Jesse Dyess 
This weekend’s Indoor Football League slate featured many great games this past weekend. None quite as much as the battle for the West division lead. The Arizona Rattlers took on the Bay Area Panthers in what would be defined as an instant classic. The Rattlers edged out the Panthers 70-63 to tie the Panthers for first place. It would be hard to find a bigger reason for the win than Drew Powell. He threw for 230 yards, ran for 78, and combined had 9 TDs (you read that right). For this performance, Drew Powell has earned a spot in this week’s Player Spotlight.
College
A two-sport athlete at Wakefield high school in Arlington Virginia, Powell was a commit to the Livingston College Blue Bears in 2012. As a four-year starter for the Blue Bears, we would start to get a glimpse of his true potential. He would go on to throw for 9036 yards and 77 touchdowns at the helm. He would add another 1909 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns. His dual-threat numbers draw the comparison to Orlando Guardian’s Quinton Flowers of USF. Unfortunately, this success would not result in a draft pick, but he would sign with the Sioux Falls Storm of the IFL.
Indoor Football League
Here’s where Powell’s story begins to take off. It started innocuously enough. In his first year, he was back up to Lorenzo Brown on the Sioux Falls Storm. He saw limited time as a backup, throwing for 25 yards and rushing for 3, with a touchdown run in the mix. His 2018 season however was something special. In the process of leading the 11-3 Barnstormers to the league championship, he threw for 1752 yards and 36 touchdowns. He ran for another 993 and added another 27 rushing touchdowns. These numbers would be good enough for his first MVP award. To make matters even sweeter, he beat his former team, the Sioux Falls Storm, 42-38 to win this championship.
2019
After a wildly successful 2018, He would try out with the Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. Although he was not able to make the roster, The IFL welcomed him back. As a result, he would sign with the Arizona Rattlers in week 7. It would take him two weeks to earn the starting job back, and he led the Rattlers to a perfect 14-0 regular season.
The Rattlers were truly dominant that year, winning 7 games by more than 30 points. Surprisingly, in only half a season, Drew would throw for 807 yards, 18 touchdowns, and only 2 interceptions. In addition, he would run for 328 yards. Even so, this season would not have a happy ending. He would meet the Sioux Fall Storm, who pulled off the 31-28 upset to take home the championship.
2021
We would have to wait until 2021 to see him take the field again, as the 2020 season was canceled due to covid. With this in mind, Powell picked up right where he left off in 2021. Powell would end the season as the 2021 season as the league MVP (despite the fact that Nate Davis had 79 passing touchdowns). His 1881 passing yards, 972 rushing yards, and 70 total touchdowns led the Rattlers to a 12-2 regular season. They again would make the United Bowl, before once again losing by a field goal, this time to the Massachusetts Pirates.
2022
As if 2 MVP awards weren’t enough, Drew decided he wanted the hat trick this year. Moreover, this would be his best year as a passer. He would throw for 2630 yards and 53 touchdowns through the air, and rush for another 734, with 27 touchdowns. That’s 80 total touchdowns on the season (insane). He would lead the Rattlers to a 13-3 regular season. In spite of his truly historic season, it was not enough to seal the deal. The Rattlers would lose to eventual Champion Northern Arizona, 51-50, in the semi-final.
2023
His 2023 season got off to a hot start, before suffering an injury in week 2. After their matchup with the Bay Area Panthers, he was placed on the short-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury. This injury would keep him on the sideline until week 9. He would lose his first game back to the Vegas Knight Hawks 55-54, putting the Rattlers at 3-4 on the season. They have won 5 straight since that moment and now sit in a tie with the Bay Area Panthers for the top spot in the IFL West. His injury may be enough to keep him out of the MVP race this season, but he has returned to that form.
