IFL Week 19 Recap
July 24, 2024 - Indoor Football League (IFL) News Release
Following the conclusion of Week 19, the 2024 IFL regular season has come to a close. Heading into the playoffs, the Green Bay Blizzard top the Eastern Conference followed by Frisco (2), Massachusetts (3), and Quad City (4). In the Western Conference, the Bay Area Panthers rank first, followed by Vegas (2), Arizona (3), and San Diego (4). With playoff implications throughout the weekend, Week 19 was full of action, putting a bow on the 2024 IFL regular season.
Kicking off the final week of the regular season, Friday's only game was between the Massachusetts Pirates (8-8) and the Tulsa Oilers (6-10). Heading into the week, the Pirates needed either a win or a Quad City loss to secure the No. 3 seed in the East, but Massachusetts had to wait for Saturday evening to see their playoff fate. Tulsa was closing out their season at home, and they treated their home crowd with a win, defeating the Pirates 44-24.
Without having a ticket to the playoffs this postseason, the Tulsa Oilers had one game remaining in front of their home crowd, and they didn't disappoint. Quarterback Andre Sale was phenomenal on Friday night, completing 20/31 passes for 191 yards and six touchdowns. The Oilers' rushing attack was locked up on Friday by the Pirates' defense, rushing for just 11 yards on the night. Defensively, Taylor Hawkins was responsible for this game's only turnover, hauling in an interception in the second quarter.
The Pirates held the tiebreaker against Quad City, so since both teams lost this week, Massachusetts heads into the playoffs as the No. 3 seed. In Tulsa, the Pirates couldn't find the end zone through the air. Between Alejandro Bennifield and Connor Degenardt, Massachusetts threw for 144 yards on 18/31 passing. On the ground, Degenhardt found the end zone twice, rushing for just 16 yards, while Jimmie Robinson found the end zone once. The Pirates enter the IFL Playoffs coming off back-to-back losses. Their first matchup is against the Frisco Fighters, kicking off on Saturday, July 27, at 6:05 p.m. CT.
Week 19's Saturday slate began with the Arizona Rattlers (11-5) traveling to the Freeman Coliseum to face off against the San Antonio Gunslingers (8-8). The Rattlers clinched third place in the Eastern Conference following their 41-34 victory over the Gunslingers.
In a battle with the Gunslingers, Arizona used a strong run game to beat San Antonio with three touchdowns from Shannon Brooks and two from Dalton Sneed. Through the air, Sneed was held in check, completing 11/17 passes for 83 yards and a touchdown. Davontae Merriweather brought in the team's only turnover, intercepting Sam Castronova in the first quarter. With this victory for Arizona, they clinched third place in the Western Conference. They are set to begin the playoffs in Vegas taking on the Knight Hawks at 9:05 p.m. CT on Saturday, July 27.
On the opposing side, the Gunslingers' offense wasn't as potent as we've seen in 2024, totaling just 181 yards on the day. Sam Castronova completed 11/26 passes for 144 yards and three touchdowns, adding one touchdown on the ground. Aside from Castronova's 23 rushing yards, no one else on San Antonio's offense rushed for more than 10 yards. Defensively, Svante Davenport led the team in tackles (8.5), coming away with the team's only turnover. Davenport intercepted Dalton Sneed on the first drive of the game, claiming back-to-back games with an interception.
Continuing the Saturday action, the Quad City Steamwheelers (8-8) faced off against the Jacksonville Sharks (5-11) in an Eastern Conference matchup. While Massachusetts lost their matchup with the Oilers, there was an opportunity for Quad City to clinch third place in the East, but Jacksonville had other plans. With this game tied at 37 as time expired, Tyler King was the hero for Jacksonville, returning a missed field goal 58 yards for the game-winning touchdown. In front of their home crowd on Saturday evening, the Sharks ended their season winning three of their last four games.
In their fourth game with quarterback Kaleb Barker, the Jacksonville Sharks finished their season strong while also playing spoiler for Quad City. Barker finished the game 12/21 for 101 yards and two touchdowns, adding a touchdown on the ground. On defense, Harrison Poole brought in Jacksonville's only turnover, intercepting a pass from Mike Irwin to start the second half. However, the star of the show was Tyler King, rushing 12 times for 58 yards and a touchdown, adding a game-winning 58-yard field goal return for a touchdown as time expired.
