The Good. The Bad and the IFL
Week Seven has come to a close, featuring games from every team in the league. This week was a thriller, as five games came down to a difference of one score. After seven weeks of IFL action, two teams remain undefeated: Bay Area and Vegas. Both teams are 5-0 and will go head-to-head this week.
Kicking off Friday night’s double-header, the Iowa Barnstormers (0-5) took on the Green Bay Blizzard (4-1) in a battle of the Midwest. Green Bay came into the game on a three-game winning streak, while the Barnstormers looked to come away with their first victory of the season. After a back-and-forth battle, the Blizzard extended their winning streak to four games after defeating the Barnstormers 40-33.
Green Bay quarterback Max Meylor stayed efficient, completing 7/15 passes for 86 yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, Meylor added a pair of rushing touchdowns, bringing his total to nine on the season. Defensively, Iowa couldn’t handle the Blizzard’s defensive line, as Green Bay finished the night with five tackles for loss, adding two sacks. Green Bay’s secondary also played lights out, breaking up seven passes and intercepting one. As the Blizzard approaches Week Eight, all phases of their team are clicking.
The Iowa Barnstormers were led by quarterback Kyle King in his second start of the season. The Barnstormers relied on King’s arm, as he ended the night 18/39 for 131 yards and two touchdowns. Iowa was bottled up in the run game, however, Rob Washington was able to find the end zone once on 13 carries for 47 yards. Defensively, the Barnstormers allowed one too many scoring drives, as the Barnstormers lost by single digits for the third time this season.
Wrapping up Friday night’s action, the San Antonio Gunslingers (2-3) faced off against the Frisco Fighters (4-1) in an all-Texas matchup. San Antonio came in
following their first IFL victory, while Frisco was looking to protect a four-game winning streak. In one of the closest games of the weekend, the Gunslingers came out on top, defeating the Fighters 54-52.
Following another extraordinary performance from quarterback Sam Castronova, the Gunslingers won their second straight game. Castronova completed 25/33 passes for 222 yards and eight touchdowns. The San Antonio run game wasn’t very effective, but the Gunslingers were still able to come away with the victory after Castronova found receiver NyQwan Murray for the 11-yard touchdown with one minute remaining. San Antonio’s defense would hold strong, handing the Fighters their first loss of the season.
In Week Seven of the 2024 season, the Frisco Fighters came up short for the first time. Quarterback TJ Edwards had his usual game, completing 8/16 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns, adding four rushing touchdowns. In a losing effort, Edwards remains the top rusher in the league, scoring 18 rushing touchdowns on 294 yards. Only quarterback Billy Hall has more rushing yards with 309 yards on the season.
These two teams meet again next week, as the Gunslingers get home-field advantage in Week Eight.
Starting the Saturday action, the Massachusetts Pirates (5-1) took on the Sioux Falls Storm (0-5). The Pirates were coming off their first loss of the season last week in Quad City. After a back-and-forth matchup, the Pirates won 43-38, as the Storm remain winless through five games.
Getting the start in Week Seven, Connor Degenhardt ended the night 15/20 for 163 yards and four touchdowns, though not adding much to the rushing game. Running back Jimmie Robinson found the end zone twice on 13 attempts for 38 yards, adding 40 yards as a receiver. Massachusetts led for most of the first half. The Pirates' defense allowed a five-minute drive in the fourth quarter, which brought the Storm within a touchdown with roughly a minute remaining. However, Massachusetts was able to burn the final minute of clock, getting back into the win column.
For the fifth straight game, the Sioux Falls Storm came up short. Quarterback Billy Hall had a strong performance, completing 9/16 passes for 85 yards and three touchdowns, adding 78 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground. The Storm defense got to Massachusetts, forcing Degenhardt to throw two interceptions— one to Cedrick Williams and one to Ken Gladney Jr. However, it wasn’t enough, as Sioux Falls fell short by one possession for the third time this season.
In the second matchup Saturday night, the Vegas Knight Hawks (5-0) hosted the Duke City Gladiators (0-5) in a Western Conference matchup. Vegas came into this game as one of the few undefeated teams left, and after 60 minutes, their undefeated status remains.
In front of a home crowd, the Vegas Knight Hawks extended their winning streak to five games, however, it didn’t look like the rest of their wins. Quarterback
Ja’Rome Johnson struggled to find a rhythm passing the ball, as quarterback Jorge Reyna came into the game late in the first half to revitalize the Vegas offense. Reyna ended the night nearly perfect, completing 7/9 passes for 62 yards and three touchdowns. The Knight Hawks' defense was crucial in this win, sacking the quarterback twice and forcing three turnovers.
On the opposing side, the Duke City Gladiators came into this week looking for their first victory of the season, and it appeared obtainable after the first half. However, after a three-point second half showing from the Gladiators' offense, they remain winless. Alphonso Howard got the start as quarterback for Duke City, as he ended the night 11/25 for 138 yards and two touchdowns. The Duke City defense forced two interceptions of their own, hauling in Ja’Rome Johnson’s first two interceptions of the season. Though the first half was promising, a near-scoreless second half made for another tally in Duke City’s loss column.
In another battle that came down to the wire, the Northern Arizona Wranglers (4-1) took on the Tucson Sugar Skulls (1-4) on Saturday night. Northern Arizona extends their streak to four wins in a row, while the Sugar Skulls lose their third straight game.
