Panthers Disarm Gunslingers in Lone-Star Rout

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IFL Bay Area Panthers

Panthers Disarm Gunslingers in Lone-Star Rout

May 25, 2025 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Bay Area Panthers News Release


The Bay Area Panthers traveled to Freeman Coliseum for a Saturday-evening Western Conference romp at the San Antonio Gunslingers. On Star Wars night in Texas, Bay Area won the coin toss-deferring its selection to the second half.

As fast as the Panthers' Week 9 victory over the Tucson Sugar Skulls started, the game in "Alamo City" was played in stark contrast. Still, that didn't stop the Panthers from eventually running away with a 55-26 win versus the Gunslingers in Week 10.

For reference, Bay Area had just one offensive possession in the game's first quarter, which ultimately resulted in a short touchdown run by Panthers receiver Josh Tomas. Prior to that, Bay Area's defense played efficiently, holding the Gunslingers to an opening-drive field goal.

Early on, San Antonio seemingly had no answer for their opponent's offense. That theme continued throughout the game's entirety, as the Panthers scored touchdowns on every offensive drive of the night except two.

The dominance started with Bay Area's offensive line, which handled the Gunslingers' defensive front for the majority of the first half. The Panthers ran the ball at will, posting 122 rushing yards through the first two quarters at Freeman Coliseum. The most important run came for Bay Area on a fourth down near the Gunslingers' goal line, leading Panthers quarterback Josh Jones to burst through the middle for a three-yard score.

The defensive side of the ball showed tenacious pursuit when corralling San Antonio tailback Keyshawn Harper. Gunslingers quarterback Joaquin Collazo III was also harassed often, especially by the likes of Panthers defensive linemen Jonathan Ross and Morris Joseph Jr. From there, cornerback Trae Meadows did a solid job in the secondary, contributing multiple key plays on the evening.

Bay Area also found success through the air on Saturday. Panthers quarterback Jones-the 2024 IFL Offensive Rookie of the Year-was dialed in, completing each of his first six passes. One of his best throws was a 19-yard strike to Tomas for his initial passing touchdown of the night.

Jones closed the opening half by converting 8 of 10 attempts, including a three-yard dart to Bay Area wide receiver Trevon Alexander for a touchdown to close the second quarter; that put the Panthers up 27-19 at the half.

Jones would go on to connect with Alexander for two additional scores before Saturday's contest was over-Alexander completed the game with five catches for 99 yards and three touchdowns, which included an incredible 25-yard TD reception with 11 minutes left to play.

Despite the Gunslingers scoring on back-to-back drives out of the gate for the first time all season, Bay Area's defense stayed resilient and stole the show in the second half. In total, the Panthers forced four turnovers over the final two quarters.

Defensive lineman Ross started the takeaway party by intercepting Collazo near the line of scrimmage. Later, Panthers linebacker BJ Taufalele and cornerback Meadows each forced a fumble. Bay Area recovered both, as defensive back Tyrese Wright and defensive lineman Franky West Jr. were timely to the football.

For a dagger moment, Taufalele intercepted Collazo on a pass attempt over the middle with only a couple minutes remaining on the game clock. That allowed Bay Area to rest starting-quarterback Jones-who completed 11 of 19 attempts to go along four touchdown passes on Saturday-near the end, as backup signal-caller Liam Thompson finished the game. Incidentally, Thompson rushed for a touchdown, marking the inaugural score of his Indoor Football League career.

The Panthers' lopsided victory in the Texas Triangle-their sixth consecutive game scoring at least 48 points-improves the team record to 6-2. Conversely, the defense also regained form by holding Collazo to a 9-for-20 night through-the-air, forcing two interceptions. The collective effort helped Bay Area (who moved up to No. 2 on the IFL Coaches Poll last Tuesday) notch back-to-back victories with a Week 11 bye on the horizon.

Following an idle week, the Panthers will return to San Jose's SAP Center on Saturday, June 7 for a home game against the Tulsa Oilers. Kickoff is set for 6:05 PM PT, and fans can stream the game live through a subscription with the IFL Network or tune in to the radio broadcast on KNBR 1050.

Tickets for Bay Area's upcoming matchup with the Oilers-including single-game, season, group, and suite experiences-are available now through Ticketmaster.



Indoor Football League Stories from May 25, 2025


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