IFL Bay Area Panthers

Rematch in the Desert

May 25, 2023 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Bay Area Panthers News Release


The Panthers head to Tucson with the mission of a series split and the belief they are a better team than the one that lost to the Sugar Skulls on April 16.

Bay Area is 4-1 since the loss to Tucson and share the Western Conference lead with Northern Arizona at 5-3.

The Panthers were in control of the first matchup, leading 16-0 late in the second quarter and on the verge of adding on when Kevin Goessling lined up for a short field goal. The Sugar Skulls turned the game around with a blocked kick and converted on a Ramon Atkins 6-yard run to close to within 16-7 at halftime.

Tucson scored on the first possession of the third quarter on a Mike Jones 2-yard run and the Panthers sputtered on offense-outscored 14-0 in the period. Defensively, there was no answer for wide receiver Carrington Thompson who ended the night with three touchdown passes, including a backbreaking 33-yard catch on 4th and 7 late in the fourth to ice the game.

In the four wins since, the Panthers have scored at least 47 points and twice setting a franchise standard with 62, most recently in the win over Frisco.

After winning three straight road games to start the season, Tucson dropped three straight before making a course correction in a win over Sioux Falls. Workhorse running back Mike Jones had started 43 of the previous 44 games before sitting out the win over the Storm.

Bay Area will take the field ranked fifth in scoring at 48.5 points per game with Tucson ninth at 41.9 per contest. The Panthers allow 42.1 points per game and the Sugar Skulls are third at 38.9 after making huge strides on that side of the ball. The game showcases the Panthers top-ranked offensive efficiency squad against the second-ranked defensive efficiency team in Tucson. The top-ranked defensive team is Frisco, shredded for 62 points last week by the Panthers.

Panthers' running back Justin Rankin leads all IFL backs in rushing scores with 15 and is second among running backs in yards per game. Mike Jones of Tucson has been a constant until missing last week and has 12 rushing scores while averaging just 2.9 yards a carry, lowest among the top 20 rushers in the league.

Dalton Sneed is second in the IFL in touchdown passes behind EJ Hilliard of Quad City and has the second fewest interceptions of any quarterback who has played in more than four games. Ramon Atkins of Tucson matches Sneed completing 65 percent of his passes. Atkins has 19 TDs on the year and nine picks after throwing 10 interceptions all of last season.

Atkins' favorite target is Thompson whose 44 catches are four times more than the next closest receiver on the roster. Thompson has 14 TD catches on the season-tied with Bay Area's JT Stokes for the league lead.

Heading into the weekend, five teams are separated by one game and the game in Tucson is big for many reasons for the Panthers. To make a playoff push, Bay Area has to win on the road with only one home game until July 10.



Indoor Football League Stories from May 25, 2023


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