Sports stats



IFL Indoor Football League

IFL 2024 Week Two Preview

March 21, 2024 - Indoor Football League (IFL) News Release


One week down, 18 to go. Week Two of the 2024 IFL season features six matchups over four days. The action begins on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. CT, as the Sioux Falls Storm visit the Quad City Steamwheelers.

Both teams will be taking the field for their first time this season, leaving much to uncover about each team. The Storm finished last season as the 2023 Eastern Conference champions, but they enter 2024 with a very different roster and, for the first time in 20 years, a head coach not named Kurtiss Riggs. New Head Coach Andre Fields has big shoes to fill. We'll start to see how they fit on Friday.

The 2022 season saw Quad City play for the Dollar Loan Center IFL National Championship. After a hot start in 2023, the Steamwheelers cooled in the second half, losing to Frisco in the first round of the playoffs. Now they enter the 2024 season with a new quarterback looking to prove they still belong in the championship contention conversation.

Kicking off on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. CT, the Tulsa Oilers take on the Frisco Fighters, who ended their last two seasons with a loss in the Eastern Conference Championship. Returning IFL-MVP TJ Edwards looks to start their march toward redemption on a high note in this Week Two matchup against the Oilers.

With an inaugural-season record of 2-13 in 2023, there's no reason to count Tulsa out. Over the last two seasons, the Northern Arizona Wranglers and Bay Area Panthers went from last place to league champions in a single offseason. The Oilers can follow-suit, starting with a win on Friday night.

Saturday night, the IFL hosts two more matchups, as the Barnstormers visit the Blizzard and Jacksonville makes their IFL debut in Massachusetts.

The Iowa Barnstormers and Green Bay Blizzard kick off at 6:05 p.m. CT, as the Blizzard look to even their record to 1-1 after a loss to Massachusetts in Week One. Green Bay showed promise for much of last week's game. They'll be looking to display that great play for four quarters when Iowa comes to town. The Barnstormers will be making their first start of the season behind electric third-year quarterback, Darius-James Peterson.

The Barnstormers have a multitude of fresh faces joining their roster. Six players on the roster are returning players, while the rest are all new faces to the Iowa Barnstormers. Having rookies coming in from NFL, CFL, and UFL camps, the Barnstormers are set to turn the page from 2023's disappointing season.

Also kicking off at 6:05 p.m. CT, the Jacksonville Sharks visit the Massachusetts Pirates. Alejandro Bennifield and the Pirates aim to start their season 2-0 after a narrow Week One victory in Green Bay. The Sharks, however, begin their season looking to knock the Pirates off their ship.

At long last, fans will see the Jacksonville Sharks in the IFL. A franchise with a rich history finds itself entering a new league while carrying the title of defending champion of another. Accompanied by a championship culture, the Sharks look to add to their history book with a win Saturday night against the Pirates in their first ever IFL appearance.

Sunday's sole matchup features the Vegas Knight Hawks traveling to the Desert Diamond Arena for a meeting against the Arizona Rattlers. The Rattlers enter this game 1-0 after their 51-40 win against the Wranglers in Week One. The Knight Hawks, on the other hand, have yet to hit the field in 2024.

Vegas has compiled a very impressive roster. On paper, they have the talent to compete with anyone. Can Head Coach Mike Davis bring them together and make some serious noise in 2024? We start to find out on Sunday.

Kicking off at 7:05 p.m. CT on Monday night, the San Diego Strike Force makes the trip to Duke City for the final game of Week Two. Both teams make their first appearance of 2024, and both teams hope to start their season with a statement win.

While neither of these teams made the playoffs last season, both showed flashes and could easily take the next step in 2024. One of these teams will start the season undefeated and could carry that momentum into 2024. Motivation will be high on as the Gladiators host the Strike Force to close out Week Two.

To catch all six games of Week Two, tune into the IFL YouTube channel or Caffeine TV.



Indoor Football League Stories from March 21, 2024


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central