Steamwheelers Storm Iowa's Barn and Come out with a Win
April 7, 2025 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release
The first iteration of the Battle of I-80 of the 2025 season between the Quad City Steamwheelers and the Iowa Barnstormers certainly did not disappoint on Saturday. The sQUAD rolled into Iowa and handed the Barnstormers a loss in their home opener. Despite the 52-38 score, the game featured so much defense for being an offensive showcase.
On the game's first play, Iowa quarterback Joaquin Collazo III set the tone early when he found receiver Keshaun Taylor streaking down the field for a 37-yard touchdown to give Iowa the early 7-0 lead. Quad City didn't start guns blazing like Iowa, however. After a snap went over quarterback Daquan Neal's head, he was forced to throw up a prayer. Miraculously, the prayer was answered when Davion Johnson caught the pass 19 yards down the field to move the chains. Jarrod Ware Jr ran the ball in from 11 yards out to tie the game, his first touchdown of the season, at 7-7.
With their next drive starting at their five-yard line, Collazo III threw an interception to Wheelers' defensive back Camron Harrell, which was run back inside the five-yard line. This would be Collazo III's first interception, a problem that would repeatedly hurt the Barnstormers throughout the game. With good field position, Ware ran it in for six and Kaplan's point after extended the lead to 14-7. On the following drive, Collazo III's pass was tipped and intercepted by linebacker Bubba Arslanian on a fourth down.
After a missed Kaplan field goal, the Barnstormers drove down the field, but their turnover woes continued when Collazo III's pass was tipped and intercepted yet again by Camron Harrell. Despite Quad City turning it over on downs, the defense once again clamped down when, on third down, Trey Smith intercepted Collazo III's pass in the end zone. This marked the fourth straight drive that Collazo III threw an interception.
The Wheelers' offense finally converted on the Iowa turnover when receiver Keyvan Rudd caught Neal's pass and ran it down to the six-yard line. Neal then found Davion Johnson in the back of the end zone for the seven-yard touchdown to extend the Quad City lead to 21-7. With time winding down before halftime, Iowa fought back and drove down to the seven-yard line, where they settled for a field goal to cut the score to 21-10 at halftime.
Straight out of halftime, the Wheelers' offense picked up where they left off and drove down the field to the eight-yard line, where Neal called his number and ran in for the touchdown to extend the lead to 28-10. Iowa started to move the ball down the field, and in the red zone, Collazo III found a new target in Khaleb Hood for the touchdown to jumpstart a series of back-and-forth scoring for both teams. Iowa did not convert on the two-point conversion; the score sat at 28-16.
Quad City's next drive featured a Neal pass to Jordan Vesey, who ran down to the five-yard line, where Ware ran it in for his third touchdown to make it 35-16. Despite not being known for his ability to run, Collazo III ran it 30 yards untouched on the first play of their drive to once again cut it to a 12-point game. After a missed field goal, Iowa had a chance to cut the deficit further, but Chris Chukwuneke intercepted Collazo III's pass at the Wheelers' four-yard line. Neal remained calm and collected after a false start and showed off his legs on a 48-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 42-23.
The Barnstormers renewed the Collazo III-Hood connection on the next drive with an eight-yard touchdown pass to cut it to 42-30. Following a turnover and downs by both teams, Neal found Rudd in the end zone for a beautiful sliding catch for a touchdown to extend the Quad City lead to 49-30. Iowa would respond with another Taylor touchdown from Collazo III, but the Steamwheelers would hold on to the 52-38 win, after a Kaplan field goal with little time remaining.
Daquan Neal continues his stellar season, throwing for 123 yards, two touchdowns, and, most importantly, zero interceptions while also rushing for 88 yards and two touchdowns. Jarrod Ware Jr. made his presence known on the offense, rushing for 38 yards and three touchdowns. Kevan Rudd caught three passes for 41 yards and added a touchdown, while Davion Johnson caught two passes for 26 yards and a touchdown. The Steamwheeler defense forced five interceptions: two by Camron Harrell, one by Trey Smith, one by Chris Chukwuneke and one by Bubba Arslanian.
The sQUAD move to 3-0 and continue to sit atop the Eastern Conference of the IFL as the only 3-0 team. Next week, the Wheelers will return home to face off against the Iowa Barnstormers for the second of the three matchups between the two rivals this season on Saturday, April 12, at 7:05 pm.
• Discuss this story on the Indoor Football League message board...
Indoor Football League Stories from April 7, 2025
- Vegas Knight Hawks Fall to the Jacksonville Sharks on the Road - Vegas Knight Hawks
- Hometown Hero - Greg Haemker - Green Bay Blizzard
- Vegas Knight Hawks Announce Plans for Opening Knight - Vegas Knight Hawks
- Steamwheelers Storm Iowa's Barn and Come out with a Win - Quad City Steamwheelers
- Kids Night - Game on What You Need to Know - Green Bay Blizzard
- Sharks Take Down Knight Hawks in Home Opener - Jacksonville Sharks
- Rattlers Stun Blizzard in Final Seconds Thriller, 51-47 - Arizona Rattlers
- Panthers Shut Down Strike Force in 41-18 Win - Bay Area Panthers
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.
