Guy enters Rattlers record book with win
Kevin Guy didn't need to throw a challenge flag to secure his 142nd victory as the Rattlers' coach.
His defense came through, the offense did just enough and the Rattlers stayed in the hunt to host the Indoor Football League championship game with a 45-40 win over the Nebraska Danger on Sunday in front of 13,915 fans at Talking Stick Resort Arena
The Rattlers (10-2) finish up their second Indoor Football League season on the road against the Iowa Barnstormers and the Danger (4-8) on Saturday.
That game could be their biggest of the season. Arizona is 0-2 against Iowa.
Guy's milestone was delayed a game after last week's 69-68 home overtime loss to Iowa. He threw a late challenge flag that resulted in a delay penalty and the Barnstormers' ensuing two-point conversion pass to win it.
This time, the Rattlers were pretty much in control the whole game, bottling up mobile quarterback Greg Hankerson in the second half after he got loose early in the game. Hankerson had 83 rushing yards and a touchdown on nine carries but he was held to 13-of-24 passing for 123 yards and three touchdowns.
"Everything happens for a reason," Guy said. "I think a lot of people thought it was going to happen last week. We knew it was going to happen."
It was sweeter to happen this Sunday for Guy because he had several of his former Arena Football League Rattlers on hand for nose guard Anttaj Hawthorne's entry into the Ring of Honor.
Defensive stalwarts Cliff Dukes and Tyre Glasper were part of the halftime ceremonies in which majority owner Ron Shurts and Guy gave speeches before Hawthorne. Hawthorne ruled the defensive-limited AFL game from 200816, before the Rattlers broke off from that league and entered the more defensiveminded IFL last year. With Hawthorne bull-rushing quarterbacks, the Rattlers won three consecutive ArenaBowl titles and reached a record four consecutive ArenaBowls.
"I thought it was a special night to put Anttaj into the Ring of Honor and get this out of the way and get on with football," Guy said. "It was special to see my old players with new ones today. We're going to go across the street and have a few beers and enjoy."
While the defense picked it up after not getting a stop against Iowa, the offense took a step back against Nebraska.
Quarterback Jeff Ziemba wasn't as sharp, completing 13 of 23 for 108 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for two scores, gaining 31 yards on eight carries.
Tailback Shadrach Thornton played in his first game since March 31, and looked like he is ready to be a major contributor the rest of the way. He had 39 yards and a touchdown on six carries.
"It looks like we had four or five stops," Guy said. "Their kicker hit a couple long shots, kind of kept them in the game. They played a lot better on defense. We did not have a good week of practice. They played the way we practiced. I think they felt good about themselves after scoring so many points last week. We got humbled a little tonight and our defense stepped up."
The Rattlers, Sioux Falls and Iowa all could wind up with three losses, which would result in a tiebreaker.
"Iowa has just been flat out better than us," Guy said. "They've outplayed us. I think (coach) Dixie Wooten has done an outstanding job with his crew up there. They've been more physical than us every time we played them."