The Steamwheelers featured both Judd Erickson and Mike Irwin, as the two quarterbacks combined for 11/20 for 205 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, Edward Vander led the backfield with eight rushes for 37 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, Quad City won the turnover battle with two interceptions, with Brian Hughes and Malik Duncan hauling in one each. Following this loss, Quad City remained at No. 4 in the Eastern Conference, closing out the playoff teams from the East.
In a battle between the Green Bay Blizzard (13-3) and Sioux Falls Storm (3-13) on Saturday, the Blizzard defeated Sioux Falls, securing first place in the Eastern Conference heading into the 2024 IFL playoffs. Green Bay took a lead early and never gave it back, beating the Storm 51-30.
With this win, the Blizzard clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference heading into the postseason. In this performance, all phases of the football played well for Green Bay, leading to a convincing win in their last game of the regular season. On offense, Max Meylor was nearly perfect, completing 23/28 passes for 265 yards and five touchdowns, using his legs for an additional two scores. Defensively, Ravarius Rivers secured his eighth interception of the season, tying Bryce Hampton for first across the league. The Blizzard also held Sioux Falls to just four scoring drives through 10 drives, remaining one of the top defensive units through the regular season.
Sioux Falls' air attack was held in check for most of the night, as Jiya Wright completed 7/15 passes for 72 yards and a pair of touchdowns. However, Wright was more effective with his legs, rushing 20 times for 90 yards and a touchdown, leading the Storm on the ground. Defensively, Jaylon Abdul-Karim fell on Sioux Falls' only turnover, recovering a fumble in the third quarter.
This week, the Iowa Barnstormers (5-11) faced off against the Frisco Fighters (13-3), as Frisco clinched the second spot in the conference following their victory. It was a slow start for the Fighters, but with a second-half surge, Frisco came out on top 59-47.
After the first quarter in this matchup, the Frisco Fighters faced a 14-5 deficit, looking like the Barnstormers could upset them at home to close the season. However, after a back-and-forth second quarter, the Fighters marched into halftime leading 32-26. The second half was contentious, but when the final whistle blew, TJ Edwards and the Fighters' offense was too much for the Barnstormers to stop. Edwards finished the night 11/17 for 147 yards and three passing touchdowns, rushing for an additional 54 yards and four touchdowns. On defense, Ethan Caselberry was the shining star for Frisco, hauling in two interceptions. As the No. 2 seed, the Fighters take on Massachusetts next week in the first round of the playoffs.
Offensively, Iowa's passing attack was on fire. Brandon Alt finished the night 16/28 for 264 points and six touchdowns. Defensively, the Barnstormers failed to record a turnover, allowing nine scoring drives.
The Bay Area Panthers (13-3) took on the San Diego Strike Force (10-6) in a battle where only San Diego could move up with a win. Bay Area had already clinched the No. 1 seed in the conference. That didn't matter to Bay Area as they claimed their 13th win of the season, defeating San Diego in the final week of the season.
To both keep key players healthy and avoid showing their potential next opponent the postseason gameplan, Bay Area's offense featured a mostly different crew against San Diego. At quarterback, Felix Harper ended the night 11/15 for 84 yards and a touchdown, adding a touchdown on the ground. However, instead of Shane Simpson leading the backfield, Benjamin Jones led the team in rushing, taking 16 carries for 52 yards and a pair of touchdowns. On defense, Joe Foucha continued his strong season, intercepting a pass late in the third quarter. As the No. 1 seed, Bay Area hosts the Strike Force next week in the first round of the playoffs, facing off for the fifth time this season.
Needing a win this week to secure the No. 2 seed in the final game of the regular season, the Strike Force fell short. San Diego heads into their first postseason in franchise history, placing fourth in the Western Conference. This week, Nate Davis didn't start, as San Diego was in the playoffs regardless of a win or loss. Keeping Davis rested and healthy, San Diego had a two-quarterback rotation of Darius-James Peterson and Rudy Johnson, while Peterson was the primary passer of the night. The former Barnstormers quarterback completed 6/18 passes for 79 yards and a touchdown, adding a pair of touchdowns on the ground as well. Being added to the offense two days before this game, the Strike Force got a strong performance from the new quarterback, responsible for all three touchdowns for San Diego this week. Defensively, Elijah Belle stood out, bringing in his third interception in two games.
