IFL Week 12 Recap

June 4, 2024 - Indoor Football League (IFL) News Release

After a seven-game slate, Week 12 has officially come to a close. Three of the seven matchups ended in an upset, including Duke City overcoming the Sugar Skulls for their first win of the season.

In the first matchup of the week, the Quad City Steamwheelers (4-5) took on the Green Bay Blizzard (8-2) at the Resch Center. Green Bay got out to an early lead and never gave it back, defeating the Steamwheelers 64-36 on Friday night.

Returning to their home arena after a quick road trip to Des Moines, IA last week, Green Bay put on a strong performance in front of a home crowd. Quarterback Max Meylor impressed, completing 17/24 passes for 236 yards and three passing touchdowns, adding a pair of touchdowns on the ground to his total. Along with Meylor's strong air attack, EJ Burgess was a major contributor to this victory, finding the end zone four times on six rushes for 39 yards. Defensively, the Blizzard got after Quad City, coming away with six tackles for loss, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. This marks four straight victories for Green Bay as they head to Lowell, MA, to face off against the Pirates next week, looking to extend their winning streak to five games.

Looking to bounce back from last week's loss, the Quad City Steamwheelers hit the road to face off against the red-hot Green Bay Blizzard. However, a slow start for Quad City's offense ultimately led to the Steamwheelers playing catch-up for the entirety of the game. In the first half, Quad City scored just one touchdown in their five offensive possessions. Quarterback Mike Irwin started the game, completing 11/21 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown, adding a rushing touchdown to his stat sheet. With under five minutes left, Quad City brought in Judd Erickson to finish the game. Erickson completed 5/9 for 50 yards, as the Blizzard would keep him out of the end zone for the rest of the game. Following this loss, the Steamwheelers head home for a meeting with the Frisco Fighters.

Kicking off Saturday's full slate of games, the Arizona Rattlers (6-4) faced off against the Jacksonville Sharks (1-8). Arizona had their best offensive performance this season, defeating the Sharks on the road 62-41.

In this Week 12 cross-conference battle, the Rattlers had a slow start, trailing 14-7 after the first quarter. Arizona followed that up with a 55-27 run, holding Jacksonville to just seven points in the second half. Quarterback Dalton Sneed was exceptional, completing 13/19 passes for 213 yards and seven touchdowns, adding 24 yards on the ground. Shannon Brooks was the team's leading rusher, taking nine carries for 70 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Among running backs in the league, Brooks ranks first in rushing yards (403) while sharing the lead in rushing touchdowns (16) with Bay Area's Shane Simpson. Defensively, the Rattlers wreaked havoc in the backfield, combining for eight tackles for loss and three sacks. Next week, the Rattlers head to Pechanga Area to battle the San Diego Strike Force in a highly contested Western Conference matchup.

This week, N'Kosi Perry made his Jacksonville Sharks debut at quarterback. Perry showcased his dual-threat capabilities, finishing the night 7/16 for 109 yards and a touchdown pass, rushing for 104 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Jacksonville matched Arizona's single interception, adding a forced fumble to the mix. To close out the second half, Tyler King added six points to the board, returning the kickoff 47 yards for a Sharks touchdown. Following that touchdown return, the Sharks would score just one more touchdown with a Tamorrion Terry one-yard touchdown run with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. After being handed their third straight loss, the Sharks remain at home next week as they face off against the Tulsa Oilers on Saturday evening.

In the first upset of the week, the Iowa Barnstormers (3-7) entered the week as road underdogs, facing off against the Sioux Falls Storm (2-7) at the Denny Sanford Premier Center. It was a back-and-forth battle, but on the two-point attempt for Sioux Falls to tie the game at 47-47, Lorenzo Brown Jr.'s pass got intercepted, ending the come-back effort for Sioux Falls.

Coming into this game as six-and-a-half-point underdogs, the Barnstormers entered Week 12 and secured the first upset of the week. After being traded to the Barnstormers less than a week before this game, quarterback Daniel Smith played exceptionally. Smith finished the night 18/26 for 179 yards and five touchdown passes, rushing for a touchdown as well. Aside from Smith's rushing touchdown, Sioux Falls didn't allow much on the ground, as Iowa rushed for six yards total on the night. Defensively, the Barnstormers weathered the storm, coming up with two sacks and two interceptions on the night, one being a game-sealer on the Storm's two-point attempt, potentially sending this game to overtime. Iowa broke a two-game losing skid as they take on the Steamwheelers next week for their third meeting of the season.

After holding the lead in this game for approximately a minute in the first quarter, for Sioux Falls, most of this game was spent playing from behind. Quarterback Lorenzo Brown Jr. completed 12/21 passes for 113 yards and two touchdown passes, adding 20 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Unlike their opponent, the Storm were effective on the ground, as five Sioux Falls players rushed for a touchdown on the night. Defensively, the Storm lost the turnover battle, but Laronji Vason-McCoy hauled in his third interception of the season. The Storm return to the Premier Center next week as they face off against the Vegas Knight Hawks, who've faced upsets in their last two matchups.

Continuing the Saturday night action, the Massachusetts Pirates (6-4) took on the Frisco Fighters (8-2) in a battle that came down to the end. The Pirates scored a touchdown with 16 seconds remaining, but it was too little too late, as the Fighters reigned victorious by a score of 52-48.

