Rattlers survive in Cedar Rapids for 7th straight win
May 6, 2018, 8:06 AM
The Arizona Rattlers had all they could handle from the Cedar Rapids Titans in downtown Phoenix last Saturday night, emerging victorious in the final seconds.
The two teams did not have to wait long to match up again as the Rattlers used a big third quarter to come away with their seventh straight win, 57-42, in front of 4,214 fans at US Cellular Center Saturday night.
Arizona (8-1) quarterback Jeff Ziemba opened the game’s scoring, finding Dezmon Epps over the middle for a 16-yard score to give his team a 7-0 lead.
Cedar Rapids (1-8) answered back as running back Raphael Lawson-Gayle found the end zone from a couple yards out to tie the score.
The game looked to be another seesaw battle as the teams traded scores until the second quarter.
Following a turnover on downs, Rattlers running back Darrell Monroe (coming off an 11-touchdown performance the week before) took a pitch, broke a tackle and plunged into the end zone from a few yards out to give Arizona a 34-20 advantage at the half.
On the first drive of the second half, Titans quarterback Jake Medlock fumbled a handoff and Arizona defensive lineman Chris McAllister dove on the ball in the end zone to give his team a three-score lead.
Following another stop, Monroe scored his third rushing touchdown of the contest to give the Rattlers a 27-point advantage.
Cedar Rapids closed the lead to within eight points in the final minutes, but Ziemba threw his third touchdown pass to Anthony Amos with less then a minute to play to seal the win.
Quick Strikes
– Medlock, who did not have his first incompletion until the final minute in last week’s meeting, was held in check to the tune of 21-of-31 passing for 218 yards and two interceptions.
– Monroe, the league’s reigning offensive player of the week, finished with 107 rushing yards on 20 carries. The Arizona Western alum leads the IFL in rushing and touchdowns.
– Ziemba finished 12-of-20 passing for 124 yards and 3 touchdowns. The rookie signal-caller also scored on a 17-yard keeper in the first quarter.
Up Next
The Arizona Rattlers play their second straight road contest as they visit the Green Bay Blizzard on Saturday, May 12. Kickoff is at 5:05 p.m. All road games can be seen live on YouTube.
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