Wrapping up Saturday's action, the Tucson Sugar Skulls (2-14) faced off against the Vegas Knight Hawks (11-5). The last time these teams met, Tucson upset the Knight Hawks in overtime, and with Vegas needing a win this week to secure second place in the Western Conference, they made sure a repeat of Week 10 didn't happen. Behind another impressive performance by Ja'Rome Johnson, the Knight Hawks defeated Tucson, securing the No. 2 seed in the West.
The Knight Hawks took a lead early and never took their foot off the gas. On offense, Ja'Rome Johnson led Vegas to a 49-point performance as Johnson was responsible for all seven touchdowns on Saturday night. Johnson completed 10/14 passes for 180 yards and five touchdown passes, rushing for 51 yards and adding two more touchdowns. Defensively, Vegas was all over Tucson, forcing three turnovers on the night. Malik Hausman and Darius Williams both brought in an interception each, while Maurice Jackson recovered the game's only fumble. Heading into the playoffs as the No. 2 seed, the Vegas Knight Hawks host the Arizona Rattlers in the first round.
Vincent Espinoza led Tucson's offense, completing 10/21 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown, adding 34 yards on the ground. Devonte Sapp-Lynch led the Sugar Skulls' rushing attack, carrying the ball 10 times for 61 yards and a touchdown. Sapp-Lynch also ended the night as the leading receiver, catching six passes for 48 yards and a touchdown. While their defense lost the turnover battle this week, Ahmad Lyons came away with an interception for the Sugar Skulls, tallying their only turnover of the night.
Wrapping up the regular season, the Northern Arizona Wranglers (9-7) faced the Duke City Gladiators (3-13) in what would end up being the highest-scoring game of the week. After the first quarter, both teams were tied at 16 points each. However, in the following three quarters, Duke City went on a 53-32 run, defeating Northern Arizona and giving Gladiators fans one last win to enjoy at the Rio Rancho Events Center this season.
For Duke City, Javin Kilgo completed 14/24 passes for 151 yards and four touchdown passes, adding a touchdown rush to his performance. Devanaire Conliffe led the team in rushing, carrying the ball seven times for 60 yards and a touchdown score. Gregory Dent and Craig Holmes hauled in the two interceptions by Duke City, coming up big defensively this week. However, the most impressive performance didn't come from Duke City's offense or defense. In the best performance by a kicker this season, Ernesto Lacayo was a force on Sunday evening. Lacayo finished the night making two field goals, going a perfect 7/7 on PATs, and nailing a record six deuces. Of the Gladiators' 69 points, Ernesto Lacayo was responsible for 25, scoring nearly half of Duke City's points. In their final game of the season, Duke City treated their fans to their best game of the year.
Coming into this game, the Wranglers' chances of making the playoffs were gone, making this Northern Arizona's final game of the season, regardless of the outcome. With Arizona's win over the Gunslingers the day before, Northern Arizona was officially eliminated from playoff contention. In their final matchup of the season, Joshua Jones and Dillon Sterling-Cole completed a combined 20/37 passes for 287 yards and six passing touchdowns. However, on the ground, Northern Arizona couldn't get the ball into the end zone, totaling 34 yards and no scores across the entire team. On defense, Travion Banks secured the Wranglers' sole turnover, intercepting a pass from Javin Kilgo with just over three minutes left in this matchup. While their comeback attempt was strong, the Northern Arizona Wranglers came up short, ending their season with a loss to Duke City.
As the regular season concludes, the playoff stage is officially set. Each conference is ready, filling out their four-team playoff roster. Only one team can win the 2024 IFL National Championship as eight teams battle it out over the next few weeks. The 2024 IFL playoffs begin on Friday, July 26, as the Quad City Steamwheelers visit the Resch Center to face off against the Green Bay Blizzard.
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