Post by alecs on Apr 1, 2023 19:20:45 GMT -8
Fighters 60, Gladiators 55
4/1/23 --
RIO RANCHO, NM - The IFL’s most anticipated game of the week more than lived up to the hype, as nonstop action on both sides of the ball kept the fans at the Rio Rancho Events Center glued to their seats. In the end, Frisco made just enough plays to hold off a late Gladiators comeback, earning their 3rd win of the season by a 60-55 final.
The Fighters took the first possession in for a touchdown, as a 12-yard rush by TJ Edwards drew first blood for the visitors. But Nate Davis, a proven big-play extraordinaire, would respond with a 27-yard dart to Gary Brown to level the score at 7. Ernesto Lacayo would give the Gladiators the 9-7 lead thanks to a successful deuce attempt. A long, grueling 11-play touchdown drive would give Frisco the lead, on a 2-yard pass from TJ Edwards to BJ Bunn. Before the first quarter could end, newly signed RB Shamelle Dumas took a handoff seven yards to the house and gave the Gladiators a 16-14 advantage after 15 minutes of play.
Once the second quarter started, so too did the defenses on both sides. The Gladiators would force a turnover on downs, as Fazion McClure dropped a pass on 4th-and-3 from Duke City’s eight- yard line. Frisco would return the favor, as a fourth-down endzone pass from Nate Davis was unable to connect with Gary Brown. The first true turnover of the game would come two plays later, as Byron Cooper stripped TJ Edwards on a pass attempt, and Jimmy Thomas recovered for the Gladiators. Again, Frisco would come up with a defensive gem, with Shaq Bond intercepting a Nate Davis pass in the endzone. On this occasion, the Frisco offense would capitalize off the takeaway, with a six-play scoring drive ending with the second rushing touchdown of the game by TJ Edwards, this time from eight yards out. Not to be outdone by his kicking counterpart, Bryce Crawford would convert on a deuce to put Frisco ahead by seven. After driving into Frisco territory, Davis was once again intercepted by Shaq Bond. A costly fumble in the endzone by TJ Edwards on the very next play allowed Duke City to tie the game at 23 apiece, with Mason Newton recovering for the Gladiators. After an unsuccessful deuce attempt by Lacayo, Bryce Crawford would convert on a 40-yard field goal to give Frisco the 26-23 lead heading into the break.
Duke City received the second half kickoff and took the lead in just four plays, with Shamelle Dumas cashing in from one yard out for his second score of the contest. On the ensuing kickoff, Charles Headen would return his second kickoff for a touchdown in as many weeks, on a 45-yard sprint to the endzone, which made it 33-30 Frisco. The Gladiators would avoid a four-and-out on their next possession with a 41-yard field goal from Ernesto Lacayo to tie the game. He would then boot through his second deuce of the game to give Duke City a two-point advantage. The Fighters then engineered a 10-play scoring drive to regain the advantage, capped off with a TJ Edwards 1-yard rush TD on a read-option keep. Frisco would carry a 40-35 lead into the fourth quarter.
On the ensuing possession for the Gladiators, Nate Davis found Xavier Amey on a 23-yard deep toss for a touchdown, but Lacayo’s PAT would clank off the left post. Fortunately for him, he’d redeem himself with his third deuce of the game to make it 43-40 Gladiators. On the Fighters next drive, they would get their most pivotal 4th down conversion of the game, a clutch 11-yard touchdown pass from Edwards to Jerminic Smith. The Fighters would lead 47-43, and on Duke City’s first play on their next drive, Nate Davis threw his third interception of the game into the waiting arms of DL Levi Watson, who rumbled into the endzone for the Pick-6. Davis would be quick to atone for that mistake, with an immediate 31-yard TD pass to Amey to cut Frisco’s lead to 53-49. The Fighters would then run an effective, time-killing drive into the one-minute warning, pulling back ahead by 11 thanks to Timmy Smith on a five-yard rushing touchdown. Desperate for a score, Duke City used three Frisco defensive penalties to storm all the way to the Fighters five-yard line, where Davis would connect with Gary Brown. The two-point conversion failed, keeping Duke City behind by five. An ill-fated onside kick attempt was thwarted by an offside call on Duke City, sealing the win for Frisco.
Frisco becomes the first team in the league to three wins (3-0), while Duke City falls back to .500 with a 1-1 record. The teams will match up again in Frisco on Sunday, May 7 (in week 8). Tonight’s win keeps Frisco perfect against Duke City all time, victorious in all six head-to-head contests thus far.
TJ Edwards finished the night 17-of-27 passing, accumulating 135 yards with two touchdown passes. As a rusher, he carried 14 times for 48 yards and three scores. Nate Davis completed 14 of his 25 pass attempts for 179 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions. Shaq Bond nabbed two of those three interceptions for Frisco, with Levi Watson contributing the game-changing Pick-6. Mason Newton contributed a fumble recovery for a touchdown for the Gladiators in the defeat.
The Gladiators will host the Tulsa Oilers on April 8 for a 5:05 p.m. kickoff. The Fighters are on a bye next week, but are back in action on April 15 when they host the Massachusetts Pirates with a 5:05 p.m. kickoff. All times listed are pacific daylight time. Click for our complete 2023 IFL Schedule.
