IFL Week 15 Recap
June 26, 2024 - Indoor Football League (IFL) News Release
Week 15 has concluded with just one upset among the eight games. Following this week's results, the Frisco Fighters have joined Green Bay, securing a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. Tucson and Duke City are eliminated from the playoffs, leaving six teams to battle for the four playoff positions remaining in the Western Conference.
To kick off Week 15, the Massachusetts Pirates (7-6) brought down the Jacksonville Sharks (2-10), as this win kept the Pirates at the third spot in the Eastern Conference. Even after facing their 10th loss of the season, Jacksonville remains alive in playoff contention, fighting for that last spot in the East.
Breaking a three-game losing streak, the Pirates completed the two-game sweep of Jacksonville with their victory on Saturday night. Alejandro Bennifield ended this game 12/19 for 113 yards and three touchdowns, adding two more touchdowns on the ground. Jimmie Robinson led the Pirates' monstrous rushing attack, taking 17 attempts for 109 yards and a score. Defensively, the Pirates led the turnover battle one-to-zero, with Cyrus Fagan bringing in the game's only turnover with an interception in the third quarter. Massachusetts returns to the Tsongas Center next week to take on the Quad City Steamwheelers, who are fresh off their upset against the Blizzard. The result of this game will hold massive repercussions for the Eastern Conference playoff picture, as Quad City trails Massachusetts by one spot.
While not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, this loss didn't help the Sharks chances. Jacksonville now stares at a more challenging trip to the playoffs, but with a perfect end to the season, the Sharks could still make the postseason. This week, the Jacksonville Sharks had a major team shake-up, adding a handful of new players to their team for a final push. Against the Pirates, Jacksonville's offense found the end zone just once in the first half. Besides Joshua Mack's seven-yard rushing touchdown, kicker Kevin Didio-Weber scored the only points in the first 30 minutes. Didio-Weber hit two field goals and a deuce in the first half, nailing a second deuce in the final quarter of play. Leading the offense, quarterback Fred Payton Jr. completed 14/32 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns, adding a team-high 47 yards on the ground. As the Sharks face potential elimination in each of their remaining games moving forward, the Sharks must end the year strong if they plan to represent the Eastern Conference in the 2024 IFL Playoffs.
Continuing the Saturday action, the Tulsa Oilers (5-8) faced off against the Iowa Barnstormers (4-8) in an Eastern Conference battle. Both teams came into this week looking to help their chances of making the 2024 IFL Playoffs, and with a 54-48 victory on Saturday, the Tulsa Oilers gave themselves a boost in the conference standings.
Following their win last week, the Oilers continued their late-season surge with a win on Saturday night. Quarterback Andre Sale was nearly perfect in this contest, completing 20/24 passes for 167 yards and four touchdowns, adding a pair of touchdowns on the ground. Jarrod Ware added to the score, rushing nine times for 52 yards and the final touchdown for Tulsa. Defensively, the Tulsa secondary was making it hard for Iowa, coming down with four interceptions, two coming from Taylor Hawkins. Jonathan Nance also came away with an interception, returning it 49 yards for an Oilers touchdown.
In front of their home crowd on Saturday, mistakes cost the Barnstormers. Offensively, quarterback Daniel Smith completed 18/24 passes for 193 yards and five touchdowns. On the ground, Rob Washington found the end zone for the only rushing score for Iowa. While they lost the turnover battle in this game, the Barnstormers ended the game with an interception and a fumble recovery defensively. With this loss, Iowa drops to the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference as they attempt to bounce back next week with a win against the Arizona Rattlers.
In another Eastern Conference battle, the Green Bay Blizzard (10-2) were upset by the Quad City Steamwheelers (5-6) on Saturday night. Following this win, the Blizzard remain in first place, while the Steamwheelers currently hold the fourth and final spot in the playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
Following a tough loss to Iowa last week, the Steamwheelers gave their home crowd a show. Coming into this game as double-digit underdogs, the Steamwheelers came away with their second upset victory in three weeks. Judd Erickson finished the night 11/20 for 134 yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, Edward Vander was the sole rushing scorer of the game, rushing six times for 18 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Quad City kept Green Bay's passing offense out of the end zone, ending the night without allowing a single passing touchdown. As the Steamwheelers sit in fourth place of the Eastern Conference, they look to win another important game next week, as they take on the Massachusetts Pirates, who sit just one spot ahead of them in the standings.
