IFL Bay Area Panthers

Panthers V. Strike Force II

Published on April 27, 2024 under Indoor Football League (IFL)
Bay Area Panthers News Release


If the cliche rings true that familiarity breeds contempt, then the Bay Area Panthers and San Diego Strike Force will be pretty sick of each other before the season ends.

The two tangle Sunday at the Pechanga Sports Arena eight days after the Panthers escaped with a 53-50 win at the SAP Center on Felix Harper's game-winning run with 13 seconds left in the fourth quarter. That matchup will be the second of four meetings this season.

"It's almost like an NBA series with us playing them four times. That was one game down with three more to go," said Bay Area Head Coach Rob Keefe.

Coaching and availability will dictate adjustments for Game 2. Both teams used different personnel in San Jose than who had been playing in the first three games of the season.

The Panthers used a more downhill approach to the running game with Stadford Anderson making his IFL debut, rushing for 71 yards on 20 carries with a pair of scoring runs. Harper gives Bay Area two legitimate options at quarterback with former MVP Daquan Neal to keep defenses off balance. Neal sat out the last game with a thigh contusion. Joshua Tomas earned reps at receiver and came through with three clutch catches down the stretch.

Heading into last week, San Diego was looking for the right combination on the back end after losing defensive back Kishawn Walker to the CFL. But Atoa Fox and former Panther Elijah Belle both snagged spectacular one-handed interceptions of Harper on the first two series. Those plays were offset by two defensive touchdowns for the Panthers: a fumble recovery for a score from Antwon Kincade and Joe Foucha's 10-yard interception return for a score.

Rudy Johnson started at quarterback and scored on a 34-yard run in the first quarter. Davis came on in the second quarter and ended the night wtih four TD passes, three to former Panther Arthur Jackson III. The best pure thrower in the IFL didn't have much time to work with in the closing seconds following Harper's score putting Bay Area up 53-50.

"Nate Davis is too good to leave any time on the clock," said Keefe. "Fortunately for us, we had a great kickoff team to run down there with the ball placed perfectly. We made the tackle inside the 5-yard line. That could have been the play of the game because it negated what could have been a very close field goal."

The Panthers and Vegas are the only undefeated teams in the league at 4-0. The Strike Force is one game back at 3-1.

Kickoff is set for 3:05 from San Diego.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Indoor Football League Stories from April 27, 2024


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.

OurSports Central