Post by DiamondThief on Aug 28, 2023 14:50:53 GMT -8
The 2023 IFL Champion Bay Area Panthers. (Photo courtesy Bay Area Panthers)
The Season
Just over a week past the IFL National Championship Game, now is a perfect time to take a look back at the 2023 Indoor Football league Season.
With one swap out, the league remained at 14 teams from 2022 to 2023 and took the field of a regular season schedule of 15 games per team. The Bismarck Bucks went dormant as they work to comply with North Dakota's state worker's comp requirements. They are expected back next season. Taking their place this season were the Tulsa Oilers. I'll touch on the Oilers more in a little bit, but they were a fun and interesting addition to the IFL and even had a chance to play a bit of playoff spoiler in the final week of the regular season.
The 14 teams played a combined 105 regular season games with three byes apiece. While there were a smallish percentage of blowouts, the majority of games were very competitive and came down to the final quarter, if not the final minute. About half of the playoff games went down to the final quarter, with a pair of games being decided by three points or less. Click for our complete 2023 IFL Schedule, which includes boxscore links and recaps to each of the games SCtoC covered this season.
For the sixth straight season, the IFL crowned a different champion when the Bay Area Panthers turned back the Sioux Falls Storm in the IFL National Championship Game (formerly known as the United Bowl). The Panthers became the second team in two seasons to come off a one-win inaugural campaign and claim the league title in their second season (last year's Northern Arizona Wranglers previously accomplished that task). The Panthers were formidable all season long, but turned on the gas at the end of the regular season and into the playoffs to become champions.
This season's IFL featured more parity than, perhaps, the league has ever seen. In the Western Conference, no team had fewer than four losses and none had fewer than five wins. There was only six games separating first place from last place, and all but one team was in the playoff hunt heading into week 17. There was a little more disparity in the Eastern Conference with the Frisco Fighters earning league's top record at 13-2 and the expansion Oilers finishing 2-13. All four of the playoff participants from the conference were determined after week 27, but there was some positioning up for grabs in week 18's season finale slate of games.
Options are out there for league expansion. I've already mentioned the Bucks. Another wild card is the Columbus Wild Dogs. It's been over three years since the team was announced with the intention to make their debut in 2022. That was pushed back to this season, but later pushed back to 2024. It's a valid to question at this point whether the Wild Dogs will ever see the field. Optimistically speaking, it's a great market and it would be wonderful to have another team east of the Mississippi River. With shake ups in Champions Indoor Football and the National Arena League, and the supposed return of the Arena Football League, the IFL is sure to be working on finding new locations to put teams; perhaps more eastern teams to compliment the Massachusetts Pirates.
Stay tuned over the coming weeks as this is the time of year expansion news typically comes. The one thing I will say about the existing 14 teams is that I don't see any of them going anywhere; not at least at this point.
The IFL National Championship
IFL National Championship Game MVP Dalton Sneed (Photo courtesy Bay Area Panthers)
What an interesting match up. Two number two seeds. A new kid on the block versus the most celebrated champion in IFL history. A pair of co-head coaches with championship pedigrees versus the winningest coach in league history. A quarterback of one team who played for the other the previous season. Those were just a few of the storylines surrounding the IFL Championship Game. The Panthers took on the Sioux Falls to crown the 14th champion in league history.
Bay Area advanced to the IFL National Championship with a 46-34 home win over the Tucson Sugar Skulls on July 23. They defeated the defending champion Northern Arizona Wranglers, 61-46, last week in the Western Conference Championship Game at San Jose. This was the Panthers' first-ever trip to the playoffs. Sioux Falls path to the Championship Game consisted pair of comeback wins in the playoffs. The first was a 42-39 home win over the Massachusetts Pirates on July 22. The Storm scored late to defeat the Frisco Fighters 45-44 last week in the Eastern Conference Championship Game at Frisco.
