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The Northern Arizona Wranglers dropped their second consecutive loss on the road, losing to the Duke City Gladiators by a score of 47-40.
Saturday night’s game opened with the Gladiators scoring 10 points between their first two possessions of the game. It was a slow start for the Wranglers, and the first quarter ended with a 10-0 deficit for Northern Arizona.
Photo courtesy: Northern Arizona Wranglers
Early in the second quarter, the Wranglers’ offense responded with a touchdown run from quarterback Garrett Kettle. The Gladiators answered quickly after Northern Arizona brought the game’s score to a close 10-7 contest. The Gladiators’ offense scored a touchdown and extended their lead right back to ten points. The Wranglers were chasing the Gladiators’ lead early and struggled to produce defensive stops. On the following possession, Kettle threw a great pass to Wranglers’ wide receiver Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman for a touchdown. Chiaokhiao-Bowman made a nice grab in the corner of the end zone as he flew into the dasher pad wall. The Gladiators widened the gap yet again, with another offensive touchdown. The Wranglers closed the first half with a touchdown run from Kettle.
The Wranglers entered halftime with a manageable 24-20 deficit.
The Wranglers opened the third quarter on offense and turned the ball over on downs. Things were about to go south quickly for the Wranglers. The Gladiators scored a touchdown off the Wranglers’ turnover. On the following Wranglers’ possession, Kettle’s pass was intercepted and returned 46 yards for the touchdown. The Wranglers were suddenly down by 17 points. Northern Arizona was not ready to quit, bouncing back with another touchdown from Kettle to Chiaokhiao-Bowman. The third quarter ended with a 37-27 score, in favor of the Gladiators.
On first possession of the fourth quarter, Duke City punched it in for another touchdown, extending their lead back to 17 points. On the next drive, Wranglers wide receiver Glen Gibbons Jr. scored a rushing touchdown to bring Northern Arizona back within 11 points. The Gladiators kicked a successful field goal on the following possession, giving them a two-touchdown lead. The Wranglers got down the field in a hurry, down 14 to give themselves a shot at the end. Gibbons Jr. scored his second rushing touchdown of the game. The Wranglers were within one possession of the Gladiators for the first time since early in the third quarter. Wranglers defensive back Travion Banks recovered a great onside kick from kicker Brandon Fischer. This moment could have ignited the Wranglers to tie the game, but it did not. Kettle had a pass intercepted on their first offensive play after the successful onside kick. The game ended with Duke City winning at home by a score of 47-40.
The Wranglers failed to overcome a slow start to both halves of the game. Northern Arizona was chasing Duke City from the very start of the game, and could not catch up. The Wranglers’ offense struggled with protecting the football, a common theme amongst losses this season. The Wranglers continued to fight hard but fell short of the comeback with that chance late in the fourth quarter. The Wranglers return home this weekend to Pinnacle Bank Field at the Findlay Toyota Center to take on the Arizona Rattlers. The Wranglers will be looking to bounce back from their first time losing back-to-back games under head coach Les Moss. The Wranglers’ loss one week ago was also against the Arizona Rattlers, and they will be tested with a rematch on their home turf.
View the Northern Arizona Wranglers 2023 games, with dates, matchups, and results at nazwranglers.com.
Season tickets for your 2022 IFL National Champions, the Northern Arizona Wranglers, are on sale now for the 2023 regular season.
You can check our website, nazwranglers.com, for a seating map of the Findlay Toyota Center, and pricing breakdown. This is located under the Season Tickets tab on the homepage.
For any Season Ticket inquiries, call us at 928-379-5581 or email emaleighwalter@nazwranglers.com.
Purchase your single-game tickets online at https://www.ticketmaster.com/northern-arizona-wranglers-tickets or by visiting the Findlay Toyota Center box office.
Read more stories in Sports on Signals A Z.com.
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