Turnovers Hamper Panthers in 46-38 Loss at Strike Force
IFL Bay Area Panthers

Turnovers Hamper Panthers in 46-38 Loss at Strike Force

July 8, 2025 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Bay Area Panthers News Release


After a short flight down California's picturesque coast, the Bay Area Panthers arrived for a Monday night matchup with the San Diego Strike Force. No other Indoor Football League contests were in action, which left all eyes on Frontwave Arena.

There were deep passes, booming runs and bruising hits aplenty, but for the most of the evening, Bay Area was forced to play from behind. Despite a valiant effort for the game's entirety, the Panthers fell short in San Diego, 46-38.

The all-Golden State affair commenced with the Strike Force on offense, and right away, San Diego quarterback Nate Davis directed his unit with conviction. The home side used just four plays-the best of which being a deep ball from Davis to receiver Dallas Daniels-to find the end zone.

Initially, Bay Area seemed poised to respond. Panthers quarterback Josh Jones found wideout Tyrese Chambers to put the offense deep in San Diego territory. However, a botched pitch from Jones to running back Josh Tomas fell into the hands of the Strike Force.

San Diego followed up with another touchdown and ultimately held the Panthers scoreless in the opening period. Still, it took only two plays into the second quarter for Bay Area to produce points.

From six-yards out, Jones gave an inside handoff to a sweeping Trevon Alexander who had no issue bursting through the goal line. The rushing touchdown cut the Strike Force's lead in half, 14-7, but the Panthers continued to struggle throughout the first half.

Davis-the 2022 IFL Rookie of the Year and San Diego's longest tenured player-established a groove against the hyper-talented Bay Area defense. The former-Ball State quarterback leaned on Daniels and fellow-receiver John Maldonado. Once on the cusp of the end zone, Davis dialed his own number, using his legs to take a 21-7 lead.

The Panthers featured two additional possessions in the second period, but one was thwarted by an interception from Jones while the other resulted in a turnover on downs. Strike Force kicker Ernesto Lacayo salvaged the latter with a converted field goal, sending the contest to halftime at 24-7.

To begin the third quarter, Lacayo provided a crucial deuce, extending San Diego's lead to 19 points. That seemed to ignite a fire on Bay Area's sideline.

The Panthers had no intention of going away quietly on Monday night. Jones connected with Alexander for three more touchdowns in the second half. Combined with precise kicking from Axel Perez and multiple stops from the Panthers' defense, the score came as close as 40-38. Still, Bay Area never held the advantage in Oceanside.

Defenders like Wes Bowers, Jonathan Ross and Joe Foucha were impressive for the Panthers, doing well to set a physical tone (look for Foucha possibly on SportsCenter's Top 10). However, Davis and the Strike Force offense stayed diligent while converting numerous integral third and fourth downs.

Bay Area's four total turnovers in San Diego proved insurmountable. That brings the Panthers' lifetime record against the Strike Force to 8-4. However, with the win at home, San Diego has officially clinched a playoff spot-a feat the Panthers accomplished last week-and still has a chance at the Western Conference's top seed.

The loss on Monday drops Bay Area to 10-3 in 2025. Immediately moving forward, the IFL franchise from Northern California will need to recover quickly-their next bit of action is only four days away.

The Panthers are returning to San Jose's SAP Center on Friday, July 11 for a contest against the Vegas Knight Hawks, which is the final home game of the 2025 regular season. Tickets for the Week-17 matchup with Vegas-including single-game, season, group, and suite experiences-are available now through Ticketmaster.



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