Northern Arizona came into the week on a three-game winning streak, which continued another week after a strong performance from the Wranglers in Week Seven. Joshua Jones completed 16/25 passes for 190 yards and three touchdowns, adding 76 yards and a score on the ground. The Wranglers were able to win the turnover battle against Tucson, forcing two interceptions from Tucson’s quarterback Tasleem Wilson, while only fumbling once themselves. The major difference in this game was Axel Perez going 2/2 on field goals, while Demitri Fotinos had his only field goal attempt blocked by the Wranglers.
As home-team underdogs, the Tucson Sugar Skulls featured a new quarterback under center. Tasleem Wilson got the start, and in his first game for the Sugar Skulls, he ended the night 15/31 with 165 yards and two touchdowns. The Tucson rushing game was featured heavily, as three separate Sugar Skulls players had a rushing touchdown: Mike Carrigan, Mike Jones, and Jalin Marshall. Tucson looks to get healthy, as they enter a bye week after their third loss in a row.
Kicking off Sunday’s triple-header action, the Tulsa Oilers (3-2) and Quad City Steamwheelers (2-3) in an important matchup for the Eastern Conference standings. Both teams entered 2-2, however, after the highest-scoring performance of the season, Tulsa came out on top against Quad City 72-59.
In his best performance of the season, Tulsa quarterback Daniel Smith had season-highs in both passing yards and rushing touchdowns. Smith ended the night
14/18 for 209 yards and three touchdowns, adding five more scores with his legs. The Oilers had a strong first half, however, their second half was an offensive slugfest. In the last 30 minutes of play, Tulsa had six consecutive touchdown drives, putting them in the driver’s seat. The Steamwheelers couldn’t keep up, as Tulsa won convincingly.
For Quad City, they dropped below .500, as their first-half lead didn’t last. Through the first half, Quad City was ahead 31-30 after a one-yard score by Erickson. Quarterback Judd Erickson led the Steamwheelers offense, completing 16/28 passes for 176 yards and scoring a pair of touchdowns both through the air and on the ground. However, losing the turnover battle two-to-zero in this matchup appeared to be the difference, as Quad City fell short by 13 points. The Steamwheelers sink in the Eastern Conference standings following their loss to Tulsa.
In a rematch from the week prior, the Bay Area Panthers (5-0) visited the San Diego Strike Force (3-2) in the closest finish of the week. Bay Area won in Week Six 53-50, and similarly, won 33-32 in Week Seven. San Diego had a chance to complete their comeback victory, however, their two-point conversion attempt fell short.
Coming into this game having won the week before, Bay Area had all the momentum early. After the first half, the Panthers had a 20-point lead, as all phases of the team were red hot. However, a quiet second half from Bay Area almost cost them the victory, as the Panthers let up 20 unanswered points in the final frame of the game. The Bay Area defense stood strong, forcing the game-winning two-point attempt to fall incomplete. Quarterback Daquan Neal got the start in Week Seven, completing 12/17 passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns, adding another 52 yards and one score on the ground. Defensively, the Panthers were able to come away with a fumble recovery, along with two interceptions. In a game that came down to the final play, those three turnovers might’ve been the difference.
After losing the first time these two teams faced off, San Diego had the opportunity to split the series with a win at home. However, with a chance to win the game on the final two-point conversion of the day, Nate Davis’ pass attempt failed, giving the Panthers possession with less than a minute remaining. Though it didn’t result in a win, quarterback Nate Davis continued being one of the league’s best passers, throwing for just shy of 200 yards and four touchdowns. After back-to-back losses to one of the Western Conference’s best teams, San Diego hosts the Northern Arizona Wranglers at home in a Week Eight matchup.
In the last game of the week, the Arizona Rattlers (3-3) hosted the Jacksonville Sharks (0-5), as the Rattlers are back to being a .500 football team following a 55-35 win Sunday night. The Sharks were on pace to win their first game of the season, however, a 23-point fourth quarter by the Rattlers spoiled that opportunity.
This game was neck-and-neck for a majority of this game, as the score favored Arizona 32-28 heading into the fourth quarter. The Rattlers then went on a 23-7
run, securing the victory for Arizona and evening their record up to 3-3. Quarterback Dalton Sneed returned to the field, getting the start in Week Seven after not playing since Week One of the season. Sneed finished the night 18/26 with 176 yards, two touchdown passes, and two touchdowns on the ground. Along with Sneed’s strong performance, running back Shannon Brooks had another strong night, finding the end zone three times on 11 carries. Brooks now averages two touchdown rushes per game, totaling 10 on the season.
For Jacksonville, it appeared they could earn their first IFL win, following one of their best halves of football played this season. However, a quiet second half kept the Sharks winless. On offense, Fred Payton Jr. got the start once again, completing 14 of 20 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Boom Williams found the end zone twice on 11 carries for 47 yards, leading the Sharks offense in rushing. Jacksonville was also able to add a special teams score, as DJ Stubbs returned the second-half kickoff 54 yards for a Sharks touchdown. Defensively, Jacksonville was able to force turnovers, however, when the game neared completion, Arizona took control. The Sharks get another chance to earn their first win, as they face off against the Frisco Fighters in Week Eight.
