Post by alecs on May 5, 2024 17:18:18 GMT -8
Strike Force 54, Wranglers 45
5/5/24 --
SAN DIEGO, CA - A battle of two top-four teams in the Western Conference went down Sunday night at Pechanga Arena at San Diego. Following a two-game home-and-home series with the Bay Area Panthers, the Strike Force returned home to face the Northern Arizona Wranglers, owners of a four-game winning streak. With an efficient outing from quarterback Nate Davis, the Strike Force put an end to that Wrangler winning streak to bring both teams level in the standings. Tonight's final score was 54 to 45.
Northern Arizona began the game with the ball, but their first possession was thwarted on a fourth down sack of Joshua Jones, with former Wrangler Ja'Quan Artis making the big play for the Strike Force. Following the takeaway, the Strike Force opened the scoring with a 16-yard pass from Davis to receiver Isiah Cox. Newly signed kicker Connor "Dropkick" Mangan's signature dropkick attempt missed the mark, though, leaving San Diego with just six points. Late in the first quarter, the Wranglers would spring out to the lead after a six-yard jet sweep rush by RZ McCorker. That would be all the scoring the first quarter would have to offer, with the score seven to six in favor of the visitors.
Mangan would open the second quarter connecting on a 25-yard field goal attempt to put the Strike Force ahead by two. He doubled that lead on the ensuing kickoff with a deuce. Unfazed, the Wranglers hit a massive play, striking on a 41-yard touchdown connection from Josh Jones to Gene Coleman, who hauled in the catch despite blanket coverage by a Strike Force defensive back. San Diego's Jordan Kress would make an equally incredible receiving touchdown on the following possession, hauling in a 13-yard pass from Davis with one hand overstretching the front corner of the endzone to swing the lead back to the Strike Force. The Wranglers would have to settle for a game-tying field goal attempt thereafter, and Axel Perez knocked it down from 25 yards to tie the game at 17 with two minutes left in the half. San Diego needed just one play to retake the lead, with Davis tossing a 35-yard touchdown to Cox for his second receiving score of the game. With 40 seconds to go, Joshua Jones kept a read-option and converted it into a four-yard rushing score. That touchdown put the Wranglers up 24-23 but left just enough time for San Diego to make a move before the half ended. They accomplished just that, with Davis keeping a one-yard sneak across the goal line as time expired. As Mangan executed his first made dropkick of the game, San Diego finished the half with a 31-24 advantage on Northern Arizona.
The second half began with the Strike Force seeking to add to their advantage. After a roughly five-minute opening drive, Chance Bell took a handoff left guard for a four-yard touchdown, with a Mangan dropkick extending the lead to its largest of the game at 15 points. The Wranglers kept pace, with Jones rolling out on a third and goal to find John Maldonado for a five-yard touchdown pass. San Diego kept the ball rolling with another deep shot from Davis finding Kress down the middle for a 27-yard touchdown pass. Near the end of the quarter, Northern Arizona would again cut into the lead with a 16-yard pass from Jones to a wide open McCorker. The third quarter would come to a close, with the score 45 to 38 Strike Force.
It would take over three full quarters, but Northern Arizona would manage its first defensive stand of the game, with Tramond Lofton forcing Nate Davis into a fumble, which was recovered by Malik Sonnier at around midfield. Now armed with a chance to potentially tie the game, Jones would commit a critical mistake, with an endzone-bound pass intercepted by Byron Cooper of San Diego. Davis would toss another touchdown moments later, resulting in Cox's third receiving touchdown of the night of ten yards to give San Diego a 13-point lead. With just five minutes to go, the Wranglers got back into the game with a seven-yard contested catch by Kobay White to pull back within six. Now needing a defensive stop, the Wranglers were able to prevent a Strike Force touchdown, instead forcing Mangan into attempting a 22-yard field goal, which turned up good to push the lead to nine points. Still technically a one-possession game in the eyes of IFL fans and experts, the Wranglers made a bid for another important touchdown, but after taking a big loss on third and one, Northern Arizona opted for a field goal attempt from Perez to get those much-needed points. His attempt of 30 yards was pulled wide left, and San Diego ran out the remainder of the clock to cement their 54-45 win over Northern Arizona.
