Wheelers Improve to 2-0 on the Road Versus Massachusetts
March 31, 2025 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release
LOWELL, Mass. - The Quad City Steamwheelers traveled to Lowell, Massachusetts, to take on the Massachusetts Pirates in an Eastern Conference battle. Despite the Pirates' 46-25 Week 1 loss against Jacksonville, they provided a tough challenge for the Steamwheelers. After the final horn sounded, the Wheelers took home a 37-33 win.
On their first drive of the game, the Steamwheelers needed to convert on a fourth down, and their needs were met when quarterback Daquan Neal found running back Jarrod Ware Jr. downfield for the lengthy conversion. However, on second-and-goal from inside the 5, a Ware fumble through the back of the end zone gave the Pirates the football. On the second play of the Pirates' next drive, quarterback Kenji Bahar threw a pass that was tipped, intercepted, and returned 18 yards by linebacker Bubba Arslanian for a Wheelers touchdown.
On the ensuing Massachusetts possession, Bahar converted a key third down on the ground, a theme for the Pirates' offense the whole game. Later in the drive, Bahar ran in from 15 yards out to give the Pirates a 7-6 lead. After a long touchdown was called back for offensive holding, the Steamwheelers kicked the ball down to around the 10-yard line before a penalty moved it forward.
The second quarter started sloppily for both teams. The Pirates' first drive of the quarter ended in a missed field goal, and the following Quad City drive ended on the first play when the Pirates recovered a fumbled screen pass to receiver Keyvan Rudd. Fortunately for Quad City, Massachusetts did not move the ball much, and after a delay of game on third-and-9, a bad snap on the field goal attempt resulted in an unsuccessful kick. Finally, the Wheelers started to move the ball after Neal found Rudd for a huge gain, and Neal kept it himself for a 6-yard touchdown. After the successful two-point conversion, Quad City gained a 14-7 lead.
The Pirates found their bearings on the next drive, converting on a fourth down to go inside the red zone and later scoring a touchdown but missing the point after, making the score 14-13. With only seven seconds left in the half, Neal found Rudd on a quick pass for a good gain, setting up a Kyle Kaplan 37-yard field goal to extend the Wheelers' lead to 17-13.
Straight out of halftime, the Steamwheelers got a quick defensive stop. Still, on their offensive possession, a fourth-down pop pass to receiver Jordan Vesey was fumbled shortly after gaining the first down and was recovered by the Pirates. Later, on a Pirates' fourth down, the Quad City defense stopped them, but an illegal defense penalty gave Massachusetts another shot. With new life, the Pirates converted and scored a touchdown to take a 20-17 lead.
Despite giving up the lead, the Steamwheelers were not daunted. On the kick return, receiver Davion Johnson used his speed to set up good field position with a long return. After a Neal run for a yard, he found Vesey in the back of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown, regaining the lead at 23-20. The Pirates' next drive ended on a failed fourth-down conversion when Bahar's pass was broken up by a fantastic play from defensive back Camron Harrell to give the Steamwheelers the ball.
The Wheelers' offense faced a long fourth down to start the fourth quarter. Despite tight coverage, Neal found Vesey in the back of the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 30-20. The Pirates responded with another Bahar rushing touchdown to make it 30-27 after the PAT. Trying to get the ball back, the Pirates attempted a shorter kick, but Harrell returned it 31 yards and hurdled a defender for a touchdown, extending the Steamwheelers' lead to 37-27.
As time wound down, Bahar ran for a 49-yard touchdown with 16 seconds left, but it was too late. After a missed PAT, the Steamwheelers ran the clock out to secure the 37-33 win. Neal completed 8 of 11 passes for 134 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Rudd caught three passes for 61 yards, while Vesey hauled in two passes for 34 yards and two touchdowns. On the defensive side, Arslanian recorded nine tackles, one tackle for loss, and an interception returned for a touchdown.
This 2-0 start for the Steamwheelers is their first since joining the Indoor Football League in 2019. They sit atop the Eastern Conference and are the only team in the conference with a 2-0 record.
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Indoor Football League Stories from March 31, 2025
- Tom Menas Relieved of Duties as Gunslingers GM and Head Coach - San Antonio Gunslingers
- Rattlers Dominate the Tucson Sugar Skulls in the 2025 Season Opener - Arizona Rattlers
- Wheelers Improve to 2-0 on the Road Versus Massachusetts - Quad City Steamwheelers
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