Chupacabras start slow in loss at Rattlers

GLENDALE, AZ - The Arizona Rattlers jumped out to a 25-0 first quarter lead and never looked back as they stayed in the hunt of a home playoff game with a 60-23 win over the New Mexico Chupacabras tonight at Desert Diamond Arena.

In addition to picking up their eighth win of the season, the Rattlers became the third Western Conference team to clinch a playoff spot. At 8-5, they are in third place in the conference standings; two games back of the San Diego Strike Force and Vegas Knight Hawks. The Knight Hawks survived a scare from the San Antonio Gunslingers to claim a one-point victory in a matchup which was played simultaneously to this one. The Strike Force can remain in first place with a win over the Jacksonville Sharks tomorrow night. Meanwhile, the Chupacabras fall to 2-11 on the season.

Arizona struck first when Max Meylor found Corey Reed, Jr. for a 10-yard touchdown just over a minute into the contest. Matthew Cook tacked on a deuce on the ensuing kickoff to make it an early 9-0 lead. New Mexico was forced to attempt a long field goal from Kevin Macias which fell short. Kymani Clarke's four-yard score added to the Rattlers lead. Donovan Porterie was intercepted by Arizona's Yahsyn McKee, Sr., who returned it to the Chupacabras' one-yard line Max Meylor threw to Ron Brown, Jr. for a six-yard score and the Rattlers were off to the races. Macias nailed a 43-yard field goal to put the Chupacabras on the board early in the second quarter.

The Rattlers extended their lead with a four-yard run from Meylor, the 2025 IFL MVP while with the Green Bay Blizzard. Later in the quarter, Jayden Horace rushed in from a yard out and Arizona took a 39-3 lead into intermission.

New Mexico came to life in the second half. First it was a two-yard touchdown run from La'James White early in the third quarter. With Arizona pinned in their own territory, the Chipacabras' Jamall Thompson forced and then recovered a fumble by Meylor and returned the ball four yards for another touchdown. Suddenly, Arizona's lead had been cut to 22 points. The Rattlers responded with a 12-yard scoring strike from Meylor to Reed with 1:58 left in the quarter.

The Rattlers extended the lead again with a 19-yard touchdown toss from Meylor to Clarke. Then they added another score when Horace rushed in from a yard out with 2:25 remaining in the contest. White's one-yard touchdown rush pushed the game to its final score with six seconds remaining.

Porterie finished 11 of 33 for 86 yards and three picks. White rushed eight times for 12 yards and two touchdowns, and Kisean Johnson had five catches for 50 yards. Glespm Sprewell had four tackles and an interception, and James Ussery added four tackles of his own to the Chupacabras' defensive effort.

Meylor went 15 of 23 for 167 yards with four touchdowns and an interception, and rushed for another score. Clarke gained 50 yards off seven carries to go along with his score on the ground and another through the air. Reed caught seven balls for 71 yards and two scores. Davontae Merriweather tallied five total tackles and an interception, and McKee picked off a pair of Porterie's throws.

The Rattlers gained 248 yards of total offense compared to 99 yards for the Chupacabras. That included an 81-yard advantage through the air and a net plus of 68 yards on the ground. Arizona was flagged 10 times for 73 yards, while New Mexico was cited three times for 13 yards.

This was the second meeting between the teams this season. They met in the semifinals of the IFL Cup back in week 10 with the Rattlers coming away with a convincing 61-15 win. Arizona leads the series 2-0.

The Chupacabras will take the field on July 4 when the host the Vegas Knight Hawks for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff. The Rattlers will visit the San Diego Strike Force on July 6 with kickoff set for 7 p.m. Times listed are mountain daylight time. Both games, as well as all IFL games this season, will be available on the IFL's broadcast and streaming platforms; Yahoo Sports and Overnght. Sports Coast to Coast will present previews of those, and all, games this season. Those previews will be posted on the board of the home team in each game on the site.