Post by Monika on Aug 5, 2023 15:02:07 GMT -8
Panthers 51, Storm 41
8/5/23 --
HENDERSON, NV - From worst to first.
After winning a single game in their inaugural season last year, the Bay Area Panthers sit atop the Indoor Football League this year after defeating the Sioux Falls Storm, 51-41, in the IFL National Championship Game today at the Dollar Loan Center. Panthers quarterback Dalton Sneed was named Most Valuable Player for his performance which included two passing touchdowns and three scores on the ground. The game caps the 2023 IFL season. Offensive coordinator Dixie Wooten and defensive coordinator Rob Keefe, who took over as co-head coaches after Dennis Arbet's departure during the season, add to their championship pedigrees. Wooten was head coach of the Iowa Barnstormers' 2018 championship team, while Keefe was defensive coordinator for last year's champions, the Northern Arizona Wranglers.
The Panthers did what last year's Wranglers accomplished. The Wranglers finished their inaugural 2021 inaugural season with a 1-13 record, but responded by revamping their coaching staff and roster to claim the championship. This is the sixth straight season where a new champion has been crowned in the IFL.
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 Storm have made the IFL playoffs in all but one season; that season being last year. They've won seven championships (formerly known as the United Bowl), including six in a row from 2011-2016. The teams only have met once previously; resulting in a 49-27 Storm win at Sioux Falls on April 22, 2022. That was during last year's expansion season of the Panthers.
Bay Area scored first on a 19-yard draw from quarterback Dalton Sneed. The Panthers forced the Storm into a 59-yard field goal (the IFL version of a punt) and allowed them to take over at midfield. The Panthers responded with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Sneed to JT Stokes to increase their lead to 13-0 with just under six minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Storm got on the board at the end of the quarter when Lorenzo Brown, Jr. found Cole Thurness across the middle for a two-yard touchdown as the clock hit 0:00. The Panthers led 13-7 heading into the second quarter.
Justin Rankin put the Panthers up by a pair of scores with 10 minutes remaining in the second a one-yard run around the left side. The Storm countered as Brown found Dwight Blakely for two yards. After Austin Neufeld's point-after try was blocked, Bay Area led by just a touchdown. The Panthers remedied that when Sneed rambled for a nine-yard touchdown with about three-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first half. Sneed's third touchdown of the game gave the Panthers a two-touchdown lead. Brown's diving two-yard touchdown pulled Sioux Falls to within seven points with 44 seconds left in the half. The Panthers drove down the field with an opportunity to extend their lead before the half came to a close. They did just that when Sneed dove over the goal line for his fourth overall touchdown of the contest. They tacked on a rouge at the end of the half when the Storm's Blakely was unable to return the ball out of the end zone. The Storm took over with 16 seconds remaining, but Brown was intercepted by the Panthers' Bill Atkins as time expired. Bay Area took a 34-20 lead into intermission.
Sioux Falls opened the second half with a two-yard touchdown from Brown five minutes into the third quarter. The tenacious Panthers came right back; albeit with a 28-yard field goal from Craig "The Leg" Peterson with just under four minutes remaining in the third. The Panthers led 37-27 heading into the final quarter.
Brown rushed for his third touchdown of the game; this of five yards to cut the Storm deficit to three points with over 13:30 remaining. Sneed found Stokes for an eight-yard score to once again extend the lead to 10 points. With the Storm driving, Brown launched a throw toward the end zone where it was tipped by the Panthers' Bill Atkins and returned for a touchdown by Marquise Bridges. Bay Area's lead was at 51-34 midway through the final quarter. Xavier Jackson put the Storm back on the board with a two-yard run with 1:15 remaining. From there, the Panthers were able to run out the clock down to just a few seconds left as they turned it over on downs.
Sneed threw for two passes and rushed for three more. Stokes had two receiving touchdowns, and Rankin had a rushing score. Bridge's added his interception return for a touchdown, and Atkins recorded a sack. Brown, a two-time United Bowl MVP, also threw for two touchdowns and rushed for three for the Storm. Thurness and Blakely each caught a touchdown pass, while Jackson rushed for a score.
