarter. The Rattlers led 14-0 at the end of one.
Genesy struck again with another one-yard run midway through the second quarter to give Arizona a three-touchdown lead. Drew Powell hit Jarrod Harrington on a 45-yard bomb four minutes later. Arizona led 28-0 at intermission.
The Rattlers added three touchdowns in the third quarter to blow the game wide open; two of them defensively. Davontae Merriweather picked off a Dalton Oliver pass and returned it 26 yards for the pick-six. They followed that up with a one-yard run from Jamal Miles with just over four minutes to go in the quarter. Devin Cockrell's 38-yard fumble return for a touchdown as time expired gave Arizona a 49-0 lead heading into the final quarter.
Genesy added a four yard run around the left guard early in the fourth to put the Rattlers up, 56-0.
Dalton Oliver became the third starting quarterback for the River Kings this season, but struggled against a tough Arizona defense. He was replaced by Ben Wilkerson, who had started the previous three games for the team.
Arizona gained 223 yards of total offense to 95 for Cedar Rapids. That included a 94-yard edge in the passing game and a 101-yard edge in the return game. The Rattlers were penalized seven times for 62 yards while the River Kings were flagged six times for 24 yards.
Powell tossed just a half-dozen passes, but completed four of them for 70 yards with a touchdown. He also rushed three times for 38 yards and a score. Genesy finished with 11 rushes for 60 yards and three touchdowns, while Harrington had a pair of catches for 52 yards and a score. Phillip Henry had eight tackles. Merriweather and Kamron Johnson each recorded an interception. Nikolaus D'Avanzo had 2.5 sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss a fumble recovery a pass break up and a blocked kick. Lance McDowdell added 1.5 sacks and a blocked field goal try.
Wilkerson had the better day of the Cedar Rapids quarterbacks, going four of nine for 49 yards with an interception. He also rushed nine times for 64 yards. Marquel Wade caught five passes for 41 yards. La'Darius Newbold recorded six tackles for the River Kings' defense and Jason Gibson recovered a fumble.
Both teams are in action next week. The Rattlers will host the Tucson Sugar Skulls on June 8 with kickoff slated for 5 p.m. The River Kings will host the Green Bay Blizzard on June 8 as the first of a home-and-away with their rivals to the north. Kickoff in that one is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. All times listed are pacific standard time.
Both games, as well as all IFL games this season, will be streamed live on the IFL's Official YouTube Channel. SCtoC will present previews of those, and all, games this season. Those previews will be posted on the board of the home team in each game.
- ANM
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