IFL Recap Week Six
Published on April 23, 2024 under Indoor Football League (IFL) News Release
Week Six has concluded, featuring an action-packed Saturday night full of fireworks. Three teams remain undefeated, as there's a new top-dog in the Eastern Conference in the Frisco Fighters.
In the first matchup of Week Six, the Tucson Sugar Skulls took on the San Antonio Gunslingers on Thursday night. Both teams were coming off a loss and the Gunslingers were still looking for their first-ever IFL victory. In front of a home crowd, they did just that defeating the Sugar Skulls 60-36.
The San Antonio Gunslingers come away with the win at home, following a dominant performance by the offense. Sam Castronova had his best game of the season, completing 14/19 passes for 142 yards and seven touchdowns, adding another 30 yards and one touchdown on the ground. The San Antonio offense featured many, as five different Gunslingers players came down with a touchdown reception. Defensively, this was San Antonio's best performance all season. Prior to Thursday night, San Antonio allowed an average of 65 points per game, while allowing just 36 points to Tucson.
Coming into Week Six under short-rest, the Tucson Sugar Skulls were banged up from the week prior, as Mylik Mitchell wasn't available. Backup quarterback Torrance Gibson stepped in, ended the night 5/15 for 104 yards and a touchdown, adding 80 yards and three more touchdowns with his legs. Similar to Mitchell, Torrence threatens defenses with his legs, and Week Six was an example as to why. The difference in the game was that Tucson couldn't stop the Gunslingers offense from scoring. The Sugar Skulls allowed a touchdown on all eight of San Antonio's drives.
On Friday night, the Sioux Falls Storm took on the Green Bay Blizzard in a battle of Eastern Conference opponents. Sioux Falls entered this week following a loss, while Green Bay was coming off a bye. The Blizzard came away with the victory in Week Six, taking down the Storm 48-35.
For the Green Bay Blizzard, all phases of the team came to play. Quarterback Max Meylor had a stellar night, going 13/20 for 150 yards and three touchdowns, adding 63 yards and three more touchdowns on the ground against Sioux Falls. Meylor last played in Week Two, making this week's performance an impressive return from the Green Bay quarterback. Defensively, the Blizzard kept Billy Hall in-check, as Ra Abdul-Wahid and LJ Lovelace came away with two sacks each.
In their fourth-straight loss, the Sioux Falls Storm had too many turnovers to come away with the victory in Week Six. Of their 11 drives on offense, more than half resulted in a turnover of some kind. The Storm offense ended the night with an interception, three fumbles, and two turnovers on downs. It was a back-and-forth game early between the Storm and Blizzard, however, the Blizzard ran away with the game in the second half.
Kicking off the action-packed Saturday night, the Vegas Knight Hawks took on the Jacksonville Sharks in a Week Three rematch. Vegas got the better of Jacksonville in Week Three, and the same was true this week. Vegas defeated the Sharks 61-35, taking a 2-0 series lead, as Jacksonville continues searching for their first IFL victory.
In Week Six, Ja'Rome Johnson had another near-perfect performance, completing 12/14 passes for 184 yards and five touchdowns. Johnson wasn't as dangerous on the ground, though he added two more rushing touchdowns to his total. Vegas has shown they're a strong offensive team, as they average the second-most points per game at 52.8 points. Running back Antonio Wimbush also had a strong performance, rushing nine times for 73 yards and two touchdowns. The Vegas Knight Hawks climb the Western Conference standings, as one of the two undefeated teams remaining in the conference.
For the Jacksonville Sharks, their offensive struggles continued in Week Six. In Fred Payton's first start at quarterback for the Sharks, he completed 14/25 passes for 137 yards and three touchdowns. Payton Jr. also found success on the ground, rushing for 52 yards and two more scores. While it didn't result in a win, the Sharks scored their highest point total of the season with 35 points, showing an uptick in offensive production throughout the season. Defensively, however, the Sharks were gashed. Jacksonville couldn't stop Vegas' offensive attack, allowing nine-straight touchdown drives. Both sides of the ball will need to find answers in order to claim their first-ever IFL win.