NOTE: Official IFL statistics of the game were unavailable at the time of this report.
2023 IFL Hall of Fame inductees (l-r) Parker Douglass, Xzavie Jackson and Tyler Knight.
Three IFL historical standouts became the latest inductees into the Hall of Fame during the game. Kicker Parker Douglass (all-time leader in field goals and extra points), defensive lineman Xzavie Jackson (all-time leader in sacks) and linebacker Tyler Knight (two-time Defensive Player of the Year) became the newest members of the HOF. Click IFL Announces 2023 Hall of Fame Class for more information about the inductees.
This is the second of at least three seasons the IFL National Championship Games will be held at the Dollar Loan Center. It is a new arena which officially opened on March 8 of last year and is home to the IFL's Vegas Night Hawks. The arena is located in Henderson, Nevada, just southeast of Las Vegas. It seats 5,567 for football and hockey. It is owned by the City of Henderson and operated by Black Knight Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League. The Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League and the NBA G-League Ignite also utilize the arena for their home games.
The game was televised live on CBS Sports Network. The IFL announced in April that the network would broadcast this game and the next two National Championship Games, and would televise select games in the future.
In another innovative feature involving Championship Week, the IFL to XFL Combine was held the morning of August 4. The event gave several IFL players to put their talents on display for XFL owners, scouts and other team officials. It's part of an agreement between the two leagues involving player movement from the IFL to the XFL and vice versa; a sort of informal farm system often seen between the National Basketball Association and its G-League.
SCtoC followed the game with our preview, live score updates and quarter summaries. Click on the 2023 IFL Championship Game thread to view the game progress. Click for our SCtoC 2023 Indoor Football League schedule.
Photo Credit: Panthers running back Justin Rankin rushes around quarterback Dalton Sneed's block against the Storm during the second quarter of the IFL National Championship Game (Photo via IFL).
8/5/23 --
HENDERSON, NV - From worst to first.
After winning a single game in their inaugural season last year, the Bay Area Panthers sit atop the Indoor Football League this year after defeating the Sioux Falls Storm, 51-41, in the IFL National Championship Game today at the Dollar Loan Center. Panthers quarterback Dalton Sneed was named Most Valuable Player for his performance which included two passing touchdowns and three scores on the ground. The game caps the 2023 IFL season. Offensive coordinator Dixie Wooten and defensive coordinator Rob Keefe, who took over as co-head coaches after Dennis Arbet's departure during the season, add to their championship pedigrees. Wooten was head coach of the Iowa Barnstormers' 2018 championship team, while Keefe was defensive coordinator for last year's champions, the Northern Arizona Wranglers.
The Panthers did what last year's Wranglers accomplished. The Wranglers finished their inaugural 2021 inaugural season with a 1-13 record, but responded by revamping their coaching staff and roster to claim the championship. This is the sixth straight season where a new champion has been crowned in the IFL.
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 Storm have made the IFL playoffs in all but one season; that season being last year. They've won seven championships (formerly known as the United Bowl), including six in a row from 2011-2016. The teams only have met once previously; resulting in a 49-27 Storm win at Sioux Falls on April 22, 2022. That was during last year's expansion season of the Panthers.
Bay Area scored first on a 19-yard draw from quarterback Dalton Sneed. The Panthers forced the Storm into a 59-yard field goal (the IFL version of a punt) and allowed them to take over at midfield. The Panthers responded with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Sneed to JT Stokes to increase their lead to 13-0 with just under six minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Storm got on the board at the end of the quarter when Lorenzo Brown, Jr. found Cole Thurness across the middle for a two-yard touchdown as the clock hit 0:00. The Panthers led 13-7 heading into the second quarter.
