Post by alecs on Jul 10, 2023 21:52:58 GMT -8
Panthers 75, Strike Force 40
7/10/23 --
SAN JOSE, CA - On Monday night at SAP Center, the Bay Area Panthers hosted the San Diego Strike Force for an opportunity to clinch a home playoff game and keep their hopes for the top-seed alive. They accomplished that task with flying colors, and also ended the Strike Force's bid to steal a playoff spot of their own. The Panthers dominated in a wire-to-wire masterclass performance, highlighted by a five-touchdown effort from J.T. Stokes, defeating the Strike Force by a convincing 75-40 score.
MVP candidate running back Justin Rankin got the scoring underway for the Panthers, taking a three-yard rush to the house on Bay Area's opening possession. Strike Force QB Nate Davis then threw a 3rd-down interception to Marquise Bridges, resulting in a turnover. Two plays later, Dalton Sneed hit J.T. Stokes on a 21-yard post route to extend the Panthers lead to 14-0. San Diego responded with a crucial score, with Davis finding Eddie Vander on a perfectly executed wheel route for a 30-yard pass. But the extra point was aborted due to a high snap, so San Diego still trailed by eight. Right before the first quarter ended, Justin Rankin found the endzone for a second time, battering his way in for a nine-yard run. Newly signed kicker Craig Peterson knocked down the extra point to end the quarter at a 21-6 Panthers lead.
San Diego needed just two plays to strike back, with Vander showing his elusiveness on a ten-yard touchdown rush. Again, however, the extra point attempt was no good, keeping the Strike Force behind by nine. San Diego's defense came up with a solid stand on the next Panthers possession, forcing a 22-yard field goal attempt by Peterson, which he hooked wide to the left. Sadly for the Strike Force, they failed to capitalize on that momentum, as Carlos Thompson fumbled a reception, which was recovered by Wes Bowers. Two plays later, Rankin completed his first-half hat trick with a signature 16-yard rush to put the Panthers ahead by 16. On a crucial 4th-and-goal right before the one-minute warning, Davis completed a pass to Kentrez Bell. A failed two-point conversion kept the score 28-18, but the Strike Force managed to score a rouge after Kevin Goessling's attempt at a deuce went off the crossbar, preventing the Panthers from returning the ball past the endzone. With roughly 30 seconds remaining in the half, Dalton Sneed got himself onto the score sheet with a rambling 26-yard run to give the Panthers 35 first-half points. It did leave enough time for San Diego to eat into that deficit before the half, but a potential touchdown on an untimed down was called back due to an illegal forward pass by Davis. The infraction ended the half, and San Diego trailed 35-19 at the half, needing a monumental comeback to keep its season alive.
The Strike Force would receive the kickoff to begin the second half, but only managed a 30-yard field goal by Goessling to cut the lead down to 13 points. A four-play scoring drive from the Panthers would follow, as J.T. Stokes became the third Panther in the game to register a rushing touchdown (four yards). Follwing Bridges' second interception of the game, Stokes once again paid a visit to the endzone on a four-yard touchdown pass from Sneed. San Diego would counter with a four-play drive of their own, capped with a one-yard rush by backup quarterback Rudy Johnson. Another unsuccessful two-point attempt kept San Diego behind 48-28. The final play before the end of the 3rd quarter was a perfectly executed sweep run that saw Stokes streak across the field for a 37-yard touchdown, which boosted Bay Area's lead to 55-28 to end the third quarter.
San Diego would find another touchdown early in the fourth quarter thanks to a one-yard run by Vander. Facing a 3rd-and-13 on the Panthers' next possession, Dalton Sneed connected with newly acquired receiver Joe Newden for a 16-yard touchdown pass. For the Strike Force, Vander would once again tally a touchdown, this time on an eight-yard pass from Davis. At this stage in the game, up 62-40, the Panthers turned to Felix Harper in relief of Dalton Sneed, and Harper capitalized on his chance with a five-yard touchdown pass to Stokes. In a last-gasp effort to score some desperation points, Davis tossed another interception, with Trae Meadows returning it to the house for a pick-six. Meadows would repeat that outcome moments later, essentially closing out the game and securing Bay Area's win by a 75-40 final.
