Post by alecs on May 17, 2024 19:41:38 GMT -8
Steamwheelers 57, Barnstormers 55
5/17/24 --
MOLINE, IL - The Quad City Steamwheelers hosted their in-conference rival Iowa Barnstormers on Friday night at Vibrant Arena at the MARK. This meeting was the second in 13 days between the two Eastern foes, with the prior game seeing Iowa defeating Quad City at home 55-53. In another riveting battle worthy of "Game of the Year" consideration, the Steamwheelers exacted revenge on the Barnstormers thanks to a heater of a fourth quarter from kicker Kyle Kaplan, whose 49-yard field goal at the death earned his Quad City side a victory by final count of 57 to 55.
The Steamwheelers needed just one play to open the scoring, as Mike Irwin connected on a pass to Eddie Vander, who ran it in for a 24-yard receiving touchdown. Iowa's response was felt immediately, with Jefferson Fritz returning the ensuing kickoff 48 yards to even the game. After those two touchdowns came inside the game's first two minutes, scoring slowed down, as Quad City's next drive resulted in a 23-yard field goal miss from Kaplan, and then Iowa was stopped short on a fourth down attempt with its next possession. The quarter would close out on a successful 19-yard field goal from Kaplan, which gave the Steamwheelers a three-point lead after one quarter.
Iowa gained its first lead on the opening play of the second quarter, as Kyle King hurled a 36-yard gem to Darren Wilson to make it 14-10. Quad City responded right back with a three-yard rush by Mike Irwin to restore the home side's three-point lead. Moments later, King found Keshaun Taylor on a 17-yard touchdown pass, which was again followed up by a Quad City nine-yard touchdown reception by Ka'Ron Ashley. At the one-minute warning, the Steamwheeler defense held strong and forced the Barnstormers to settle for the tie, and Gabriel Rui nailed a 37-yard field goal to draw the game level. With eight seconds remaining, Irwin earned his second rushing score with a one-yard tush-push keeper. Iowa would take advantage of that slice of time, as King hit Wilson once more on a 22-yard passing touchdown as time expired. Rui's PAT rang off the left post, though, meaning that Iowa still trailed Quad City 31-30 at the break.
To begin the third quarter, the teams traded three-minute drives, both of which resulted in field goals. Rui's 27-yarder was followed up by Kaplan's 37-yarder to bring the score to 34-33 Quad City. King found another quick strike on a deep ball, going to Taylor for a 42-yard touchdown connection. The Steamwheelers needed little time to re-take the lead, with Jarrod Harrington's 51-yard kick return touchdown putting them ahead by a point once more. Defense would finally get its time to shine, as a busted play for Iowa resulted in King losing a fumble, which Jaylin Swan recovered for a 12-yard scoop-and-score to extend the lead to eight. The Barnstormers quickly shook that blunder off, giving Robert Washington a chance at a one-yard rumble. He crossed the goal line to bring the score to 48-47 Steamwheelers with one quarter left to play.
The Barnstormer defense halted Quad City on third down and forced a 21-yard field goal attempt from Kaplan, which he knocked down to up the lead to four points. With a chance to re-possess the lead, Iowa's next drive was held back by a combination of negative plays and critical penalties, resulting in a 53-yard field goal miss by Rui. For a second straight drive, Quad City's offense could not capitalize, but Kaplan provided a massive 51-yard field goal to build the lead to seven with 5:30 left in the game. The first play of Iowa's next drive saw King misjudge a throw, which was intercepted by Malik Duncan and set Quad City in fantastic shape. But they followed that up with a blunder of their own, as a fumble lost in the backfield was picked up by Ty Tate of the Barnstormers. Running the clock deep into the one-minute warning, Iowa's attempt for a critical score ultimately succeeded, with a King pass to C.J. Tate of six yards bringing the deficit to one. Iowa head coach Dave Mogensen pushed his chips to the center of the table, opting to go for two and the lead, and King made good of that gamble, finding Wilson in the endzone to make it 55-54 Barnstormers with nine seconds left. A masterful kickoff from Rui set Quad City up inside their own five-yard line, needing any score to win the game. A sensational nine-yard catch by Keyvan Rudd set Kaplan up for a 49-yard attempt with five seconds remaining. He would wrap up a dominant quarter in the only way possible; a kick right down the middle, splitting the uprights as time expired to see the Steamwheelers through for the revenge win. 57 to 55 stood as the final score.
