2017 United Bowl

The 2017 United Bowl was the championship game of the 2017 Indoor Football League season. It was played between the Intense Conference Champion Arizona Rattlers and the United Conference Champion Sioux Falls Storm. The game was played at Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Rattlers won the game by a score of 50–41.

2017 United Bowl
Arizona Rattlers Sioux Falls Storm (12–4) (14–2) Intense United 50 41 Head coach:  Kevin Guy Head coach:  Kurtiss Riggs
1 2 3 4 Total Arizona 14 20 0 16 50 Sioux Falls 7 0 21 13 41
Date	July 8, 2017
Stadium	Denny Sanford Premier Center
Location	Sioux Falls, South Dakota, U.S.
MVP	Arizona LB Justin Shirk[1]
United States TV coverage
Network	YouTube
Announcers	Kevin Ray and Dale Hellstrae[2] (Rattlers) Rich Roste[3] (Storm)

This was the Sioux Falls Storm's seventh consecutive United Bowl appearance[4] and first loss, snapping a 6-game championship streak. It was the Arizona Rattlers' first United Bowl appearance in their first season in the IFL after joining from the Arena Football League.

Venue

The game was played at Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as the Sioux Falls Storm had the home field advantage by cause of having a better regular season record.

Background

Arizona Rattlers

See also: 2017 Arizona Rattlers season

On October 17, 2016, the Arizona Rattlers announced their move to the IFL from the Arena Football League. They started on a 2-game losing streak heading into their first bye week before defeating the Colorado Crush at home 71–29.[5] The Rattlers finished the season with a conference best 12–4, including a season-ending 8 game win streak, earning the first seed in the Intense Conference. In the Intense Conference championship, they defeated the Nebraska Danger at home by a score of 62–36.[6]

2017 Intense Conference
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	CON	GB	STK
y - Arizona Rattlers	12	4	0	.750	782	610	8–1	—	W8
x - Nebraska Danger	9	7	0	.563	717	660	5–2	3.0	W1
Spokane Empire	8	8	0	.500	654	677	7–5	4.0	L3
Salt Lake Screaming Eagles	5	11	0	.313	675	762	4–8	7.0	W1
Colorado Crush	3	13	0	.188	629	821	2–10	8.0	L4

Sioux Falls Storm

See also: 2017 Sioux Falls Storm season

In 2017, the Storm began the regular season with 8 straight wins, including a 40–29 victory over the Arizona Rattlers in week 1, before a 44–36 loss to the Wichita Falls Nighthawks. They finished the season with a 14–2 record, earning the top seed in the United Conference and the best record in the league, which they secured with a 45–24 victory over the Iowa Barnstormers in week 18.[7] In the United Conference championship, they were victorious in their rematch against the Barnstormers by a score of 66–32.[4]

2017 United Conference
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	CON	GB	STK
y - Sioux Falls Storm	14	2	0	.875	769	467	9–2	—	W3
x - Iowa Barnstormers	13	3	0	.813	702	580	8–3	1.0	L1
Wichita Falls Nighthawks	12	4	0	.750	832	745	6–2	2.0	L1
Green Bay Blizzard	3	13	0	.188	513	665	2–9	11.5	W1
Cedar Rapids Titans	1	15	0	.063	494	780	1–10	13.0	L10

Box score

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rattlers (I1)	14	20	0	16	50
Storm (U1)	7	0	21	13	41

at Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota[4]

• Date: July 8, 2017
• Game time: 5:05 p.m. CDT

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP ARI SFX 1 12:21 4 28 2:36 ARI Monroe 2-yard touchdown run, Petre kick good 7 0 1 11:31 — — — SFX Williams 50-yard kickoff return TD, Syrovatka kick good 7 7 1 09:33 2 42 1:06 ARI Miles 34-yard touchdown reception from Sokol, Petre kick good 14 7 2 14:57 7 25 5:10 ARI Monroe 2-yard touchdown run, Petre kick no good 20 7 2 02:45 — — — ARI Fumble recovery returned 29 yards for touchdown by Gordon, Petre kick good 27 7 2 00:14 1 5 0:20 ARI Amos 5-yard touchdown reception from Sokol, Petre kick good 34 7 3 12:31 4 30 2:26 SFX Harold 17-yard touchdown reception from Brown, Syrovatka kick good 34 14 3 08:09 4 15 2:38 SFX Rouse 7-yard touchdown run, Syrovatka kick good 34 21 3 05:40 — — — SFX Interception returned 2 yards for touchdown by Peguese, Syrovatka kick good 34 28 4 13:54 2 9 1:03 ARI Monroe 7-yard touchdown run, Petre kick good 41 28 4 08:59 6 10 3:21 ARI 19-yard field goal by Petre 44 28 4 05:25 7 47 3:31 SFX Harold 5-yard touchdown reception from Brown, 2-point run failed 44 34 4 02:36 6 29 2:44 ARI 23-yard field goal by Petre 47 34 4 02:05 1 40 0:26 SFX Tatum 40-yard touchdown reception from Brown, Syrovatka kick good 47 41 4 00:47 4 -1 0:42 ARI 28-yard field goal by Petre 50 41 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. ARI SFX

References

1. "Rattlers are the 2017 United Bowl Champions". Arizona Rattlers. July 8, 2017. Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
2. "2017 United Bowl Exclusively Broadcast on YouTube". Arizona Rattlers. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
3. "Radio Broadcast". Sioux Falls Storm. Archived from the original on June 27, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
4. "IFL: Seven-Peat! Storm Win 7th Straight United Conference Championship". KSFY. June 24, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
5. "2017 Schedule - Arizona Rattlers". Indoor Football League. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
6. Marotta, Vince (June 24, 2017). "Rattlers Punch Ticket to IFL United Bowl With Rout of Nebraska". Arizona Sports. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
7. "2017 Schedule - Sioux Falls Storm". Indoor Football League. Retrieved July 1, 2017.