4/1/23 --
RIO RANCHO, NM - The IFL’s most anticipated game of the week more than lived up to the hype, as nonstop action on both sides of the ball kept the fans at the Rio Rancho Events Center glued to their seats. In the end, Frisco made just enough plays to hold off a late Gladiators comeback, earning their 3rd win of the season by a 60-55 final.
The Fighters took the first possession in for a touchdown, as a 12-yard rush by TJ Edwards drew first blood for the visitors. But Nate Davis, a proven big-play extraordinaire, would respond with a 27-yard dart to Gary Brown to level the score at 7. Ernesto Lacayo would give the Gladiators the 9-7 lead thanks to a successful deuce attempt. A long, grueling 11-play touchdown drive would give Frisco the lead, on a 2-yard pass from TJ Edwards to BJ Bunn. Before the first quarter could end, newly signed RB Shamelle Dumas took a handoff seven yards to the house and gave the Gladiators a 16-14 advantage after 15 minutes of play.
Once the second quarter started, so too did the defenses on both sides. The Gladiators would force a turnover on downs, as Fazion McClure dropped a pass on 4th-and-3 from Duke City’s eight- yard line. Frisco would return the favor, as a fourth-down endzone pass from Nate Davis was unable to connect with Gary Brown. The first true turnover of the game would come two plays later, as Byron Cooper stripped TJ Edwards on a pass attempt, and Jimmy Thomas recovered for the Gladiators. Again, Frisco would come up with a defensive gem, with Shaq Bond intercepting a Nate Davis pass in the endzone. On this occasion, the Frisco offense would capitalize off the takeaway, with a six-play scoring drive ending with the second rushing touchdown of the game by TJ Edwards, this time from eight yards out. Not to be outdone by his kicking counterpart, Bryce Crawford would convert on a deuce to put Frisco ahead by seven. After driving into Frisco territory, Davis was once again intercepted by Shaq Bond. A costly fumble in the endzone by TJ Edwards on the very next play allowed Duke City to tie the game at 23 apiece, with Mason Newton recovering for the Gladiators. After an unsuccessful deuce attempt by Lacayo, Bryce Crawford would convert on a 40-yard field goal to give Frisco the 26-23 lead heading into the break.
Duke City received the second half kickoff and took the lead in just four plays, with Shamelle Dumas cashing in from one yard out for his second score of the contest. On the ensuing kickoff, Charles Headen would return his second kickoff for a touchdown in as many weeks, on a 45-yard sprint to the endzone, which made it 33-30 Frisco. The Gladiators would avoid a four-and-out on their next possession with a 41-yard field goal from Ernesto Lacayo to tie the game. He would then boot through his second deuce of the game to give Duke City a two-point advantage. The Fighters then engineered a 10-play scoring drive to regain the advantage, capped off with a TJ Edwards 1-yard rush TD on a read-option keep. Frisco would carry a 40-35 lead into the fourth quarter.
On the ensuing possession for the Gladiators, Nate Davis found Xavier Amey on a 23-yard deep toss for a touchdown, but Lacayo’s PAT would clank off the left post. Fortunately for him, he’d redeem himself with his third deuce of the game to make it 43-40 Gladiators. On the Fighters next drive, they would get their most pivotal 4th down conversion of the game, a clutch 11-yard touchdown pass from Edwards to Jerminic Smith. The Fighters would lead 47-43, and on Duke City’s first play on their next drive, Nate Davis threw his third interception of the game into the waiting arms of DL Levi Watson, who rumbled into the endzone for the Pick-6. Davis would be quick to atone for that mistake, with an immediate 31-yard TD pass to Amey to cut Frisco’s lead to 53-49. The Fighters would then run an effective, time-killing drive into the one-minute warning, pulling back ahead by 11 thanks to Timmy Smith on a five-yard rushing touchdown. Desperate for a score, Duke City used three Frisco defensive penalties to storm all the way to the Fighters five-yard line, where Davis would connect with Gary Brown. The two-point conversion failed, keeping Duke City behind by five. An ill-fated onside kick attempt was thwarted by an offside call on Duke City, sealing the win for Frisco.
Frisco becomes the first team in the league to three wins (3-0), while Duke City falls back to .500 with a 1-1 record. The teams will match up again in Frisco on Sunday, May 7 (in week 8). Tonight’s win keeps Frisco perfect against Duke City all time, victorious in all six head-to-head contests thus far.
TJ Edwards finished the night 17-of-27 passing, accumulating 135 yards with two touchdown passes. As a rusher, he carried 14 times for 48 yards and three scores. Nate Davis completed 14 of his 25 pass attempts for 179 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions. Shaq Bond nabbed two of those three interceptions for Frisco, with Levi Watson contributing the game-changing Pick-6. Mason Newton contributed a fumble recovery for a touchdown for the Gladiators in the defeat.
The Gladiators will host the Tulsa Oilers on April 8 for a 5:05 p.m. kickoff. The Fighters are on a bye next week, but are back in action on April 15 when they host the Massachusetts Pirates with a 5:05 p.m. kickoff. All times listed are pacific daylight time. Click for our complete 2023 IFL Schedule.
Both games, as well as all IFL games this season, will be streamed live on the IFL's Official YouTube Channel. SCtoC will present previews of those, and all, games this season. Those previews will be posted on the board of the home team in each game.
- AS
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