After a few glitches to open the 2025 Indoor Football League season, the Rattlers settled in and blew out the rival Tucson Sugar Skulls 56-28 on Sunday, March 30, before 9,345 fans at Desert Diamond Arena.
The Rattlers unveiled their 2024 championship banner, then, after the fans sang the national anthem a cappella due to a technical issue, the Rattlers' offense needed a few plays to get into a rhythm.
It was a quick fix.
Quarterback Dalton Sneed, needing only a few days of practice, showed why he was the IFL championship game MVP last year, knocking off the rust and leading the Rattlers to a 35-10 halftime lead.
Other than a fumble exchange between Sneed and running back Ron Brown Jr., and an interception he threw during a lackluster third quarter, the Rattlers were clicking as if it was late in the season and the championship on the line.
"Maybe it was nerves in that first quarter, jumping off sides," Sneed said. "Or that exchange. It's little things, but it's a sense of focus. We have to be locked in. We can't allow our emotions to be so hyped up that we're not thinking clearly.
"I tell these guys all the time, 'Practice like we play.' When we step out in practice, we should be of the midset that, 'OK, here's the first drive. The expecations is to score.' Calm down and be us. Nobody can stop us but ourselves."
Sneed threw two touchdown passes and ran for another in the half. The defense made a quick statement with Ethan Caselberry intercepting Jordan Ambrose on Tucson's opening drive and returning it 40 yards for a score.
Nick Davila honored
Legendary former quarterback Nick Davila was inducted into the Rattlers' Ring of Honor at halftime. Davila led the Rattlers to three straight ArenaBowl titles from 2012-14.
Davila had to hold back tears during his nine-minute speech, in which he named all of his teammates, thanking them, his family, ownership and coaches.
"It was his night," coach Kevin Guy said. "His family was here. We had a lot of former players here. They were in the stands. I expected to see them on the field. Maybe security didn't let them. But I know a lot of former players came out here for him.
"Nick was a great leader. I'm so in sync with him when he played for us. He moved two streets over. We got to see a lot of each other and how we would attack defenses. It was good to see his family. I was very happy for him."
In the second half, and for most of the third quarter, the Rattlers looked lost. Sneed threw an interception. The Rattlers got stopped on another possession.
The Sugar Skulls cashed in both times, then converted a two-point conversion to get within 35-28 with two minutes left in the third quarter.
Sneed then hooked up with a 35-yard TD to Yo'Heinz Tyler to push the lead to 42-28 at the end of the quarter.
Tucson's special teams kept it in the game with two 40-yard field goals by Kevin Macias and two long kickoff returns.
But after the last long return, the Rattlers made a goal-line stand when James Nyamwaya stopped Devonte Sapp-Lynch for a 1-yard loss on fourth down at the Arizona 4.
The Rattlers put the game away with about 10 minutes left, when Sneed, on fourth-and-6, found Isaiah Huston in the corner of the end zone for a 28-yard touchdowns and a 49-28 lead.
"The first three or four games are like preseason games," Guy said. "We're learning a lot about our team. It's just a game of adjustments those first three or four weeks. It's about getting a little better each week and growing."
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