After clinching a playoff spot last week, the new goal for Green Bay is to secure home-field advantage in the playoffs. However, this Eastern Conference loss shortens the gap between them and the Fighters, who could overtake Green Bay next week if they play their cards right. Against Quad City, Green Bay couldn't get their passing offense into the end zone. Max Meylor ended the game 21/34 for 227 yards but couldn't get a passing touchdown. Meylor did find the end zone on one of his nine carries for 38 yards. EJ Burgess and Jalyn Cagle also rushed for a touchdown, as those three rushing touchdowns would be the only touchdowns of the night for Green Bay. Andrew Mevis hit two field goals, but overall, the Blizzard's lack of scoring through the air came up big in this loss. After their six-game losing streak was broken this week, Green Bay heads to the BOK Center to take on the Tulsa Oilers, who fight for a playoff spot in this matchup.
In a battle of Western Conference foes, the Bay Area Panthers (10-2) faced off against the Duke City Gladiators (1-10). Bay Area was able to come away with the victory. Bay Area has yet to clinch a playoff berth, but with a win next week, a playoff berth is potentially on the horizon for the Panthers.
While it was a close matchup, the rushing attack from Bay Area was too much for Duke City to handle. Quarterback Daquan Neal led the charge offensively, completing 14/20 passes for 118 yards, adding 85 yards and five rushing touchdowns on the ground. Defensively, Bay Area surrendered three straight touchdown drives in the first half but cleaned things up in the second half, allowing just one touchdown for the remainder of the game.
The Gladiators led in the first half by 10 points, but their one-score second half made for an uphill battle to victory. Quarterback Hasan Rogers was 9/18 for 82 yards and three touchdown passes, leading the offense in rushing with 47 yards. Duke City now looks to end its season with momentum going into next year, as playoff contention is no longer in their cards.
In the evening slate on Saturday, the Sioux Falls Storm (3-9) faced off against the Frisco Fighters (10-3) in an attempt to climb up the Eastern Conference standings with an upset. However, Frisco's strong fourth-quarter performance helped clinch a spot in the 2024 IFL Playoffs.
With this win, the Frisco Fighters join Green Bay as the only two teams to clinch playoff berths thus far, with two spots remaining in the Eastern Conference and all four spots in the West. TJ Edwards had a strong night against the Storm, completing 10/12 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown pass, tacking on 104 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. The Fighters were a force on the ground, with Martez Carter adding a pair of touchdowns along with Justin Rankin. Defensively, Tyrell Pearson stole the show, hauling in three of Frisco's four interceptions, with Ethan Caselberry bringing in the fourth. Facing off against San Antonio next week, the Fighters could clinch a home playoff game with a win.
Sioux Falls sits in the seventh spot in the conference, making the remaining games of this season a must-win. Lorenzo Brown Jr. finished the night 14/23 for 119 yards and two touchdown passes, adding 24 yards and a touchdown on the ground. On defense, the Storm came away with two turnovers of their own, both by Kendricks Gladney Jr. The Storm look to finish the season with four straight wins, hoping that's enough to punch their tickets to the playoffs.
Continuing Saturday's full slate of action, the Arizona Rattlers (8-5) took on the Vegas Knight Hawks (9-3) in a crucial game for the conference standings. Following the Knight Hawks' victory, Vegas holds the number two spot in the league, while Arizona dropped down to the fifth spot, sitting just outside of the playoff bubble.
Against a strong opponent in the Rattlers, Ja'Rome Johnson showcased his abilities as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the league. Johnson completed 11/15 passes for 176 yards and four touchdown passes. He also led the team in rushing with 79 yards and four rushing touchdowns, bringing him to eight touchdowns on the night. Defensively, the Knight Hawks came away with two interceptions, tying the Fighters for second in the league in interceptions (16).