Dalton Sneed was surgical in the dominant win, tossing 14 completions out of 16 attempts for 172 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions, and adding 53 yards and another score on five carries. Justin Rankin took the rock 10 times and carried for 45 yards and three touchdowns, adding two catches for four yards as a pass catcher. J.T. Stokes had a monster day, contributing for five total touchdowns, three as a receiver (4/42/3) and two as a rusher (3/44/2). Nih-jer Jackson led Panthers receivers in catches (six), targets (seven) and receiving yards (97) despite not finding the endzone. Marquise Bridges and Trae Meadows each had a pair of interceptions for the Bay Area defense.
Nate Davis had a night to forget, going 21-for-38 for 242 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions in the lopsided loss. Eddie Vander put up another Christian McCaffrey-esque stat line, with six rushes for 28 yards and two touchdowns, while also leading all Strike Force pass catchers with nine catches for 103 yards and two more scores. Kentrez Bell, Marques "Hoodie" Rodgers, and Carlos Thompson each had four catches for San Diego. Defensive lineman Byron Cooper accounted for both sacks for San Diego in the game.
The victory assures the Panthers (9-5) no worse than the #2 seed in the Western Conference for the upcoming playoffs, and they still have a shot at the #1 seed if Arizona loses to Northern Arizona on Saturday and Bay Area defeats Duke City on Sunday. Either way, the Panthers will host a first-round playoff game at SAP Center and will welcome either the Tucson Sugar Skulls or Northern Arizona Wranglers for that tilt. San Diego (5-9) is eliminated from playoff contention as a result of tonight's defeat.
The win completes the 2023 season series sweep for the Panthers, having defeated the Strike Force 54-51 in a thrilling matchup back on April 30th. The Panthers now lead the all-time series three games to one.
The Panthers close out the regular season with a road matchup against the Duke City Gladiators on Sunday July 16, with kickoff set for 2:05 p.m. The Strike Force finish their regular season at home against the Vegas Knight Hawks on Saturday July 15 for a 6:05 p.m. Times listed are pacific daylight time. Click for our complete 2023 IFL Schedule.
7/10/23 --
SAN JOSE, CA - On Monday night at SAP Center, the Bay Area Panthers hosted the San Diego Strike Force for an opportunity to clinch a home playoff game and keep their hopes for the top-seed alive. They accomplished that task with flying colors, and also ended the Strike Force's bid to steal a playoff spot of their own. The Panthers dominated in a wire-to-wire masterclass performance, highlighted by a five-touchdown effort from J.T. Stokes, defeating the Strike Force by a convincing 75-40 score.
MVP candidate running back Justin Rankin got the scoring underway for the Panthers, taking a three-yard rush to the house on Bay Area's opening possession. Strike Force QB Nate Davis then threw a 3rd-down interception to Marquise Bridges, resulting in a turnover. Two plays later, Dalton Sneed hit J.T. Stokes on a 21-yard post route to extend the Panthers lead to 14-0. San Diego responded with a crucial score, with Davis finding Eddie Vander on a perfectly executed wheel route for a 30-yard pass. But the extra point was aborted due to a high snap, so San Diego still trailed by eight. Right before the first quarter ended, Justin Rankin found the endzone for a second time, battering his way in for a nine-yard run. Newly signed kicker Craig Peterson knocked down the extra point to end the quarter at a 21-6 Panthers lead.
San Diego needed just two plays to strike back, with Vander showing his elusiveness on a ten-yard touchdown rush. Again, however, the extra point attempt was no good, keeping the Strike Force behind by nine. San Diego's defense came up with a solid stand on the next Panthers possession, forcing a 22-yard field goal attempt by Peterson, which he hooked wide to the left. Sadly for the Strike Force, they failed to capitalize on that momentum, as Carlos Thompson fumbled a reception, which was recovered by Wes Bowers. Two plays later, Rankin completed his first-half hat trick with a signature 16-yard rush to put the Panthers ahead by 16. On a crucial 4th-and-goal right before the one-minute warning, Davis completed a pass to Kentrez Bell. A failed two-point conversion kept the score 28-18, but the Strike Force managed to score a rouge after Kevin Goessling's attempt at a deuce went off the crossbar, preventing the Panthers from returning the ball past the endzone. With roughly 30 seconds remaining in the half, Dalton Sneed got himself onto the score sheet with a rambling 26-yard run to give the Panthers 35 first-half points. It did leave enough time for San Diego to eat into that deficit before the half, but a potential touchdown on an untimed down was called back due to an illegal forward pass by Davis. The infraction ended the half, and San Diego trailed 35-19 at the half, needing a monumental comeback to keep its season alive.
