Post by alecs on Jul 21, 2024 18:03:25 GMT -8
Gladiators 69, Wranglers 48
7/21/24 --
RIO RANCHO, NM - Sunday night at the Rio Rancho Events Center marked the 128th and final regular season game of the 2024 IFL Season, contested between the Northern Arizona Wranglers and Duke City Gladiators. The Wranglers entered tonight's contest already having been eliminated from playoff contention as a result of Arizona's 41-34 victory over the San Antonio Gunslingers last night, while Duke City has been out of the running since June. The game still had some shining moments, even without any immediate rewards for the current season at stake, with most of those high-impact plays coming from the boys in black and teal. In a game where both teams left everything on the field, the Gladiators came away with a 69-48 victory.
The action got started with a Duke City drive, ending in a field goal attempt from Ernesto Lacayo. His 26-yarder was partially blocked, resulting in the Wranglers taking possession. Northern Arizona would draw first blood moments later with an eight-yard pass from Josh Jones to Deshon Stoudemire. The seven-point lead turned to an eight-point advantage following a rouge on the ensuing kickoff. A strong run of 47 yards by Devanaire Concliffe took the sting right out, and the lead flipped to the Gladiators with a deuce from Lacayo. That momentum found its way into the Duke City defense, where they stopped the Wranglers on a fourth down deep in their own territory. The Gladiators promptly capitalized with a four-yard touchdown pass from Javin Kilgo to Tamorrion Terry. Northern Arizona found one last score before the first-quarter buzzer, with Jones targeting John Maldonado on a seven-yard touchdown pass, with an Axel Perez dropkick evening the game out at 16 apiece after one quarter of play.
Duke City continued its torrid offensive stretch to start the following quarter, with Kilgo running in a 24-yard touchdown up the middle. After another Lacayo deuce, the Wranglers made a quarterback change, with Jones giving way to Dillon Sterling-Cole. Sadly for the Wranglers, a pass from the rookie backup found the hands of Craig Holmes for a Duke City interception. The Gladiators would attack on the ground once more, with a fourth consecutive touchdown drive ending with Jordan Byrd's 15-yard sprint. Northern Arizona's second drive with Sterling-Cole did not yield a touchdown, but did manage three points with a successful 36-yard field goal from Perez. Duke City's streak of touchdown drives would be stopped right at the one-minute warning, with a Kilgo pass unable to find Gourney Sloan for a pivotal Wrangler stand. A prompt three-and-out, however, would summon Perez for a 56-yard field goal that missed wide left. Just enough time remained for a 45-yard attempt from Lacayo, but his kick veered to the right to end the half, with the Gladiators carrying a 32-19 lead.
The second half opened with a third deuce off the boot of Lacayo, putting Northern Arizona in a 15-point hole for their offense to overcome. They ate into that deficit with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Sterling-Cole to Maldonado, along with a Perez dropkick to bring the game back to a manageable 34-27 margin. The Wranglers kept their rivals out of the endzone once more, but a strong 45-yard field goal from Lacayo allowed the Gladiators to escape with at least a few more points to add to their total. Lacayo doubled down with yet another deuce, and the Wranglers took their next drive through to the end of the third quarter, setting the stage for an exciting finish with the Gladiators ahead 39-27.
A supercharged fourth quarter began with an Axel Perez 30-yard field goal to wrap up Northern Arizona's previous drive. Duke City swung back with another Kilgo-to-Terry connection, this one coming from 15 yards out on a third-and-ten play. Lacayo bombed away another deuce to continue his hot streak, and a combined sack effort from Jamel Williams and Kwame Sutton result resulting in a safety to propel the Gladiator lead to 20 points. Kilgo and Terry would continue their fun on a quick 29-yard touchdown pass on the next drive. The Wranglers responded with a four-yard touchdown pass from Sterling-Cole to Maldonado, but a failed onside kick gave great starting position to the Gladiators. While Duke City could not find a touchdown, a chip shot 20-yarder from Lacayo still got them to the 60-point mark of the contest, and his sixth deuce thereafter ran the count up to 62 points. With nothing further to lose, Sterling-Cole tossed a deep pass to Kobay White, which he made a great play on for a 45-yard touchdown reception. Kilgo's first mistake of the game arrived with just over three minutes to go, with one of his passes intercepted by Travion Banks to restore some faith in an improbable Wranglers comeback bid. They scored quickly on a 45-yard reception from Sterling-Cole to Maldonado. The onside kick magic was not there for Perez, though, and the Gladiators took advantage of another short field, allowing Kilgo to find Concliffe for an 11-yard touchdown pass. One final attempt to score for the Wranglers was thwarted by an interception by Gregory Dent, making that the impact play to close the book on the 2024 Regular Season. In an impressive showing in their home finale, Duke City crushes Northern Arizona, 69-48.
