The Vegas Knight Hawks and Arizona Rattlers turned Sunday night into a sprint, not a grind. Vegas matched every Arizona punch, then scored twice in the fourth quarter and finished the job in a 56-42 win at Lee’s Family Forum.
The win pushed the Knight Hawks to 5-1 and 4-0 in conference play. It also kept Vegas rolling in a game that felt like it could have flipped on one bounce.
No panic at 7-0, then Vegas started stacking touchdowns
Arizona scored first on Ron Brown Jr.’s 6-yard rushing touchdown. Vegas answered quickly, and once the Knight Hawks found the end zone, they kept circling back to it.
Josh Tomas scored the first Vegas touchdown on a 4-yard run. Quentin Randolph followed with a 1-yard rushing score as Vegas grabbed control and never fully gave it back.
Tomas was the finisher and the fast-forward button
Tomas led Vegas with 56 rushing yards on 13 carries and scored two rushing touchdowns. He also delivered the loudest play of the night, a 48-yard kickoff return touchdown in the third quarter that instantly swung momentum back to the home side.
Vegas finished with 97 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, which is how you win a shootout without needing huge passing volume.
DeLaura did not throw much, but he hit big when it mattered
Jayden DeLaura went 8-for-12 for 105 yards with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Deshon Stoudemire. He also ran for 30 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns, including a 13-yard keeper early in the fourth that stretched the margin again.
Vegas totaled 202 yards of offense on only 34 plays. It was efficient, and it was enough.
Arizona kept coming, so Vegas kept scoring
Arizona quarterback Max Meylor threw for 182 yards and three touchdowns while adding two rushing scores. The Rattlers finished with 264 yards, and they were good on third down, but they could not string together stops.
Vegas took a 28-21 lead into halftime, then answered Arizona scores repeatedly in the second half. The Knight Hawks led 49-42 in the fourth before closing it out with one more touchdown.
Defense closed the door, then Duck locked it
Vegas did not record a sack, but it delivered the one play that mattered at the end. Clifton Duck intercepted Meylor at the goal line with 0:08 left and killed Arizona’s last chance.
Terry Roberts led the Knight Hawks with 11 tackles, and Duck added nine. Vegas did not need a dominant defensive night, it just needed a finishing play.
What it means
The Knight Hawks are 5-1 and sitting at 4-0 in conference, and Sunday looked like the kind of win that travels. Vegas did not play a clean game, but it played a confident one.
When Arizona made it uncomfortable late, Vegas responded with points and a takeaway. That is how a contender survives a shootout.
Up next
The Knight Hawks hit the road for Week 10 – IFL Cup Round 1, facing the Orlando Pirates today at 4:00 p.m. PT at American Dream in Orlando.
Orlando comes in 4-2 overall and 4-2 in conference, riding a one-game win streak. The Pirates are 3-0 at home.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