The Panthers jumped out to a 13-0 lead just nine minutes into the game and never let the Storm full catch up. Their lead ranged from six to 14 for most of the contest, though the Storm pulled to within three after a Lorenzo Brown, Jr. touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Dalton Sneed's touchdown toss to JT Stokes, coupled with Marquise Bridge's interception return for touchdown later in the quarter, essentially put the game out of reach.
Sneed, who was named Most Valuable Player of the game, had actually played for the Storm last season before being traded to the Panthers over the offseason. He completed 10 of 11 passes for 106 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, while rushing for 47 yards and three touchdowns. Stokes finished with six catches for 80 yards and two scores. Justin Rankin rushed for 51 yards and a touchdown. Wes Bowers had nine tackles and a sack, and Bridges had two interceptions.
Brown, a three-time IFL champion, finished 10 of 23 for 92 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. He was effective on the ground, having gained 120 yards off 20 carries and three touchdowns. Dwight Blakely caught three balls for 33 yards and a touchdown. James Brown led Storm tacklers with six.
Including the playoffs, Sneed completed 68 percent of his passes for 2,163 yards with 49 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He rushed for 600 yards and 17 touchdowns. His Championship Game MVP honor caps is impressive second season in the IFL.
The Hall of Fame
Clockwise from top right: Parker Douglass, Xzavie Jackson, Tyler Knight.
The 2023 IFL Hall of Fame class was inducted during the IFL Championship Game. The Hall recognizes players, coaches, owners, broadcasters and others who have made an impact on the league, including the early days of the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football which combined to make up the current IFL. This year's inductees were:
PARKER DOUGLASS, KICKER
-Played from 2009 to 2021, all with Sioux Falls Storm
-IFL all-time leader in field goals made (104) and extra points
-Six-time United Bowl champion (2011-2015, 2019)
XZAVIE JACKSON, DEFENSIVE LINEMAN
-Played for multiple teams, including Cedar Rapids Titans and Nebraska Danger
-IFL all-time leader in sacks (81.5)
-Four-time All-IFL First Team selection (2011, 2013, 2015, 2016)
TYLER KNIGHT, LINEBACKER
-Played for Arkansas Diamonds (2010) and Sioux Falls Storm (2011, 2013-2017)
-IFL all-time leader in tackles (852)
-Five-time United Bowl Champion (2011-2015)
For a complete rundown, check out our report on the 2023 IFL Hall of Fame Class.
The Teams
BAY AREA PANTHERS
Prior to the start of the season, I would never have expected to top this list with the second-yard Panthers. Despite a coaches' poll naming them one of the top three teams, I remained skeptical. I gladly admit I was wrong. When ownership brings in a talented coaching staff including Darren Arbet, Rob Keefe and Dixie Wooten, that staff can attract the talent necessary to be a competitor. Trading for quarterback Dalton Sneed turned out to be a genius move and signing running back Justin Rankin away from the Frisco Fighters was equally so. Despite the departure of Arbet, the Panthers built a tremendous roster which figured out how to win nearly every week. Bay Area was the only team to beat the regular season conference champions (Fighters and Arizona Rattlers) this season Rankin claimed our Golden Helmet Award for Offensive Specialist of the Year and Sneed was a finalist for Most Valuable Player and Quarterback of the Year. 2023 Signature Win: Panthers over Fighters 62-55 (week 10).
SIOUX FALLS STORM
With Lorenzo Brown, Jr. back at quarterback, the Storm figured to be a playoff team. The Storm won four of their last five regular season games (and five of their last seven) and, due to some help from elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, claimed the second seed in the playoffs during the week 18 season finale. They faced the Massachusetts Pirates twice in a row, defeating them by three both times to set up their date at Frisco to battle the Fighters for the conference championship. Sioux Falls had lost to Frisco in both meetings during the season, including by 41 points in week 16 in Texas. A win over the Fighters set up their IFL Championship date with Bay Area where they fell short of earning their eighth IFL championship. Kurtiss Riggs, who retired at the end of the season, was our Golden Helmet Award winner for Coach of the Year. James Brown and LaRonji-Vason-McCoy were second and third in the IFL in tackles this season. 2023 Signature Win: Storm over Fighters 45-44 (conference championship).
