Bonner Keys Arizona Victory

The Arizona Rattlers hardly looked like the best team in the Arena Football League Friday night. But they got enough big plays from quarterback Sherdrick Bonner to add to the Piranhas’ miseries and win the game, 53-37, in front of an announced crowd of 8,301 at the Pond.

“We didn’t deserve to win this game,” Arizona Coach Danny White said. “You don’t usually fumble five times and get all the penalties we got and win.”

White said his team, which has the Arena Football League’s best record of 10-2, came out overconfident against the Piranhas, who share the league’s worst record with Portland and New York.

“The Piranhas were not about to lie down,” said White, whose team defeated Anaheim, 58-26, two months ago. “They played hard, they played to win. It was a scare.”

It probably would have been a loss if the Piranhas could taken care of the football or stopped Bonner, who completed 21 of 26 passes for 273 yards and five touchdowns. Anaheim led 30-28 at half, but had two costly interceptions in the second half.

In the first half, the Rattlers fumbled on the Piranhas’ one-yard line and botched an onside kick by jumping offsides and giving the Piranhas the ball on their seven.

On the last play of the first half, Arizona gave the Piranhas second life when lineman Joe Burch roughed kicker Ian Howfield, who had shanked a 23-yard field goal.

The Piranhas nearly took advantage of Arizona’s generosity, but receiver Delvin Myles was ruled out of bounds in the end zone after he caught John Kaleo’s five-yard pass with no time left. Kaleo had his best first half as a Piranha, completing 14 of 25 for 172 yards and three touchdowns.

What saved Arizona in the first half was the play of Bonner, a five-year veteran from Cal State Northridge, and receiver Randy Gatewood of Nevada Las Vegas. Bonner completed his first 10 passes and finished the half 14 of 15 for 181 yards and three touchdowns. Gatewood touched the ball four times. He scored three times and was tackled on the Piranha two on his other catch.

On the Piranhas’ first possession of the second half, Kaleo threw his 19th interception of the year to Gatewood, who returned the ball six yards to Anaheim’s five-yard line. Three plays later, Anthony Brenner kicked an 18-yard field goal to give Arizona a 39-30 lead.

On their next possession, the Piranhas’ drive stalled when they committed back to back penalties after reaching the Rattler six. The second penalty was an unsportsmanlike conduct foul on Bryan Reeves. The penalty pushed Howfield’s field goal attempt back eight yards and resulted in a missed 39-yarder.

Kaleo, who finished 28 of 53 for 300 yards and four touchdowns, set a league-record for interceptions on the Piranhas last drive of the game with his 21st and third of the night.