Post by alecs on Jul 20, 2024 20:42:21 GMT -8
Fighters 59, Barnstormers 47
7/20/24 --
FRISCO, TX - Playoff positioning was up for grabs on Saturday night at Comerica Center, where the hometown Frisco Fighters wrapped up their regular season campaign against their fellow Eastern Conference rivals, the Iowa Barnstormers. With a win and a loss by the Blizzard, whose game started simultaneously to this one, the Fighters entered tonight with a shot at clinching the top overall seed in the East. Frisco held its end of the bargain with a fantastic performance, fending off an admirable effort from Iowa to the tune of an entertaining 59-47 victory. The game also peaked at roughly 2,500 viewers on YouTube tonight, with the spike in viewership spurred largely by the on-field debut of viral social media sensation Eli Mack, who lined up on multiple kickoff formations for the Fighters tonight.
The early-game momentum went in favor of the visiting Barnstormers, who found a big play almost out of the gate with a 32-yard pass from Brandon Alt to Ezekial Lang. Iowa's defense kept the Fighters' opening drive completely stagnant, but Bryce Crawford came in with a clutch bailout, delivering a 52-yard field goal along with a deuce on the following kickoff. Iowa responded with a seven-minute scoring drive capped off with a Keshaun Taylor one-yard pass from Alt. An intriguing first quarter concluded with the Barnstormers sitting ahead by a nine-point margin.
Frisco opened the second quarter with a quick eight-yard rush from Jimmy Smith, which cut Iowa's advantage to three. Despite exceptional starting field position, the Barnstormers could only manage three points, with Gabriel Rui knocking through a 27-yard field goal. Frisco's defensive effort on that drive enabled the offense a chance at their first lead of the ballgame, which they obtained after a six-yard rushing score by T.J. Edwards. Doubling down on defense, the Fighters got another boost when Ethan Caselberry caught a tip-drill interception, which led to a quick 39-yard touchdown pass from Edwards to Phazione McClurge with roughly four minutes left in the half. The Barnstormers recovered quickly, with Alt finding Paul Garrett through the air for a 21-yard touchdown pass, and Rui's deuce swung the lead back to Iowa's side. Edwards would have the last laugh of the half, though, restoring Frisco's lead on a two-yard keeper with mere seconds remaining. With 30 minutes in the books, the Fighters led a competitive ballgame, 32-26.
In stark contrast to the first half, both teams suffered through slow starts to the second half. Frisco's leadoff possession took up six minutes of game time but yielded no points, with a goal-line pass from Edwards to Spencer Tears falling incomplete. After a big reception set Iowa up inside Frisco's five yard line, Alt threw another ill-time pick which fell into the hands of Caselberry for his second interception of the evening. Eventually, the Fighters would snap the nearly 13-minute long scoring skid as Edwards and McClurge connected for a second touchdown toss of seven yards. That would serve as the only scoring of the frame, with Frisco heading into the fourth quarter ahead 39-26.
In need of big plays to kickstart a potential rally, the Barnstormers again leaned on the arm of Alt, who delivered with a six-yard pass to Quian Williams to wrap up an eight-play, six-minute touchdown drive. Frisco's next drive took considerably less time, ending with a quick 27-yard touchdown pass from Edwards to Tears. Iowa was able to match that chunk play moments later with a 29-yard touchdown pass of their own, with Alt finding Williams for that quick six. After a failed onside kick attempt by Iowa, the Fighters took the rock across the goal line almost immediately on a four-yard rush from Edwards. Still down by 13 at this point, Iowa had to get a touchdown to keep any hope alive, and on a third and goal from Frisco's nine-yard line, Alt hit Williams on a great inside cross route for a nine-yard touchdown, reducing the Fighter lead to six with just over a minute to go. A second onside kick yielded the same fruitless result as the first one. And for the sake of stat padding, the Fighters permitted Edwards one final attempt at a rushing touchdown at the gun. He reached his way over the goal line as the clock hit triple-zeros, resulting in a final score line of 59-47 for Frisco's 13th win of the season.