ARIZONA RATTLERS
It was a struggle during the early part of the season for the Rattlers, but they reeled off eight straight wins to finish off the regular season. The streak allowed them to earn the top seed in the Western Conference and a home date in the first round of the playoffs. They had swept the Northern Arizona Wranglers 3-0 during the regular season, but ran into a Wranglers' team which took advantage of six Rattlers turnovers to end Arizona's season. It was a disappointing end to a season which held quite a bit of promise. The Rattlers won the IFL championship in 2017, but have been unable to replicate that success since. Injuries hurt the team during the early portion of the season, but with most of the core back by mid-season, they were able to right the ship. Despite missing four games to injury, quarterback Drew Powell earned our Golden Helmet Award for Most Valuable Player, barely beating out quarterback TJ Edwards of the Frisco Fighters. 2023 Signature Win: Rattlers outlast Panthers 70-63 (week 13).
FRISCO FIGHTERS
For most of the season, the Fighters looked like the team to beat; at least in the Eastern Conference. Frisco started out with a franchise-record seven straight wins. The Fighters' first loss came on the road at the Bay Area Panthers in week 10 and their other loss of the regular season came at the Massachusetts Pirates two weeks later. They put together five straight wins before heading into the first round at home against the Quad City Steamwheelers. After dispensing the Steamwheelers, they found themselves on the short end of an impressive comeback by the Sioux Falls Storm in the conference championship game by just one point. The Fighters have made the playoff all three of their seasons in the IFL, and have made it to the conference championship game as the number one seed the past two, but have yet to make it past that point. Quarterback TJ Edwards won our Golden Helmet Award for Quarterback of the Year and Charles Headen III claimed our honor for Special Teams Player of the Year. 2023 Signature Win: Fighters over Panthers 45-38 (week 10).
Frisco Fighters quarterback TJ Edwards. (Photo courtesy Frisco Fighters)
TUCSON SUGAR SKULLS
The Sugar Skulls' season is a bit tricky to quantify. Though Tucson ended up just two games out of the top spot in the Western Conference and had various opportunities to finish higher than third in the conference standings. The Sugar Skulls were terrific on the road, finishing 6-1 away from the Tucson Convention Center, but just 3-5 at home. In fact, their first home win came in week 10 over the Sioux Falls Storm. They clinched a playoff spot with two games to go in the regular season, but essentially limped into the playoffs having lose three of their last five games in the regular season. Furthermore, all three of those losses came against teams which finished below them in the Western Conference standings. The Sugar Skulls, who won their first three games (all on the road), including victories over the top two seeds in their conference, the Arizona Rattlers and Bay Area Panthers. 2023 Signature Win: Sugar Skulls stop Rattlers in Phoenix 54-48 (week 4).
MASSACHUSETTS PIRATES
The Pirates were in prime position to earn home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Then they hit a road block as they embarked on a three-game road trip to end the regular season. A win in any of those games (as it turns out) would have earned them the second seed and a home matchup against either the Quad City Steamwheelers or Sioux Falls Storm. However, they were unable to come out on top and found themselves on the road in the first round. Massachusetts' season included a stretch of five straight wins in May and June, and won seven of eight during the middle portion of the season. The Pirates are one of two teams in the IFL to go undefeated at home; a perfect 7-0. Only the Eastern Conference top seed Frisco Fighters accomplished the same. It was after that during which the win streak began. Running back Jimmie Robinson claimed our Golden Helmet Award for Offensive Rookie of the Year. 2023 Signature Win: Pirates stop Panthers 59-52 (week 3).