Mike Irwin drew another start for Quad City, completing 11 of 20 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns, and added nine rushes for 38 yards and two additional scores. Eddie Vander rushed six times for 16 yards, while leading Quad City's receivers in yardage, on three catches for 40 yards and a touchdown. Ka'Ron Ashley hauled in four receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown. Jarrod Harrington registered a 51-yard kickoff return touchdown in the third quarter. On defense, Darreon Jackson led the Steamwheelers with eight tackles, Melik Owens and KeShaun Moore each sacked King twice, and takeaways were provided by Jaylin Swan (fumble recovery) and Malik Duncan (interception). Kyle Kaplan had a career game, converting five of six field goal attempts, which included a 50-yarder and the game-winning 49-yard boot which won Quad City the game.
Kyle King engineered Iowa's offense in the loss, with 16 completions on 27 pass attempts for 260 yards, with five touchdowns and an interception, adding 19 yards on four carries. Robert Washington, who briefly left the game in the first quarter but returned in the second half, rushed six times for ten yards and a touchdown. A trio of receivers made a large impact, with KeShaun Taylor (4/106/2), Darren Wilson (5/82/2), and C.J. Tate (6/68/1) each finding paydirt. Reigning Defense Player of the Week Ian McBorrough logged a team-leading eight tackles, while Ty Tate had a sack and fumble recovery. Jefferson Fritz also had a 48-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the game's early stages.
Despite the loss, Iowa significantly outgained Quad City 237 to 162 on offense. The Steamwheelers won the turnover battle, ceding just one time compared to Iowa's two turnovers. The men in stripes put both teams under heavy scrutiny throughout the game, with Iowa flagged eight times for 80 yards, and Quad City dinged seven times for 113 yards.
The Steamwheelers' victory knots the 2024 season series up at one game apiece, and the all-time series at five games apiece. The rubber game of the Iowa/Quad City rivalry will take place on Saturday June 15th, with that matchup swinging back to Des Moines.
The Barnstormers (2-6) will host Eastern Conference rival Green Bay Blizzard (5-2) on May 24 with a 5:05 p.m. After a bye next week, the Steamwheelers (4-4) will visit the Blizzard on May 31 with kickoff set for 5:05 p.m. 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.
5/17/24 --
MOLINE, IL - The Quad City Steamwheelers hosted their in-conference rival Iowa Barnstormers on Friday night at Vibrant Arena at the MARK. This meeting was the second in 13 days between the two Eastern foes, with the prior game seeing Iowa defeating Quad City at home 55-53. In another riveting battle worthy of "Game of the Year" consideration, the Steamwheelers exacted revenge on the Barnstormers thanks to a heater of a fourth quarter from kicker Kyle Kaplan, whose 49-yard field goal at the death earned his Quad City side a victory by final count of 57 to 55.
The Steamwheelers needed just one play to open the scoring, as Mike Irwin connected on a pass to Eddie Vander, who ran it in for a 24-yard receiving touchdown. Iowa's response was felt immediately, with Jefferson Fritz returning the ensuing kickoff 48 yards to even the game. After those two touchdowns came inside the game's first two minutes, scoring slowed down, as Quad City's next drive resulted in a 23-yard field goal miss from Kaplan, and then Iowa was stopped short on a fourth down attempt with its next possession. The quarter would close out on a successful 19-yard field goal from Kaplan, which gave the Steamwheelers a three-point lead after one quarter.
Iowa gained its first lead on the opening play of the second quarter, as Kyle King hurled a 36-yard gem to Darren Wilson to make it 14-10. Quad City responded right back with a three-yard rush by Mike Irwin to restore the home side's three-point lead. Moments later, King found Keshaun Taylor on a 17-yard touchdown pass, which was again followed up by a Quad City nine-yard touchdown reception by Ka'Ron Ashley. At the one-minute warning, the Steamwheeler defense held strong and forced the Barnstormers to settle for the tie, and Gabriel Rui nailed a 37-yard field goal to draw the game level. With eight seconds remaining, Irwin earned his second rushing score with a one-yard tush-push keeper. Iowa would take advantage of that slice of time, as King hit Wilson once more on a 22-yard passing touchdown as time expired. Rui's PAT rang off the left post, though, meaning that Iowa still trailed Quad City 31-30 at the break.