This week, the Arizona Rattlers dropped an important game, considering their playoff chances. They're just one spot behind the playoff bubble, as they trail two eight-win teams heading into next week. In this week's loss to the Knight Hawks, Dalton Sneed had a strong performance through the air. Sneed completed 19/31 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns. Spearheading the rushing attack, Shannon Brooks took 10 carries for 43 yards and four touchdowns, now leading running backs in touchdowns this season (21). For the Rattlers' defensive unit, they also brought in two interceptions, bringing them to 11 on the season. The Rattlers play two of their last three games at home, taking on the Iowa Barnstormers next week in a must-win for Arizona at the Desert Diamond Arena.
In the closest matchup on Saturday, the San Diego Strike Force (8-5) came up victorious against the Tucson Sugar Skulls (2-10). San Diego now sits in the fourth spot in the Western Conference, making them playoff-eligible at the moment.
Coming into this week off a win against Bay Area the week before, the Strike Force came away with their second one-point victory in two weeks. Quarterback Nate Davis had a strong night, completing 15/30 passes for nearly 200 yards and five touchdowns. On the ground, Rudy Johnson rushed for the winning touchdown, recording the only rushing touchdown of the night. As the top defensive secondary in the league, San Diego extended their lead, hauling in three interceptions this week, bringing their total to 22 interceptions on the year. The Strike Force hit the road next week for a crucial matchup against the Northern Arizona Wranglers.
Heading into this week on a four-game losing streak, the Sugar Skulls dropped their fifth game in a row. While it's a hard loss to swallow, the Sugar Skulls had their best offensive performance since Week 11. Quarterback Kenyatta was 10/19 for 105 yards and a touchdown pass, adding 65 yards and a rushing touchdown to his stats. Devonte Sapp-Lynch was the team's leading scorer on the ground, rushing five times for 19 yards and two touchdowns. Adding to the scoreboard, Mike Carrigan returned his first kickoff for a touchdown following a 50-yard return in the opening quarter. While the Sugar Skulls can't play for the playoffs this season, their preparation for next season begins as they look to finish the year off strong.
Wrapping up Week 15, the San Antonio Gunslingers (6-6) faced off against the Northern Arizona Wranglers (8-4) in a Western Conference battle. This was the highest-scoring battle of the week, nearing 150 combined points. Northern Arizona won with a 23-yard rushing touchdown with 37 seconds left, handing the Gunslingers their sixth loss of the season.
In the highest-scoring game of the season, Northern Arizona kept up with the high-scoring Gunslingers, remaining in the 2024 IFL Playoff picture. Joshua Jones played exceptionally well on Sunday, completing 19/25 passes for 222 yards and six touchdown passes. Jones also led the team in rushing, totaling 96 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Outside of Joshua Jones' eight-touchdown night, Shamar Moreland hauled in an interception, returning it 29 yards for a Wranglers touchdown. This would remain the only turnover of the game, as both offensive units were finding points with ease. Northern Arizona returns to action next week against the Strike Force, making for another high-scoring affair between two teams battling for playoff positioning.
Currently, the Gunslingers sit in sixth place, making a playoff berth by them still attainable. In this matchup, the Gunslingers revolved less around the pass and more around the run. The Gunslingers were able to get into the end zone more frequently using their rushing attack, as Castronova finished with just two touchdown passes. Castronova would end the night 14/25 for 201 yards and two touchdown passes, a lighter night for the league-leading passer. However, Castronova would also add 37 yards and three touchdown rushes, bringing his total to five touchdowns on Sunday. Leading San Antonio's rushing attack, Keyshawn Harper took nine carries for 58 yards and four touchdowns. Defensively, the Gunslingers came up with just one non-touchdown drive all game. Of the Wranglers' 11 drives, San Antonio allowed a touchdown on 10 of them. While the Gunslingers' offense can outscore most of their opponents, they couldn't get it done this week. San Antonio returns to the field next week, taking on the Frisco Fighters in a big matchup for both sides.
Week 16 features an eight-game slate, with seven games scheduled for Saturday and one on Monday night. The action kicks off Saturday at 6:05 p.m. CT as the Frisco Fighters face off against the San Antonio Gunslingers at the Freeman Coliseum. Be sure to catch all eight games streamed live on the IFL YouTube Channel.
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