The Wranglers began this Western Conference battle on defense. The first quarter consisted of two long drives with each team possessing the ball once for long periods of the clock's runtime. The Panthers missed a field goal on their opening possession, and the Wranglers jumped out to a three-point lead with a successful field goal from kicker
Axel Perez.
The Wranglers began the second quarter on defense, and surrendered a Panthers touchdown. The Panthers missed the extra point attempt. The Wranglers offense responded quickly with a touchdown pass from quarterback
Joshua Jones to wide receiver
David Elder. The Wranglers took the lead back, as they were in front by a score of 10-6. The Panthers scored another touchdown, and Perez hit a second field goal to tie the game at 13 apiece. The Wranglers defense surrendered a quick touchdown and had a field goal attempt blocked just before the first half closed.
The Wranglers entered the locker room down by seven points, as they trailed the Panthers by a score of 20-13.
Northern Arizona's offense came out firing to start the second half, quickly tying the game at 20. The drive was capped off by a rushing touchdown from Jones. The Panthers and Wranglers traded touchdowns on the following two possessions. Jones tallied his second rushing touchdown to bring the game's score to 27-27. The Wranglers entered the final quarter of this intense contest tied with the Panthers.
Bay Area opened the fourth quarter with a touchdown drive, and Northern Arizona responded with another field goal, courtesy of Perez. The Wranglers fell behind by nine points after the Panthers scored another touchdown with just inside one minute remaining in the game. The Wranglers defense was getting beaten heavily by the Panthers run game, and they couldn't mount the comeback. The Wranglers offense scored a quick touchdown with a pass from Jones to wide receiver
Tosin Oyekanmi. The Wranglers were down by three points and failed to recover their onside kick attempt. The Wranglers fought hard for four quarters, yet they ultimately lost the game by the slimmest of margins.
The Wranglers offense struggled to punch it in the end zone on several occasions. This paired with allowing a block field goal, and some trouble stopping the run on defense, were some key factors in the loss. The Wranglers will meet the Panthers again this season, as they will travel to San Jose, Calif., for a rematch. This matchup is also a potential playoff preview for the Indoor Football League's Western Conference. The Wranglers record fell to 4-3 after this tough loss at home. The Wranglers will be heading on the road next weekend to take on the Massachusetts Pirates. Northern Arizona will need a win to get back on track after losing two consecutive games.
The Northern Arizona Wranglers 2024 HOME games, with dates, matchups, and results are listed below.
Saturday, March 16th, 6:05 P.M. vs Arizona Rattlers Loss 51-40
Saturday, March 30th, 6:05 P.M. vs Tucson Sugar Skulls Win 54-48
Saturday, April 20th, 6:05 P.M. vs Duke City Gladiators Win 39-23
Saturday, May 11th, 6:05 P.M. vs Bay Area Panthers Loss 39-36
Saturday, May 25th, 6:05 P.M. vs Tucson Sugar Skulls
Sunday, June 23rd, 3:05 P.M. vs San Antonio Gunslingers
Saturday, June 29th, 6:05 P.M. vs San Diego Strike Force
Saturday, July 13th, 6:05 P.M. vs Vegas Knight Hawks
Single Game Tickets for the 2024 season are on sale now! Visit the link below!
https://www.ticketmaster.com/naz-wranglers-tickets/artist/2769030
For any Season Ticket inquiries, call us at 928-379-5581
You can also email ticketdirector@nazwranglers.com
Written by: Tucker Welch
Edited by: Ed Cole