In the biggest upset of the weekend, the Massachusetts Pirates' winning streak came to an end in Moline, IL. The Quad City Steamwheelers played spoiler at home, defeating the Pirates 54-43. The IFL's list of undefeated teams shortens to two after a loss from Massachusetts in Week Six.
Following a 1-2 start to their season, the Quad City Steamwheelers showed out in front of a home crowd. Quarterback Judd Erickson had a strong night, completing 8/12 passes for 87 yards and three touchdown passes with one rushing touchdown. Alongside Erickson, Edward Vander was a major contributor, adding three rushing touchdowns on nearly 10 yards-per-rush. Defensively, the Steamwheelers got to the Pirates, forcing a fumble and reeling in an interception against one of the league's best offenses. Along with a strong performance on offense and defense, the Steamwheelers had one of the more entertaining plays of the night, featuring an extra point that was blocked and returned the length of the field for two extra points. All phases of the Steamwheelers team were humming, resulting in victory for Quad City.
The Massachusetts Pirates on the other hand end their four-game winning streak, dropping to 4-1 on the season. The Pirates offense wasn't on the same page early in this game, being held scoreless in the first quarter. On the first drive for Massachusetts, Alejandro Bennifield was intercepted, setting Quad City to extend their first-quarter lead to 14 points. The passing offense found its footing after their first-quarter struggles, as Bennifield ended the night 14/23 for 147 yards and two touchdowns, along with three touchdowns on the ground. Outside of Bennifield, the rushing attack from the Pirates was bottled up by Quad City. Running back duo Jimmie Robinson and Tavion Thomas finished the night a combined 17 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown. After Thomas' 117-yard, three-touchdown night a week before, it appears the Steamwheelers had a plan to stop the Pirates' running backs from taking over.
Continuing the Saturday night action, the Arizona Rattlers and Iowa Barnstormers faced off in the closest game of the night. It was a back-and-forth matchup that came down to the wire. The Arizona Rattlers get back in the winning column, while the Barnstormers continue to chase their first win of the season.
After three-straight losses, the Rattlers get a win in Week Six. Arizona handed the keys of the offense to Garrett Kettle this week, and Kettle played a near-perfect game. He completed 15/19 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns, finding the end zone again on the ground. The star of the offense, however, was running back Shannon Brooks. On his fourth touchdown of the night, Brooks took a hand-off 46 yards to the end zone, giving the Arizona Rattlers a lead late in the fourth quarter that Iowa couldn't overcome.
Entering the week in search of their first win of the season, the Iowa Barnstormers were the closest they've been all season to claiming victory. However, with a slow start to the game offensively for Iowa, their second-half comeback attempt came up short. Quarterback Kyle King got the start again for the Barnstormers, completing 13/30 passes for 171 yards, four touchdowns, and two more touchdowns on the ground. King's rushing touchdown would come with a little over a minute left in the game, however, the Barnstormers defense couldn't force a turnover on the final drive to give their offense a shot at taking the lead late.
Among Saturday's action, the Frisco Fighters and Tulsa Oilers met in Week Six for the Red River Rumble. These two teams are familiar with one another, having faced off against each other four times in the last two seasons. The Fighters remain undefeated, both in the Red River Rumble rivalry and in the 2024 IFL standings, after defeating the Oilers 60-32.
Now leading the Western Conference standings, the Frisco Fighters remain undefeated after a victory against the Oilers. TJ Edwards continues to be one of the league's best quarterbacks, completing 14/17 passes for 153 yards and four touchdowns, adding an extra three rushing touchdowns to his total. After six weeks of regular-season play, Edwards leads the league in rushing touchdowns with 15- five touchdowns more than the next-highest. Along with Edwards' strong performance, running back Martez Carter added two scores on 11 rushes for 78 yards. Not only did the Frisco offense come to play, but their defense showed up as well. Lionell McConnell came away with another interception, bringing his total to four interceptions on the season. The Frisco Fighters remain one of the league's top teams after another strong performance from all three phases against the Tulsa Oilers in Week Six.