NORTHERN ARIZONA WRANGLERS
The Wranglers' goal was to repeat as IFL champions. With greater parity in the Western Conference, that was not going to be an easy task. Northern Arizona sat atop the conference standings following their week 9 home win over the Bay Area Panthers. However, they would go on to drop their next three games and five of their next six. The Wranglers made their way into the postseason by just a game over the San Diego Strike Force. As the only team under .500 to reach the postseason, they were out to make some noise. That they did as they took advantage of six turnovers in their first round at the Arizona Rattlers and rally to win and send their in-state rivals on an early vacation. The Wranglers had less success in the Western Conference Championship Game, falling to the eventual champion Panthers. Defensive back KiShawn Walker won our Golden Helmet Award for Defensive Rookie of the Year. 2023 Signature Win: Wranglers top Rattlers 62-53 (first round).
QUAD CITY STEAMWHEELERS
The Steamwheelers came into the season with the hopes of building on their Eastern Conference championship of last season. They were on pace to fight for the second seed in the conference, but were dealt a regular season finale loss to the Tulsa Oilers which dropped them to the fourth seed and a trip to the Frisco Fighters in the opening round of the playoffs. The Steamwheelers had eliminated the Fighters last season to earn their trip to the National Championship Game, but it was not to be as Frisco handily defeated the Steamwheelers in the first round to end their season. The Steamwheelers lost three of their last five games (all three on the road), but they boasted a four-game winning streak at the beginning of the season, and won seven of nine during the middle stretch of the season, before running into their misfortune toward the end of the regular season. 2023 Signature Win: Steamwheelers roll past Pirates 49-44 (week 6).
Quad City Steamwheelers wide receiver CJ Windham. (Photo courtesy Quad City Steamwheelers)
SAN DIEGO STRIKE FORCE
San Diego made some improvement over their previous two seasons' results, but still came out just on the short end of a bid into the playoffs. The Strike force's six wins equals the most in franchise history and they are poised to enter 2024 with a trip to the postseason on their collective minds. They swept the Vegas Knight Hawks, including a 16-point win in the season finale. They defeated the Tucson Sugar Skulls twice on the road, but lost to the 'Skulls in the teams' lone meeting at San Diego. The big news for the Strike Force came after four games into the season as they traded both their quarterbacks (Aaron Aiken and Demry Croft) and defensive lineman Jeremiah Caine to the Duke City Gladiators for quarterback Nate Davis, one of the top passers in the IFL. The acquisition helped the team go 4-6 over the remainder of the season. 2023 Signature Win: Strike Force over Sugar Skulls 59-54 (week 14).
GREEN BAY BLIZZARD
Green Bay dropped three of their last four games and were, essentially eliminated from playoff contention with their 47-45 loss to the Sioux Falls Storm in week 15. Sure, the Blizzard were mathematically alive through another week, but they were eliminated shortly thereafter. They had their moments during the season, recording solid wins over the Sioux Falls Storm, Quad City Steamwheelers and San Diego Strike Force. They also suffered some devastating losses; not the least of which was the season opening 76-30 defeat at home to the Frisco Fighters. The Blizzard have not made the playoffs since 2019, so this will be an off-season to rebuild and come back with a chance to claim one of next year's playoff spots. Green Bay finished 7-8, with a little bit better mark at home (4-3) than on the road (3-5). 2023 Signature Win: Blizzard blow past Storm 47-41 (week 5).
DUKE CITY GLADIATORS
The Gladiators had an unusual season in that it was filled with missed opportunities and included a franchise-changing trade after just a few games into the season. This is the first of their three seasons in the IFL which they did not reach the playoffs (they were eliminated in the first round in 2021 and 2022). Finishing at 5-10 and in sixth place in the Western Conference was not on the team's pre-season list of goals. Couple that with a trade which sent franchise quarterback Nate Davis to the San Diego Strike Force for quarterbacks Aaron Aiken, Demry Croft and defensive lineman Jeremiah Caine. The latter two saw some action, but were unable to make a difference. Duke City was still in the playoff mix midway through the season, but went on to lose five of its final six games before being mathematically eliminated form the playoffs following week 17. 2023 Signature Win: Gladiators outlast Wranglers (week 11).