To begin the third quarter, the teams traded three-minute drives, both of which resulted in field goals. Rui's 27-yarder was followed up by Kaplan's 37-yarder to bring the score to 34-33 Quad City. King found another quick strike on a deep ball, going to Taylor for a 42-yard touchdown connection. The Steamwheelers needed little time to re-take the lead, with Jarrod Harrington's 51-yard kick return touchdown putting them ahead by a point once more. Defense would finally get its time to shine, as a busted play for Iowa resulted in King losing a fumble, which Jaylin Swan recovered for a 12-yard scoop-and-score to extend the lead to eight. The Barnstormers quickly shook that blunder off, giving Robert Washington a chance at a one-yard rumble. He crossed the goal line to bring the score to 48-47 Steamwheelers with one quarter left to play.
The Barnstormer defense halted Quad City on third down and forced a 21-yard field goal attempt from Kaplan, which he knocked down to up the lead to four points. With a chance to re-possess the lead, Iowa's next drive was held back by a combination of negative plays and critical penalties, resulting in a 53-yard field goal miss by Rui. For a second straight drive, Quad City's offense could not capitalize, but Kaplan provided a massive 51-yard field goal to build the lead to seven with 5:30 left in the game. The first play of Iowa's next drive saw King misjudge a throw, which was intercepted by Malik Duncan and set Quad City in fantastic shape. But they followed that up with a blunder of their own, as a fumble lost in the backfield was picked up by Ty Tate of the Barnstormers. Running the clock deep into the one-minute warning, Iowa's attempt for a critical score ultimately succeeded, with a King pass to C.J. Tate of six yards bringing the deficit to one. Iowa head coach Dave Mogensen pushed his chips to the center of the table, opting to go for two and the lead, and King made good of that gamble, finding Wilson in the endzone to make it 55-54 Barnstormers with nine seconds left. A masterful kickoff from Rui set Quad City up inside their own five-yard line, needing any score to win the game. A sensational nine-yard catch by Keyvan Rudd set Kaplan up for a 49-yard attempt with five seconds remaining. He would wrap up a dominant quarter in the only way possible; a kick right down the middle, splitting the uprights as time expired to see the Steamwheelers through for the revenge win. 57 to 55 stood as the final score.
Mike Irwin drew another start for Quad City, completing 11 of 20 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns, and added nine rushes for 38 yards and two additional scores. Eddie Vander rushed six times for 16 yards, while leading Quad City's receivers in yardage, on three catches for 40 yards and a touchdown. Ka'Ron Ashley hauled in four receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown. Jarrod Harrington registered a 51-yard kickoff return touchdown in the third quarter. On defense, Darreon Jackson led the Steamwheelers with eight tackles, Melik Owens and KeShaun Moore each sacked King twice, and takeaways were provided by Jaylin Swan (fumble recovery) and Malik Duncan (interception). Kyle Kaplan had a career game, converting five of six field goal attempts, which included a 50-yarder and the game-winning 49-yard boot which won Quad City the game.
Kyle King engineered Iowa's offense in the loss, with 16 completions on 27 pass attempts for 260 yards, with five touchdowns and an interception, adding 19 yards on four carries. Robert Washington, who briefly left the game in the first quarter but returned in the second half, rushed six times for ten yards and a touchdown. A trio of receivers made a large impact, with KeShaun Taylor (4/106/2), Darren Wilson (5/82/2), and C.J. Tate (6/68/1) each finding paydirt. Reigning Defense Player of the Week Ian McBorrough logged a team-leading eight tackles, while Ty Tate had a sack and fumble recovery. Jefferson Fritz also had a 48-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the game's early stages.
Despite the loss, Iowa significantly outgained Quad City 237 to 162 on offense. The Steamwheelers won the turnover battle, ceding just one time compared to Iowa's two turnovers. The men in stripes put both teams under heavy scrutiny throughout the game, with Iowa flagged eight times for 80 yards, and Quad City dinged seven times for 113 yards.
The Steamwheelers' victory knots the 2024 season series up at one game apiece, and the all-time series at five games apiece. The rubber game of the Iowa/Quad City rivalry will take place on Saturday June 15th, with that matchup swinging back to Des Moines.
The Barnstormers (2-6) will host Eastern Conference rival Green Bay Blizzard (5-2) on May 24 with a 5:05 p.m. After a bye next week, the Steamwheelers (4-4) will visit the Blizzard on May 31 with kickoff set for 5:05 p.m. 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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