After being sidelined for weeks due to an injury, quarterback TJ Edwards returned to play. The former IFL MVP finished the night 10/16 for 114 yards and three passing touchdowns, rushing for an additional 68 yards and two touchdowns. The Frisco defense swarmed the Pirates, bringing Alejandro Bennifield down for a pair of sacks, while recovering their one forced fumble on the night. In a must-win game for Frisco to stay atop the Eastern Conference standings, TJ Edwards and the Fighters stood tall against the Pirates.

Starting the game with a 13-point lead, the Pirates came up short in the end, dropping their fourth game of the season. Quarterback Alejandro Bennifield had a busy night throwing the ball, finishing the night 21/30 for 184 yards and three touchdowns. The Massachusetts defense held Frisco scoreless in the first frame, but after that, the Pirates allowed eight scoring drives in a row, seven being touchdown-scoring drives. With 16 seconds remaining, Bennifield found Thomas Owens for a three-yard touchdown, following it up with a successful two-point conversion. However, time ran out for Massachusetts, as they dropped their third game in four weeks.

In a cross-conference battle, the San Diego Strike Force () took on the Tulsa Oilers on Saturday night. The Strike Force started the game on top 14-0, and while Tulsa fought back with two late scores, San Diego won 42-34, bouncing back from a loss last week.

San Diego took an early lead in this game and never gave it back up. Quarterback Nate Davis finished the night 20/34 for 196 yards and five touchdowns, showcasing his abilities as one of the top passers in the league. Elijah Belle recovered a fumble late in the first quarter, coming up with San Diego's sole turnover of the game. The Strike Force returns to the Pechenga Arena next week against the Arizona Rattlers, looking to secure their second win in a row.

Coming into this week on a four-game losing streak, the Oilers came up short, losing their fifth game in a row. Quarterback Andre Sale had a strong performance, completing 12/25 passes for 101 yards and two touchdown passes, rushing for an additional pair of touchdowns. When the game was within one possession in the third quarter, Leon Smalls recovered a fumble, tallying the Oilers' sole turnover on the night. Following their fifth straight loss, Tulsa faces off against the Sharks as they look to avoid a six-game losing streak.

In the second upset of the week, the Northern Arizona Wranglers (7-3) handed the Vegas Knight Hawks (7-2) their second loss of the season in a Saturday night thriller. The fourth quarter saw 37 points in total as there were three scores in the final minute alone. The Wranglers strengthen their position in the Eastern Conference standings following a 58-52 victory for Northern Arizona.

Following his Week 11 Offensive Player of the Week performance last week, Joshua Jones had another strong performance against a challenging Knight Hawks defense. Jones finished the night 14/26 for 205 yards and two passing touchdowns while leading the team's rushing efforts with 40 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Of those three rushing touchdowns, one came with 14 seconds left, ultimately resulting in the win for Northern Arizona. On defense, Kevin Hyde hauled in the game's only turnover, intercepting Jorge Reyna on the game's first drive. The Wranglers head into a bye next week as they take on the Rattlers in their Week 14 return to action.

Facing an upset loss in Week 10 against Tucson in overtime, Vegas faced their second loss in a row after another upset by Northern Arizona. The Knight Hawks were without Ja'Rome Johnson in this matchup, as quarterback Jorge Reyna led the Vegas offense this week. Reyna was a dual threat against the Wranglers, completing 11/16 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns and leading the Knight Hawks in rushing with 73 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Defensively, Vegas had an uncharacteristic night, allowing scores on nine of 10 drives. The Knight Hawks look to get back to their winning ways next week as they take on the Sioux Falls Storm in a Week 13 matchup.

In the final game of Saturday night, the Duke City Gladiators (1-8) faced off against the Tucson Sugar Skulls (2-7) in the third upset of the week. This matchup featured just 41 points, as Duke City was held scoreless in the first half and Tucson in the second half. After eight winless games, the Gladiators come away with their first victory, defeating the Sugar Skulls 21-20.

After not starting a game since Week Four, Javon Kilgo returned to the Gladiators starting lineup against Tucson. Kilgo finished the night 18/28 for 192 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown pass from Gourney Sloan with nearly three-and-a-half minutes remaining. Defensively, Duke City held Tucson scoreless in the second half after allowing 20 points in the first two quarters. In the second half alone, the Gladiators allowed just 69 yards, forcing two turnovers on downs, a missed field goal attempt, and an interception. Duke City looks to win their second in a row as they hit the road to take on the San Antonio Gunslingers next week.

Coming off a loss the week before to Northern Arizona, the Sugar Skulls looked to bounce back against a winless Duke City team. After starting the game off with a 20-0 lead, the Sugar Skulls' offense went scoreless in the final two quarters. Quarterback Mylik Mitchell completed 9/15 passes for 103 yards while leading the team in rushing with 75 yards and a rushing touchdown. Tucson's defense played lights out in the first half, but with the Sugar Skulls' offense being held scoreless in the second half, it was an uphill battle that ultimately came up short. Following this crushing defeat, the Sugar Skulls take on a red-hot Bay Area Panthers team off their Week 12 bye.

Continuing the 2024 IFL season, Week 13 features seven games taking place on Saturday, with the first game kicking off at 12:05 p.m. CT. Be sure to catch all seven games streamed live on the IFL YouTube Channel and Caffeine TV.

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