Strike Force Fall to Rattlers 47-46
June 12, 2024 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
San Diego Strike Force News Release
San Diego Strike Force battle the Arizona Rattlers
(San Diego Strike Force)
SAN DIEGO, CA- The Strike Force again came out on the wrong side of some late game drama, falling to the Arizona Rattlers 47-46 at Pechanga Arena on Saturday night.
The home team played well for most of the night. Unfortunately, mistakes ended up being the difference in the contest.
San Diego had the lead heading into the final quarter after a 29-yard field goal by Connor Mangan put them up 38-37 late in the third.
Arizona took the lead early in the fourth with a field goal before the Strike Force pulled ahead again after QB Nate Davis found wideout Arthur Jackson III for a 3-yard touchdown pass.
The home side was up six with just under 10 minutes to go.
Later, a missed kick left the door open for the Rattlers with just under two minutes to go.
Arizona would walk right through that open door.
Rattler QB Dalton Sneed marched his team down the field and found WR Isiah Houston for a touchdown with 16 seconds to go.
San Diego set up a game winning opportunity that would sail wide right as time expired.
STRONG SECONDARY
The IFL's best secondary continued its dominance on Saturday. San Diego picked off Rattlers QB Dalton Sneed three times, forced a fumble, and turned the ball over on downs once. The unit's now 18 interceptions on the year are the most IFL.
LILLY IN FULL BLOOM
WR Elijah Lilly had his third straight game with a kickoff return touchdown. His four kick return touchdowns on the season lead the IFL. Tonight's rendition was a 49-yard house call that brought the Strike Force within two in the middle of the third quarter. Lilly also added a receiving touchdown to go along with 4 receptions for 41 yards.
THANK YOU TEACHERS
Saturday the Strike Force celebrated Teacher Appreciation Night. San Diego County's Teachers of the Year Peter Manzi, Maria Miller, Jennifer Ek-Steen and Mackenzie Levine took part in the coin toss as the Strike Force welcomed in the largest home crowd of the season to Pechanga Arena.
THEY SAID IT
"We can't turn the ball over, that is what it comes down to. Offense has got to step our game up."
QB Nate Davis on what went wrong vs Arizona and how the team must improve down the stretch in the playoff race.
"We didn't get rattled which I'm happy about but we've got to get better and take care of the football. We are playing very well, it is just individual plays that are killing us."
Head Coach Taylor Genuser on his takeaways from the game and his team's current struggles.
"They did a great job. The biggest thing you want with DBs is you need them to be able to cover and you need them to be able to tackle and they do a good job of that. I'm pretty pleased with our secondary."
Genuser on his defensive unit this season.
"It's super-fast paced and exciting. I think [the IFL] is great as a teacher. Students love to play sports and many athletes obviously want to make the NFL but this is a great in between where they could still play football after their education."
Morse High School Teacher Maria Miller said of the atmosphere at Strike Force games and the opportunity in the IFL.
NOTABLES
DB Atoa Fox's interception on the game's first play from scrimmage was his fourth of the year, tying him for second most in the league.
Jackson III caught 2 touchdowns on the day, moving him into the IFL lead (16).
Davis' final stat line read 20/29 for 147 yds, 4 TD, 3 INT. Davis leads the league in completions (147), yards (1963) and interceptions (10). He's second in the league in touchdowns (45).
San Diego County Teacher of the Year Jennifer Ek-Steen teaches science at Bonita Vista High School. Bonita Vista is the alma mater of DB Atoa Fox.
The Strike force now hit the road for three straight against Bay Area (June 16), Tucson (June 22) and Northern Arizona (June 29) before they return home to face Vegas on July 6.
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 San Diego Strike Force battle the Arizona Rattlers |
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Indoor Football League Stories from June 12, 2024
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