The Wranglers began this Western Conference battle on defense, and started the game off with a huge stop on fourth down. After the Rattlers were forced to turn the ball over on downs, the Wranglers quickly struck first. Quarterback Joshua Jones threw a 20-yard pass to wide receiver John Maldonado in the back of the end zone. Maldonado went over the wall as he grabbed the ball for the touchdown. On the following three drives, each team traded touchdowns with the Rattlers earning two. Between the two Rattlers touchdown possessions, the Wranglers scored a touchdown in just one play. Jones found wide receiver Arsiah McCorker open down field for the 46-yard strike. The game's opening quarter ended with the Wranglers trailing by one point due to a missed drop kick on the point after attempt.
 
The Wranglers opened the second quarter on offense, trailing by a score of 14-13.
 
The Wranglers offense turned the ball over on downs on a 4th and 1 from their own 12-yard line. The Rattlers capitalized off the good field position, and jumped out to a 21-13 lead. The momentum continue to shift in favor of the Rattlers, after they nabbed an interception of Jones on the next drive. The Rattlers offense made the most of this turnover, scoring another touchdown to put the Wranglers behind by a score of 28-13. On the following possession, the offense bounced back with an another touchdown pass from Jones to Maldonado. Northern Arizona pulled within eight points of the Rattlers.
 
The ending of the first half felt like a series of gut punches to the Wranglers. The Wranglers defense surrendered a score, and the offense was set up with a first and goal inside one minute left in the opening half. Down by 15, the Wranglers had a chance to climb back into the game in a crucial moment. The Wranglers couldn't punch it in before the half, and were stopped on fourth and goal. Northern Arizona was given a second chance due to a Rattlers defensive penalty, and they didn't get the score on the second attempt either.
 
The Wranglers came out of halftime down by a score of 35-20. Jones ran for a touchdown on their opening possession, and kicker Axel Perez nailed the drop kick to bring them within seven points of the Rattlers. The Wranglers remained down by seven after trading one touchdown drive apiece with the Rattlers in the third quarter. Wide receiver Kobay White got the rushing score this time, and the third quarter was complete with a 42-35 score in favor of the Rattlers.
 
The fourth quarter was a continued back and forth battle. Each team traded blows with touchdowns on four consecutive possessions. White and McCorker each scored their second touchdown of the contest, and the Wranglers defense couldn't come up with a stop to get them back in the game. The Wranglers couldn't catch up, and ultimately fell to the Rattlers by seven points. The second quarter offensive falters, followed by the defense failing to get a stop in the second half was a recipe for a tough road loss.
 
The Wranglers fell to a 7-4 record on the season with the loss, and remain in the Western Conference Playoff Picture. The Wranglers are currently a half game ahead of the San Diego Strike Force, after their win against Bay Area. The Wranglers will play the Strike Force in two weeks on Clarion Pointe Field inside the Findlay Toyota Center. Northern Arizona will return home next Sunday to take on the San Antonio Gunslingers for a 3:05 P.M. kickoff. The Wranglers will play each of their next two games at home, and will need victories to keep their playoff positioning in tact.
 
 
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              Win 60-53
 
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 
 
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