Tidbits from a terrific Vegas weekend with the Arizona Rattlers
Arizona Rattlers fans made up more than 90% of the crowd at the glitzy Lee's Family Forum last Saturday. Coaches and players said their support made a difference in the game. (Independent Newsmedia/Matt Loeschman)
It was a blast getting to cover the Arizona Rattlers' 7th title win in person this past weekend. I've been covering the Rattlers for more than a decade going back to their Arena Football League days when I wrote for ArenaFan.com, but at that time I lived in Texas and only got to see the team live on their rare visits to San Antonio.
Trust me, the cavernous Alamodome is not a good venue for indoor football.
When I moved back to Arizona in 2017, I was stoked that my company would give me the opportunity to cover Rattlers' games in addition to my regular duties as the editor of the Daily Independent. I've been there to see all the tough setbacks of the past few years (Sioux Falls and Massachusetts, anyone?) so to see the Rattlers players and coaches so jubilant after a dominant championship win, it was quite something and a trip I will always remember.
RATTLER NATION SHOWED UP: I got into the building more than an hour before kickoff and noticed Arizona fans already making their way to their seats. I thought that this was a really good sign.
I got to do some live streaming with Bill McCulloch of 520 Sports Talk both in pregame and at halftime. With such a raucous crowd starving for a championship after a seven-year drought, I predicted on air that the crowd would make a difference and boy was I correct.
By the time kickoff rolled around, the scene inside Lee's Family Forum almost felt like a Rattlers home game at the new Snake Pit in Glendale.
An announced crowd of about 2,000 seemed more like 5,000 cheering on Arizona with repeated chants of "Let's Go, Rattlers!" and "Defense!" It did make a difference in the game and the Rattlers coaches and players said as much in the postgame celebration.
Arizona Head Coach Kevin Guy said Rattler Nation "showed up and showed out." Kudos to those of you who traveled to Henderson — you sure got your money's worth.
THE MINI-FORTRESS? I also was impressed with the venue overall, although many fans are hoping the Indoor Football League goes back to its previous stipulation that the highest remaining seed hosts the league championship game.
Had the title game been played in Glendale, the new home of the Rattlers after three decades spent in downtown Phoenix, I would have expected 10,000+ on hand to support the home team.
The primary tenant of Lee's Family Forum is the Henderson Silver Knights, the minor league affiliate of the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights. With that in mind, the arena is medieval-themed — even the men's restroom upstairs was labeled the "Throne Room."
There's no shortage of tenants at the arena that first opened in 2022. In addition to the Silver Knights, it serves as the home of the Vegas Knight Hawks of the IFL, the Las Vegas Desert Dogs of the National Lacrosse League, the Vegas Thrill of the Pro Volleyball Federation, the Big West Conference's basketball tournaments and the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame.
The IFL signed a three-year deal to play its National Championship Game in Henderson. This contract just expired and it remains to be seen whether the title game will return to Sin City.
THE NEED FOR SNEED: I am impressed with Dalton Sneed both on and off the field.
He's a winner and it shows. It became evidently clear as the playoffs went on that Sneed wasn't going to let his team lose. Rattlers fans will always remember the last-minute drive capped off by his 1-yard scramble against Vegas that showed his calm, cool nature when the chips are down.
It was remarkable to see all the support he had on Saturday from his friends and family. The win marked the second title in a row for Sneed who also won with Bay Area in 2023. But this one felt a little different and maybe a little bit more special.
OVERCOMING ALL OBSTACLES: We knew the Rattlers battled a multitude of injuries on the field, but who knew the serious nature of things going on behind the scenes?
Over the course of the season, the medical trainer sustained injuries in a car accidemt while Guy and Assistant Coach Jeff Jarnigan both had medical issues they overcame.
Fortunately, everyone is fine now and celebrating another hard-earned championship.
KG WAS RIGHT: With the Rattlers fighting the injury bug and sitting with a 1-3 record a month into the season, Guy told everyone in the media that he, his coaches and his players weren't reaching for the panic button.
Despite a three-game losing streak, he warned everyone not to count out his team and he was exactly right.
Around midseason, I told my media colleagues I had a feeling that even without the best record in the league or the top seed in the conference, this would be the year the Rattlers got back to the top of the mountain.
I have edited and written about almost everything in my 20-year journalism career, but I have a strong passion for sports since my father was a teacher and coach when I was young.
My job has allowed me to meet many influential people, including Hillary Clinton, Al Gore (I have a brief, on-camera part in his second movie), George Strait, Matthew McConaughey and several world-class athletes.
I have worked for Independent Newsmedia on two separate occasions – 2000-09 and 2018-present – after studying journalism at the University of Texas at Austin.
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