Nate Davis paced the Strike Force victory with 18 completions on 31 passing attempts for 224 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions, and added five rushed for 19 yards, a touchdown, and a fumble lost. Chance Bell rushed eight times for 12 yards and a touchdown to go with four catches for 20 yards. Jordan Kress caught six passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns, while Isiah Cox's three touchdown receptions totaled 61 yards. Elijah Lilly logged 67 scoreless yards on five catches. On defense, Atoa Fox led San Diego with nine touchdowns, while Ja'Quan Artis logged a sack, and Byron Cooper recorded an interception.
For the Wranglers, Joshua Jones completed 16 of 24 passes for 224 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception in the defeat. Jones added 18 yards and a touchdown on seven carries as a rusher. RZ McCorker showcased his big-play potential despite a limited workload, four rushes for 20 yards and a touchdown to go with three catches for 50 yards and another touchdown. Three other Wrangler receivers had touchdowns today, with Gene Coleman (4/86/1), Kobay White (4/34/1), and John Maldonado (3/24/1) each staking claim in the painted turf. The playmakers on Northern Arizona's defense tonight were Malik Sonnier with a fumble recovery, and Tramond Lofton with the forced fumble.
Both teams had no trouble marching down the field, with the Wranglers holding the slimmest lead in total yardage 254 to 253. Each team turned the ball over just once tonight, resulting in no net gain or loss in turnover margin. The Wranglers were caught on eight penalties for 49 yards, while a disciplined Strike Force side took just three penalties for 48 yards.
Tonight marks a landmark result for the Strike Force, as tonight's win is their first in five tries against Northern Arizona in franchise history. A return match is set for Saturday June 29th, to take place at Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley.
The Strike Force (4-2) will visit the lone undefeated team remaining in the IFL, the Vegas Knight Hawks (6-0) on Friday May 10 with kickoff set for 7:05 p.m. The Wranglers (4-2) will attempt to begin a new winning streak as they host the Bay Area Panthers (5-1) on Saturday May 11 for a 6:05 p.m. kickoff. Times listed are pacific daylight time.
Both games, as well as all IFL games this season, will be streamed live on the IFL YouTube Channel and Caffeine TV IFL. 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. Click for our complete IFL 2024 Schedule.
5/5/24 --
SAN DIEGO, CA - A battle of two top-four teams in the Western Conference went down Sunday night at Pechanga Arena at San Diego. Following a two-game home-and-home series with the Bay Area Panthers, the Strike Force returned home to face the Northern Arizona Wranglers, owners of a four-game winning streak. With an efficient outing from quarterback Nate Davis, the Strike Force put an end to that Wrangler winning streak to bring both teams level in the standings. Tonight's final score was 54 to 45.
Northern Arizona began the game with the ball, but their first possession was thwarted on a fourth down sack of Joshua Jones, with former Wrangler Ja'Quan Artis making the big play for the Strike Force. Following the takeaway, the Strike Force opened the scoring with a 16-yard pass from Davis to receiver Isiah Cox. Newly signed kicker Connor "Dropkick" Mangan's signature dropkick attempt missed the mark, though, leaving San Diego with just six points. Late in the first quarter, the Wranglers would spring out to the lead after a six-yard jet sweep rush by RZ McCorker. That would be all the scoring the first quarter would have to offer, with the score seven to six in favor of the visitors.
Mangan would open the second quarter connecting on a 25-yard field goal attempt to put the Strike Force ahead by two. He doubled that lead on the ensuing kickoff with a deuce. Unfazed, the Wranglers hit a massive play, striking on a 41-yard touchdown connection from Josh Jones to Gene Coleman, who hauled in the catch despite blanket coverage by a Strike Force defensive back. San Diego's Jordan Kress would make an equally incredible receiving touchdown on the following possession, hauling in a 13-yard pass from Davis with one hand overstretching the front corner of the endzone to swing the lead back to the Strike Force. The Wranglers would have to settle for a game-tying field goal attempt thereafter, and Axel Perez knocked it down from 25 yards to tie the game at 17 with two minutes left in the half. San Diego needed just one play to retake the lead, with Davis tossing a 35-yard touchdown to Cox for his second receiving score of the game. With 40 seconds to go, Joshua Jones kept a read-option and converted it into a four-yard rushing score. That touchdown put the Wranglers up 24-23 but left just enough time for San Diego to make a move before the half ended. They accomplished just that, with Davis keeping a one-yard sneak across the goal line as time expired. As Mangan executed his first made dropkick of the game, San Diego finished the half with a 31-24 advantage on Northern Arizona.