T.J. Edwards had another stellar game, completing 11 of 17 pass attempts for 147 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He carried 19 times for 54 yards and four additional scores, while Jimmy Smith filled in for an inactive Justin Rankin with eight carries for 35 yards and a touchdown along with a three-yard reception. Phazione McClurge caught six passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns, with Spencer Tears also recording a receiving touchdown on three catches for 46 yards. Ethan Caselberry and Royce See led the Fighters with 5.5 tackles each. Caselberry hauled in two interceptions, while See and Desmond Raiford each had a sack in the Fighters' win.
Brandon Alt attempted 28 passes and completed 16 of them for 264 yards, with six touchdowns and two interceptions in Iowa's defeat. Quian Williams actually led Iowa in rushing yards (12) despite just one attempt on the ground; he also had five catches for 71 yards and three touchdowns. Keshawn Taylor led the Barnstormers in both catches (five) and receiving yards (85) and also scored a touchdown. All-IFL candidate Jefferson Fritz fortified his award winning case with a game-leading eight tackles and a pass breakup, while four different Barnstormers were credited with sacks, with J'Von France and Krystapher Oakley both credited with a sack apiece.
Despite the loss, Iowa outgained Frisco 277-226 in total yardage. Ultimately, the visitors from the Hawkeye State were beset by the two interceptions thrown by Alt, allowing Frisco to finish the game with a plus-two turnover differential. Iowa was found guilty of eight penalties totaling 65 yards, while Frisco kept a slightly cleaner sheet with five penalties for 30 yards.
The Fighters remain a perfect five-for-five in the all-time series against the Barnstormers, with this being the only matchup of the 2024 season. Iowa will end the 2024 campaign with a rough 5-11 mark.
With Green Bay's 51-30 victory over the Sioux Falls Storm, the Fighters (13-3) remained locked into the second seed of the Eastern Conference Playoff Bracket, resulting in a first-round matchup at home against the third-seeded Massachusetts Pirates (8-8) next weekend. According to the IFL website, that game has been scheduled for a 4:05pm kickoff next Saturday, July 27. The other Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup will see the fourth-seeded Quad City Steamwheelers (8-8) face off against the top-ranked Blizzard (13-3) at the Resch Center. That game's kickoff time is set for Friday July 26 at 5:05pm. Times listed are Pacific time.
IFL playoff games with the exception of the National Championship Game will be streamed live on the IFL 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. Click for our complete IFL 2024 Schedule.
7/20/24 --
FRISCO, TX - Playoff positioning was up for grabs on Saturday night at Comerica Center, where the hometown Frisco Fighters wrapped up their regular season campaign against their fellow Eastern Conference rivals, the Iowa Barnstormers. With a win and a loss by the Blizzard, whose game started simultaneously to this one, the Fighters entered tonight with a shot at clinching the top overall seed in the East. Frisco held its end of the bargain with a fantastic performance, fending off an admirable effort from Iowa to the tune of an entertaining 59-47 victory. The game also peaked at roughly 2,500 viewers on YouTube tonight, with the spike in viewership spurred largely by the on-field debut of viral social media sensation Eli Mack, who lined up on multiple kickoff formations for the Fighters tonight.
The early-game momentum went in favor of the visiting Barnstormers, who found a big play almost out of the gate with a 32-yard pass from Brandon Alt to Ezekial Lang. Iowa's defense kept the Fighters' opening drive completely stagnant, but Bryce Crawford came in with a clutch bailout, delivering a 52-yard field goal along with a deuce on the following kickoff. Iowa responded with a seven-minute scoring drive capped off with a Keshaun Taylor one-yard pass from Alt. An intriguing first quarter concluded with the Barnstormers sitting ahead by a nine-point margin.
Frisco opened the second quarter with a quick eight-yard rush from Jimmy Smith, which cut Iowa's advantage to three. Despite exceptional starting field position, the Barnstormers could only manage three points, with Gabriel Rui knocking through a 27-yard field goal. Frisco's defensive effort on that drive enabled the offense a chance at their first lead of the ballgame, which they obtained after a six-yard rushing score by T.J. Edwards. Doubling down on defense, the Fighters got another boost when Ethan Caselberry caught a tip-drill interception, which led to a quick 39-yard touchdown pass from Edwards to Phazione McClurge with roughly four minutes left in the half. The Barnstormers recovered quickly, with Alt finding Paul Garrett through the air for a 21-yard touchdown pass, and Rui's deuce swung the lead back to Iowa's side. Edwards would have the last laugh of the half, though, restoring Frisco's lead on a two-yard keeper with mere seconds remaining. With 30 minutes in the books, the Fighters led a competitive ballgame, 32-26.
