Takeaways from the Arizona Rattlers dominate 49-20 victory

Originally posted on Burn City Sports | By Wendy Lopez | Last updated Apr 28, 2025 4:31 PM ET

GLENDALE — The Arizona Rattlers have gone 4-0 to start the 2025 IFL season with a commanding 49-20 victory last Saturday against the Northern Arizona Wranglers. How is this group mixing well together and what more can we expect as the season continues?

Quaterback Magic

The Rattlers attack early, a key theme throughout the season so far. Quarterback Dalton Sneed was at the center of an explosive offensive display on Saturday. Sneed threw 172 yards, connecting for a touchdown pass to Corey Reed Jr. and adding two rushing touchdowns of his own. The Rattlers would rack up 35 points before the end of the first half.

Drew Powell, the Rattlers’ secondary quarterback, would also help continue the offensive attack in the second half. He would add a passing touchdown of his own to Shannon Brooks in the third quarter, padding onto their lead for the rest of the game.

Dalton Sneed finally gets on the board with a 21-yard DART to Corey Reed Jr. (@coreedjr) for the score. #AZR pic.twitter.com/6SZ3rQ52qp

— Arizona Rattlers (@ArizonaRattlers) April 27, 2025

Defense Comes Alive

Another key theme with the Rattlers is how the defense comes alive in the blink of an eye. The past two games have started relatively the same, with the Rattlers and its opponent trading the lead during the first quarter. After a key interception in the first quarter by Omari Alexander, the Rattler defense struggled to keep the Wrangler offense at bay. However, the defense turned things around after the first quarter.

The Rattler defense allowed six more points to be scored the rest of the game and did not allow the Wranglers to score in the second half. While the Rattler offense scored only 14 more points after halftime, the defense did its job by not allowing the game to get out of hand.

BOOM pic.twitter.com/GF1J2gcS4B

— Arizona Rattlers (@ArizonaRattlers) April 27, 2025

Looking Forward

The Arizona Rattlers will now travel south of the state, as it will meet the Tucson Sugar Skulls in a rematch from the first game of the season. They’ll meet on Saturday, May 3 at 6:05 p.m. as the Rattlers will look to stretch to 5-0 in the season.

This article first appeared on Burn City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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