The Strike Force would receive the kickoff to begin the second half, but only managed a 30-yard field goal by Goessling to cut the lead down to 13 points. A four-play scoring drive from the Panthers would follow, as J.T. Stokes became the third Panther in the game to register a rushing touchdown (four yards). Follwing Bridges' second interception of the game, Stokes once again paid a visit to the endzone on a four-yard touchdown pass from Sneed. San Diego would counter with a four-play drive of their own, capped with a one-yard rush by backup quarterback Rudy Johnson. Another unsuccessful two-point attempt kept San Diego behind 48-28. The final play before the end of the 3rd quarter was a perfectly executed sweep run that saw Stokes streak across the field for a 37-yard touchdown, which boosted Bay Area's lead to 55-28 to end the third quarter.
San Diego would find another touchdown early in the fourth quarter thanks to a one-yard run by Vander. Facing a 3rd-and-13 on the Panthers' next possession, Dalton Sneed connected with newly acquired receiver Joe Newden for a 16-yard touchdown pass. For the Strike Force, Vander would once again tally a touchdown, this time on an eight-yard pass from Davis. At this stage in the game, up 62-40, the Panthers turned to Felix Harper in relief of Dalton Sneed, and Harper capitalized on his chance with a five-yard touchdown pass to Stokes. In a last-gasp effort to score some desperation points, Davis tossed another interception, with Trae Meadows returning it to the house for a pick-six. Meadows would repeat that outcome moments later, essentially closing out the game and securing Bay Area's win by a 75-40 final.
Dalton Sneed was surgical in the dominant win, tossing 14 completions out of 16 attempts for 172 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions, and adding 53 yards and another score on five carries. Justin Rankin took the rock 10 times and carried for 45 yards and three touchdowns, adding two catches for four yards as a pass catcher. J.T. Stokes had a monster day, contributing for five total touchdowns, three as a receiver (4/42/3) and two as a rusher (3/44/2). Nih-jer Jackson led Panthers receivers in catches (six), targets (seven) and receiving yards (97) despite not finding the endzone. Marquise Bridges and Trae Meadows each had a pair of interceptions for the Bay Area defense.
Nate Davis had a night to forget, going 21-for-38 for 242 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions in the lopsided loss. Eddie Vander put up another Christian McCaffrey-esque stat line, with six rushes for 28 yards and two touchdowns, while also leading all Strike Force pass catchers with nine catches for 103 yards and two more scores. Kentrez Bell, Marques "Hoodie" Rodgers, and Carlos Thompson each had four catches for San Diego. Defensive lineman Byron Cooper accounted for both sacks for San Diego in the game.
The victory assures the Panthers (9-5) no worse than the #2 seed in the Western Conference for the upcoming playoffs, and they still have a shot at the #1 seed if Arizona loses to Northern Arizona on Saturday and Bay Area defeats Duke City on Sunday. Either way, the Panthers will host a first-round playoff game at SAP Center and will welcome either the Tucson Sugar Skulls or Northern Arizona Wranglers for that tilt. San Diego (5-9) is eliminated from playoff contention as a result of tonight's defeat.
The win completes the 2023 season series sweep for the Panthers, having defeated the Strike Force 54-51 in a thrilling matchup back on April 30th. The Panthers now lead the all-time series three games to one.
The Panthers close out the regular season with a road matchup against the Duke City Gladiators on Sunday July 16, with kickoff set for 2:05 p.m. The Strike Force finish their regular season at home against the Vegas Knight Hawks on Saturday July 15 for a 6:05 p.m. 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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