Iowa Barnstormers defensive back Freddie McGee III. (Photo courtesy Iowa Barnstormers)
IOWA BARNSTORMERS
It's definitely an understatement to describe the Barnstormers' season disappointing. After losing starting quarterback Darius-James Peterson to injury in the season opener, they went on to lose six straight and nine of their first 10. What's odd is that the one win was a 73-43 victory over the eventually playoff-bound Massachusetts Pirates. After defeating the expansion Tulsa Oilers by eight points for their only road win of the season, the Barnstormers exploded for a 39-point win over the Quad City Steamwheelers in week 14. Daniel Smith emerged as a solid quarterback in the latter pair of wins. Whether head coach Dave Mogensen looks to Smith, Peterson or another option in 2024 remains to be seen. Running back Antonio Wimbush was a stalwart both phases of the offense, as well as on special teams. A healthy Iowa team should reverse their fortunes next year. 2023 Signature Win: Barnstormers blast Steamwheelers 80-41 (week 14).
VEGAS KNIGHT HAWKS
The Knight Hawks were built for a playoff run and for the first half of the season they appeared to be right in the thick of it. They were 4-4 after eight games and were poised to reach the postseason for the first time in their two-year history. They faced the meat of thir schedule, including four game against playoff-bound teams. They lost five in a row and six of their last seven to finish a disappointing 5-10 and in last place in the Western Conference. Vegas did get to play a bit of playoff spoiler in week 16 as they defeated the Tucson Sugar Skulls by six points and, effectively, presented Tucson from earning a home game in the opening round of the playoffs. The Knight Hawks were a respectable 4-4 at home, but went only 1-6 on the road; not picking up that win until week 16. They'll look at 2024 as a rebound year with their eyes on the 2024 playoffs. 2023 Signature Win: Knight Hawks top Rattlers 55-54 (week 9).
TULSA OILERS
The Oilers inaugural season record won't impress many, but in some ways, they were nearly as successful as an other IFL team out there. Despite being the team's lone expansion team, and enduring a 10-game winning streak during the season, they immediately drew one of the league's most passionate fan bases. Enter the BOK Center for any of the Oilers home games and you might find over 10,000 of your newest friends. They only won two games, but they rewarded fans in the regular season finale with a 21-point win over the Quad City Steamwheelers. Out of 13 losses, eight were by eight points or less. (In addition to the win spoiler as the loss effectively knocked the Steamwheelers down to the fourth seed and out of contention for a home playoff game. Jordan Jones was a standout, leading the league with 113 total tackles in just 14 games. 2023 Signature Win: Oilers blast Steamwheelers 56-35 (week 18).
Tulsa Oilers linebacker Jordan Jones. (Photo via IFL)
The Extra Points
-From worst to first. We've seen that happen the past two years with the Wranglers and Panthers, respectively. If that is to continue ... Oilers, you're up.
-I stated of this last year, and I'm going to repeat it. "Speaking of the Germains, will their first team, the Columbus Wild Dogs ever take the field? They were set for 2022, but postponed until next year. SCtoC has noted several times over the past several months, via sources, that the Wild Dogs will not begin play in 2023 -- possibly not ever. Though there are speculative reasons of which I am aware, but I will not report those specifically until they are verified by credible sources rather than online hyperbole. Suffice to say from everything I've learned, I would consider there to be a 97 percent chance that we do not see the Wild Dogs ... that is, unless it might be under new ownership." The question remains, though members of the Germain family were in attendance at their other team, the Frisco Fighters, during the Eastern Conference Championship Game. That could bode well for Columbus fans.