Coming into the Red River Rumble 0-3, the Tulsa Oilers remain winless in the rivalry after Week Six. Inconsistent offense paired with porous defense resulted in the Tulsa Oilers' first loss since Week Two. Daniel Smith led the Oilers' offense, completing 19/32 passes for 123 yards and three touchdown passes. Tulsa's rush attack was kept at bay, totaling nine yards on the ground on eight attempts. The Oilers drop to 2-2, ending a two-game winning stint.
In the most anticipated game of the week, neither team disappointed. Both teams entered this week undefeated, and only one could walk away with their winning streak in-tact. In a Week Six matchup between the San Diego Strike Force and the Bay Area Panthers, the Panthers came out on top, defeating the Strike Force 53-50.
Felix Harper remained the quarterback for Bay Area, showing the ability to do it through the air and on the ground. Harper completed 9/15 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown, while also finding the end zone twice with his legs. Running back Statford Anderson had a game to remember, scoring the first-two touchdowns of his IFL career on 20 carries for 71 yards. Defensively, however, the Panthers came up strong against one of the best passing offenses in the league. Bay Area's defense played lights-out, recovering two fumbles and returning the sole interception of the night back for a touchdown. After four hard-fought games, the Bay Area Panthers remain undefeated and atop the Western Conference standings alongside Vegas.
Rudy Johnson started at quarterback for the San Diego Strike Force. Johnson struggled early through the air, however, he found the end zone twice with his legs. Midway through the second quarter, Nate Davis took over as quarterback, completing 13/17 passes for 141 yards and four touchdowns. With a score late in the fourth quarter, San Diego took the lead. However, the Strike Force defense allowed Bay Area to score with 13 seconds remaining, as Panthers quarterback Felix Harper rushed in for the four-yard touchdown. Following a valiant effort against one of the league's best, the San Diego Strike Force fall to 3-1 on the season.
Wrapping up Saturday's action, the Duke City Gladiators took on the Northern Arizona Wranglers in Prescott Valley, AZ. In a game that featured two interceptions from defensive linemen- and one for a touchdown- the Northern Arizona Wranglers advance to 3-1, while the Duke City Gladiators remain winless. Northern Arizona defeats Duke City 39-23 in front of a home crowd.
For Northern Arizona, Joshua Jones commanded the offense well, completing 12/18 passes for 152 yards and four touchdowns. On the ground, he added an additional touchdown, making him responsible for every offensive touchdown scored by the Wranglers. On the defensive side of the ball, defensive lineman Ellison Jordan returned a tipped interception 17 yards for the touchdown, giving Northern Arizona a lead early that lasted the rest of the game. Northern Arizona was able to stop Duke City from creating consistency on offense, allowing just two touchdown drives the entire game. Following a strong performance from the entire team, Northern Arizona extends their winning streak to three games.
Offensively, the Duke City Gladiators struggled to overcome a strong Northern Arizona defense. The Gladiators combined for 31 passing yards on the night, while finding more success on the ground. Quarterback Geremy Hickbottom found the end zone three times with his legs, rushing for 51 yards on 15 attempts. Duke City was able to force two interceptions from Jones, however, they couldn't follow those turnovers with points of their own. The Duke City Gladiators fall to 0-4 on the season, still in search of the first win of their season.
Indoor Football League Stories from April 23, 2024
- Vegas Remains Undefeated Taking Down Winless San Antonio - IFL
- IFL Coaches Poll - Week Six - IFL
- IFL Recap Week Six - IFL
- Wranglers Get Third Consecutive Win - Northern Arizona Wranglers
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.