In stark contrast to the first half, both teams suffered through slow starts to the second half. Frisco's leadoff possession took up six minutes of game time but yielded no points, with a goal-line pass from Edwards to Spencer Tears falling incomplete. After a big reception set Iowa up inside Frisco's five yard line, Alt threw another ill-time pick which fell into the hands of Caselberry for his second interception of the evening. Eventually, the Fighters would snap the nearly 13-minute long scoring skid as Edwards and McClurge connected for a second touchdown toss of seven yards. That would serve as the only scoring of the frame, with Frisco heading into the fourth quarter ahead 39-26.
In need of big plays to kickstart a potential rally, the Barnstormers again leaned on the arm of Alt, who delivered with a six-yard pass to Quian Williams to wrap up an eight-play, six-minute touchdown drive. Frisco's next drive took considerably less time, ending with a quick 27-yard touchdown pass from Edwards to Tears. Iowa was able to match that chunk play moments later with a 29-yard touchdown pass of their own, with Alt finding Williams for that quick six. After a failed onside kick attempt by Iowa, the Fighters took the rock across the goal line almost immediately on a four-yard rush from Edwards. Still down by 13 at this point, Iowa had to get a touchdown to keep any hope alive, and on a third and goal from Frisco's nine-yard line, Alt hit Williams on a great inside cross route for a nine-yard touchdown, reducing the Fighter lead to six with just over a minute to go. A second onside kick yielded the same fruitless result as the first one. And for the sake of stat padding, the Fighters permitted Edwards one final attempt at a rushing touchdown at the gun. He reached his way over the goal line as the clock hit triple-zeros, resulting in a final score line of 59-47 for Frisco's 13th win of the season.
T.J. Edwards had another stellar game, completing 11 of 17 pass attempts for 147 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He carried 19 times for 54 yards and four additional scores, while Jimmy Smith filled in for an inactive Justin Rankin with eight carries for 35 yards and a touchdown along with a three-yard reception. Phazione McClurge caught six passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns, with Spencer Tears also recording a receiving touchdown on three catches for 46 yards. Ethan Caselberry and Royce See led the Fighters with 5.5 tackles each. Caselberry hauled in two interceptions, while See and Desmond Raiford each had a sack in the Fighters' win.
Brandon Alt attempted 28 passes and completed 16 of them for 264 yards, with six touchdowns and two interceptions in Iowa's defeat. Quian Williams actually led Iowa in rushing yards (12) despite just one attempt on the ground; he also had five catches for 71 yards and three touchdowns. Keshawn Taylor led the Barnstormers in both catches (five) and receiving yards (85) and also scored a touchdown. All-IFL candidate Jefferson Fritz fortified his award winning case with a game-leading eight tackles and a pass breakup, while four different Barnstormers were credited with sacks, with J'Von France and Krystapher Oakley both credited with a sack apiece.
Despite the loss, Iowa outgained Frisco 277-226 in total yardage. Ultimately, the visitors from the Hawkeye State were beset by the two interceptions thrown by Alt, allowing Frisco to finish the game with a plus-two turnover differential. Iowa was found guilty of eight penalties totaling 65 yards, while Frisco kept a slightly cleaner sheet with five penalties for 30 yards.
The Fighters remain a perfect five-for-five in the all-time series against the Barnstormers, with this being the only matchup of the 2024 season. Iowa will end the 2024 campaign with a rough 5-11 mark.
With Green Bay's 51-30 victory over the Sioux Falls Storm, the Fighters (13-3) remained locked into the second seed of the Eastern Conference Playoff Bracket, resulting in a first-round matchup at home against the third-seeded Massachusetts Pirates (8-8) next weekend. According to the IFL website, that game has been scheduled for a 4:05pm kickoff next Saturday, July 27. The other Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup will see the fourth-seeded Quad City Steamwheelers (8-8) face off against the top-ranked Blizzard (13-3) at the Resch Center. That game's kickoff time is set for Friday July 26 at 5:05pm. Times listed are Pacific time.
IFL playoff games with the exception of the National Championship Game will be streamed live on the IFL 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. Click for our complete IFL 2024 Schedule.
-AS
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