Justin Rankin put the Panthers up by a pair of scores with 10 minutes remaining in the second a one-yard run around the left side. The Storm countered as Brown found Dwight Blakely for two yards. After Austin Neufeld's point-after try was blocked, Bay Area led by just a touchdown. The Panthers remedied that when Sneed rambled for a nine-yard touchdown with about three-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first half. Sneed's third touchdown of the game gave the Panthers a two-touchdown lead. Brown's diving two-yard touchdown pulled Sioux Falls to within seven points with 44 seconds left in the half. The Panthers drove down the field with an opportunity to extend their lead before the half came to a close. They did just that when Sneed dove over the goal line for his fourth overall touchdown of the contest. They tacked on a rouge at the end of the half when the Storm's Blakely was unable to return the ball out of the end zone. The Storm took over with 16 seconds remaining, but Brown was intercepted by the Panthers' Bill Atkins as time expired. Bay Area took a 34-20 lead into intermission.
Sioux Falls opened the second half with a two-yard touchdown from Brown five minutes into the third quarter. The tenacious Panthers came right back; albeit with a 28-yard field goal from Craig "The Leg" Peterson with just under four minutes remaining in the third. The Panthers led 37-27 heading into the final quarter.
Brown rushed for his third touchdown of the game; this of five yards to cut the Storm deficit to three points with over 13:30 remaining. Sneed found Stokes for an eight-yard score to once again extend the lead to 10 points. With the Storm driving, Brown launched a throw toward the end zone where it was tipped by the Panthers' Bill Atkins and returned for a touchdown by Marquise Bridges. Bay Area's lead was at 51-34 midway through the final quarter. Xavier Jackson put the Storm back on the board with a two-yard run with 1:15 remaining. From there, the Panthers were able to run out the clock down to just a few seconds left as they turned it over on downs.
Sneed threw for two passes and rushed for three more. Stokes had two receiving touchdowns, and Rankin had a rushing score. Bridge's added his interception return for a touchdown, and Atkins recorded a sack. Brown, a two-time United Bowl MVP, also threw for two touchdowns and rushed for three for the Storm. Thurness and Blakely each caught a touchdown pass, while Jackson rushed for a score.
NOTE: Official IFL statistics of the game were unavailable at the time of this report.
2023 IFL Hall of Fame inductees (l-r) Parker Douglass, Xzavie Jackson and Tyler Knight.
Three IFL historical standouts became the latest inductees into the Hall of Fame during the game. Kicker Parker Douglass (all-time leader in field goals and extra points), defensive lineman Xzavie Jackson (all-time leader in sacks) and linebacker Tyler Knight (two-time Defensive Player of the Year) became the newest members of the HOF. Click IFL Announces 2023 Hall of Fame Class for more information about the inductees.
This is the second of at least three seasons the IFL National Championship Games will be held at the Dollar Loan Center. It is a new arena which officially opened on March 8 of last year and is home to the IFL's Vegas Night Hawks. The arena is located in Henderson, Nevada, just southeast of Las Vegas. It seats 5,567 for football and hockey. It is owned by the City of Henderson and operated by Black Knight Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League. The Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League and the NBA G-League Ignite also utilize the arena for their home games.
The game was televised live on CBS Sports Network. The IFL announced in April that the network would broadcast this game and the next two National Championship Games, and would televise select games in the future.
In another innovative feature involving Championship Week, the IFL to XFL Combine was held the morning of August 4. The event gave several IFL players to put their talents on display for XFL owners, scouts and other team officials. It's part of an agreement between the two leagues involving player movement from the IFL to the XFL and vice versa; a sort of informal farm system often seen between the National Basketball Association and its G-League.
SCtoC followed the game with our preview, live score updates and quarter summaries. Click on the 2023 IFL Championship Game thread to view the game progress. Click for our SCtoC 2023 Indoor Football League schedule.
Photo Credit: Panthers running back Justin Rankin rushes around quarterback Dalton Sneed's block against the Storm during the second quarter of the IFL National Championship Game (Photo via IFL).
- MMM
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