Two very familiar rivals meet Saturday in the desert in the first round of the Arena Football League playoffs. The Spokane Shock invade the Snake Pit to attempt to dethrone the three-time defending ArenaBowl champs, the Arizona Rattlers.
Destiny against Dynasty. Everything is on the line when the Cleveland Gladiators face the Arizona Rattlers in ArenaBowl XXVII on Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena. Can the Glads continue their magical run and become the first Arena Football League team to win 20 games in one season while delivering Cleveland's first pro title in 50 years? Or will Arizona stake its claim as the best franchise in AFL history by winning a third consecutive championship in four ArenaBowl appearances?
The Arizona Rattlers' latest trip to Las Vegas came up snake eyes. After a few years of being on the right side of history, Arizona made some of the wrong kind last weekend with a 70-53 loss to the expansion Las Vegas Outlaws.
The way Sherdrick Bonner left the Arizona Rattlers near the end of the 2007 season did not sit well with many fans. It did not seem quite right that the rock of the franchise, the team leader who had spent nearly 15 years in the desert, would not end his storied career in black, copper and teal.
When AFL Hall of Famer and Arizona Rattlers legend Sherdrick Bonner left the desert in 2007, his legacy was secure. The resume listed 14 seasons with two ArenaBowl titles, an ArenaBowl VIII MVP award, a spot among the Top 10 greatest AFL players ever and every meaningful Rattlers passing record.