The second half began with the Strike Force seeking to add to their advantage. After a roughly five-minute opening drive, Chance Bell took a handoff left guard for a four-yard touchdown, with a Mangan dropkick extending the lead to its largest of the game at 15 points. The Wranglers kept pace, with Jones rolling out on a third and goal to find John Maldonado for a five-yard touchdown pass. San Diego kept the ball rolling with another deep shot from Davis finding Kress down the middle for a 27-yard touchdown pass. Near the end of the quarter, Northern Arizona would again cut into the lead with a 16-yard pass from Jones to a wide open McCorker. The third quarter would come to a close, with the score 45 to 38 Strike Force.
It would take over three full quarters, but Northern Arizona would manage its first defensive stand of the game, with Tramond Lofton forcing Nate Davis into a fumble, which was recovered by Malik Sonnier at around midfield. Now armed with a chance to potentially tie the game, Jones would commit a critical mistake, with an endzone-bound pass intercepted by Byron Cooper of San Diego. Davis would toss another touchdown moments later, resulting in Cox's third receiving touchdown of the night of ten yards to give San Diego a 13-point lead. With just five minutes to go, the Wranglers got back into the game with a seven-yard contested catch by Kobay White to pull back within six. Now needing a defensive stop, the Wranglers were able to prevent a Strike Force touchdown, instead forcing Mangan into attempting a 22-yard field goal, which turned up good to push the lead to nine points. Still technically a one-possession game in the eyes of IFL fans and experts, the Wranglers made a bid for another important touchdown, but after taking a big loss on third and one, Northern Arizona opted for a field goal attempt from Perez to get those much-needed points. His attempt of 30 yards was pulled wide left, and San Diego ran out the remainder of the clock to cement their 54-45 win over Northern Arizona.
Nate Davis paced the Strike Force victory with 18 completions on 31 passing attempts for 224 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions, and added five rushed for 19 yards, a touchdown, and a fumble lost. Chance Bell rushed eight times for 12 yards and a touchdown to go with four catches for 20 yards. Jordan Kress caught six passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns, while Isiah Cox's three touchdown receptions totaled 61 yards. Elijah Lilly logged 67 scoreless yards on five catches. On defense, Atoa Fox led San Diego with nine touchdowns, while Ja'Quan Artis logged a sack, and Byron Cooper recorded an interception.
For the Wranglers, Joshua Jones completed 16 of 24 passes for 224 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception in the defeat. Jones added 18 yards and a touchdown on seven carries as a rusher. RZ McCorker showcased his big-play potential despite a limited workload, four rushes for 20 yards and a touchdown to go with three catches for 50 yards and another touchdown. Three other Wrangler receivers had touchdowns today, with Gene Coleman (4/86/1), Kobay White (4/34/1), and John Maldonado (3/24/1) each staking claim in the painted turf. The playmakers on Northern Arizona's defense tonight were Malik Sonnier with a fumble recovery, and Tramond Lofton with the forced fumble.
Both teams had no trouble marching down the field, with the Wranglers holding the slimmest lead in total yardage 254 to 253. Each team turned the ball over just once tonight, resulting in no net gain or loss in turnover margin. The Wranglers were caught on eight penalties for 49 yards, while a disciplined Strike Force side took just three penalties for 48 yards.
Tonight marks a landmark result for the Strike Force, as tonight's win is their first in five tries against Northern Arizona in franchise history. A return match is set for Saturday June 29th, to take place at Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley.
The Strike Force (4-2) will visit the lone undefeated team remaining in the IFL, the Vegas Knight Hawks (6-0) on Friday May 10 with kickoff set for 7:05 p.m. The Wranglers (4-2) will attempt to begin a new winning streak as they host the Bay Area Panthers (5-1) on Saturday May 11 for a 6:05 p.m. kickoff. Times listed are pacific daylight time.
Both games, as well as all IFL games this season, will be streamed live on the IFL YouTube Channel and Caffeine TV IFL. 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. Click for our complete IFL 2024 Schedule.
-AS
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