Wheelers Sweep Season Series with Iowa, Clinch Home Playoff Game
Published on July 21, 2025 under Indoor Football League (IFL)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release
sQUAD City, get ready to watch playoff football in the Quad Cities! After the Steamwheelers' Saturday night 52-45 win on the road against the Iowa Barnstormers, the Wheelers clinched a home playoff game, which will be the first for the team since joining the Indoor Football League (IFL) in 2018. Despite the Wheelers having a 10-4 record and Iowa having a 1-13 record, the game was a close battle throughout, featuring one of the league's best passing offenses and one of the league's best defenses.
On the game's opening drive, Iowa started the game off hot when quarterback James Cahoon launched it deep for one of the league's premier wide receivers, Quian Williams. Williams and Wheelers' defensive back Camron Harrell both had their hands on the ball, but after a review, they called a touchdown. Things got worse for the Wheelers on fourth and six, when quarterback Daquan Neal's pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown, which gave the Barnstormers the early 14-0 lead.
However, the Wheelers were not daunted, and after a good kick return by Deion McShane to midfield, Neal ended the drive after a few plays by scrambling into the end zone for a touchdown, which cut the lead in half. The Wheelers' defense held firm on the following drive and blocked a field goal, despite having their backs against the wall. Both teams took turns kicking the ball back to each other on stalled drives, but the Steamwheelers finally broke through when Neal ran into the end zone for a touchdown that tied the game at 14.
Iowa settled for a field goal on their possession despite getting into Quad City territory on the kickoff, and the Wheelers took advantage. Their next drive, after a few catches by Keyvan Rudd, Neal again found the end zone on a rush for a touchdown, which gave the Wheelers their first lead at 21-17. However, Iowa regained a 24-21 lead when Cahoon found receiver Demonte Martin for a touchdown with only a minute left. The sQUAD, despite having under a minute, drove down the field and scored with only six seconds left before halftime on another Neal scramble and ensured a Quad City 28-24 lead.
Right out of halftime, the Wheelers came down and scored when Neal scrambled into the end zone on a broken play for a touchdown. The defense held firm once again on the enusing Iowa drive and forced a turnover on downs, but couldn't capitalize and the offense was forced to kick it away. Iowa inched ever so closely on a 46-yard passing touchdown and a duece on the kickoff and were only down 35-33, but the Steamwheelers did not let the momentum affect them. After the drive was extended by a fourth down conversion, Neal found the end zone on, you guessed it, another rush for a touchdown that gave the Wheelers some cushion at 42-33.
The Quad City defense forced another turnover on downs the following Iowa drive, before Jarrod Ware Jr took two rushes for 45 yards and a touchdown. Iowa didn't give up though and Cahoon found Williams again in the end zone for a touchdown, but their two point try was no good. Despite the Wheelers' next drive resulting in a 44-yard Kaplan field goal, the drive took five minutes off of the clock and only left about a minute for Iowa. Iowa scored a touchdown with around 19 seconds left, but did not get the two-point conversion or the onside kick. After Quad City recovered the onside kick and Neal rushed for a gain of one, the time expired and the Wheelers won, 52-45.
Despite only going 7/13 through the air for 63 yards and an interception, quarterback Daquan Neal had a spectacular game on the ground, rushing for 115 yards and a whopping six touchdowns. Jarrod Ware Jr took nine carries for 62 yards and a touchdown, which extended him touchdown streak to seven games now, a streak that extends back to the week 11 win at Tulsa. Keyvan Rudd caught two passes for 17 yards but also carried the ball two times for 25 yards. Tamorrion Terry was the Wheelers' leading receiver with one reception for 24 yards, while Deion McShane caught three passes for 16 yards.
Defensively, Chris Chukwuneke and Brian Lee Jr. were the two leading tacklers, both having four each, while Chukwuneke also had a tackle for loss and two pass breakups. David Cagle only had a pass breakup and two tackles, but one of which was a tackle for loss. Trey Smith and Camron Harrell both had 3.5 tackles, while Smith had two pass breakups and Harrell had three. Both Chima Dunga and KeShaun Moore had a 0.5 tackle for loss as well.
With the win, the sQUAD remain in first place in the Eastern Conference with an 11-4 record and also clinch a home playoff game. It will be the first home IFL playoff game for the Steamwheelers in team history. Next week, the Wheelers will return home to the Quad Cities and will face an Eastern Conference-foe in the Tulsa Oilers for the last game of the regular season on Saturday, July 26 at 7:05 P.M.
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