-Another tidbit from the past two seasons of a concern I had which did not come to pass. I'm glad about this. I had been concerned that with the additions of the XFL and USFL that the talent pool may be diminished. It's been two seasons (full seasons, that is) and, judging from the talent seen in the IFL over those two seasons, there is plenty of talent to go around.
-And that brings us to the Arena Football League. It was announced several months ago that a new ownership group was intent on bringing back the AFL. Call it AFL 3.0 (some are using "2.5"). Since then the list of cities was released -- then rescinded. At this point, it would be surprising if the promised 16-team league will ever see the light of day.
The 2023 Wish List
-IFL: Please put the schedule back at 16 games. Or, go to 14. Having each team play an odd-numbered amount of games just does not seem right. Yes, I feel the same way about the NFL's 17-gma-per-team seasons as well.
-That brings me to the conference interactions. There should not be a situation where one team plays 14 conference games and another plays just eight. If for nothing more than conference rivalry building, we need to get those numbers closer together; if not identical.
-In my Season Recap five years ago I stated the following: To owners of any franchise in need of a head coach: Hire Marvin Jones." The Tulsa Oilers did just that. While the expansion team finished just 2-13, I implore owner Andy Scurto: Keep Jones on board. You will see the results.
-To the IFL and its teams: Folks, live stats are not live stats unless they are LIVE STATS! The National Championship Game official boxscore took two days to add. If you wish to be taken seriously as a professional sports league, this is an easy way to help accomplish that. You all are a professional sports league. Do it for the fans who want to track their favorite teams and players. Think of not being able to find out how many passing and rushing yards Dalton Sneed (Panthers) has during a game rather than the day after a game. Think of not being able to find out how many touchdowns E.J. Hilliard (Steamwheelers) has thrown for by the end of the third quarter. Think of not being able to check on exactly how many tackles Jordan Jones (Oilers) has by halftime. The list could go on. Let's face it. Sports fans love stats; the existence of fantasy football proves that. A fraction of the stats this year were live. I know these are updated by the home team. Would a pre-season crash course in this help? I'm just sayin'.
IFL National Championship Game boxscore.
-There promises to be a lot of movement of indoor/arena football teams. I'm cheating a little by adding this tidbit about the Jacksonville Sharks to this draft after I post this, but there are some other teams out there which could be worth "annexing" to the IFL. Time to go after them.
-IFL/Columbus: Let us know once and for all -- are the Wild Dogs on their way or are they going to push their debut down the road another year? We've been waiting four years since their announcement; is it coming to fruition?
-To the IFL: Please keep streaming on Youtube. There are a dedicated group of fans, and even us media, who enjoy easy access to the games. Switching to platforms like Twitch or others, which several people will tend not to visit, will only delete the viewing numbers.
-On that note, does the CBSSN contract allow the network to promote the National Championship Game? Judging from what I saw, the network might want to try that. That is, especially since it is going to be televising some other games in the future.
-To the IFL and its teams: You guys did a terrific -- best ever -- job of sporadically pacing out your games over several times during a given week. I know scheduling is tough, but it really is better watching the games live.
The Final Words
We have a staff which strives to put together the best gameday references and recaps. We always aim to to improve. I would like to invite anyone with any constructive feedback to enter it in the comments below. I would also like to acknowledge the four members of our staff who are the main contributors on our site for our IFL coverage:
Nevadanut - Game previews.
David - Research and scouting, transaction updates (and much more).
Monika - Game preview prep, recaps.
alecs - Game recaps, wager betting lines.
DiamondThief (myself) Recaps, training, planning.
On behalf of this site, its staff and its members, it has been an absolute blast covering the IFL during its 15th season. The future is glowing bright for this league and there is no shortage of excitement surrounding next season. We at SCtoC are looking forward to a strong 2024 season and are already in talks on how to improve the information we bring to our readers.
Thank you to all those who have visited and signed up for SCtoC, and who have shown interest via social media. We are here because we love this game and enjoy bring it to you. Again, thank you.
-Angi
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