Javin Kilgo drew the start for the Gladiators and completed 14 of 24 passes for 151 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception, adding three rushes for 24 yards and a touchdown. Devanaire Concliffe rushed seven times for 64 yards and a touchdown and added four catches for 45 yards and a score. Tamorrion Terry led Duke City with five catches for 80 yards and three touchdowns. Jamel Williams recorded a half sack which went for a safety and led the team with seven tackles, while Gregory Dent and Craig Holmes both intercepted passes in the victory. Ernesto Lacayo set a new IFL single-game record with six deuces and finished the game accounting for 25 of Duke City's 69 points.
Northern Arizona split the load at quarterback tonight. Josh Jones started and completed four of nine passes for 48 yards and two touchdowns. Dillon Sterling-Cole took over in the second quarter and compiled a stat line of 16-for-28 passing for 244 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions. He rushed five times for 35 yards as well. John Maldonado caught five passes for 96 yards and four touchdowns, while Kobay White (4/76/1) and Deshon Stoudemire (8/64/1) also had a receiving touchdowns. Malik Sonnier had seven tackles to lead all Wrangler defenders, Dajor Davenport logged a sack, and Travion Banks added to his season-long total with an interception.
Needless to say with the score line as it is, both offenses did whatever they wanted to, with Northern Arizona having the sizable advantage in yards gained, 321 to 249. Duke City was a plus-two in turnover differential thanks to their pair of interceptions. The Wranglers were called for seven penalties, costing them 41 yards, while the Gladiators took four penalties for 31 yards.
Since the inception of this rivalry in 2021, the Gladiators have dominated this particular matchup. Tonight was no different, with the victory giving the Gladiators an eight game to two lead in the all-time series. The Gladiators exacted revenge for their prior loss this season to the Wranglers in Prescott Valley, where they lost 39-23 on April 20.
Tonight's game closes the book on 2024 for both teams, with the Wranglers finishing the campaign with a 9-7 record, while Duke City ends with a 3-13 mark.
The start of the playoffs for the eight qualifying teams will take place next weekend, starting with Friday's match in the Eastern Conference between [#4] Quad City and [#1] Green Bay. That game will kick off at 5:05pm PT. All 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.
7/21/24 --
RIO RANCHO, NM - Sunday night at the Rio Rancho Events Center marked the 128th and final regular season game of the 2024 IFL Season, contested between the Northern Arizona Wranglers and Duke City Gladiators. The Wranglers entered tonight's contest already having been eliminated from playoff contention as a result of Arizona's 41-34 victory over the San Antonio Gunslingers last night, while Duke City has been out of the running since June. The game still had some shining moments, even without any immediate rewards for the current season at stake, with most of those high-impact plays coming from the boys in black and teal. In a game where both teams left everything on the field, the Gladiators came away with a 69-48 victory.
The action got started with a Duke City drive, ending in a field goal attempt from Ernesto Lacayo. His 26-yarder was partially blocked, resulting in the Wranglers taking possession. Northern Arizona would draw first blood moments later with an eight-yard pass from Josh Jones to Deshon Stoudemire. The seven-point lead turned to an eight-point advantage following a rouge on the ensuing kickoff. A strong run of 47 yards by Devanaire Concliffe took the sting right out, and the lead flipped to the Gladiators with a deuce from Lacayo. That momentum found its way into the Duke City defense, where they stopped the Wranglers on a fourth down deep in their own territory. The Gladiators promptly capitalized with a four-yard touchdown pass from Javin Kilgo to Tamorrion Terry. Northern Arizona found one last score before the first-quarter buzzer, with Jones targeting John Maldonado on a seven-yard touchdown pass, with an Axel Perez dropkick evening the game out at 16 apiece after one quarter of play.
Duke City continued its torrid offensive stretch to start the following quarter, with Kilgo running in a 24-yard touchdown up the middle. After another Lacayo deuce, the Wranglers made a quarterback change, with Jones giving way to Dillon Sterling-Cole. Sadly for the Wranglers, a pass from the rookie backup found the hands of Craig Holmes for a Duke City interception. The Gladiators would attack on the ground once more, with a fourth consecutive touchdown drive ending with Jordan Byrd's 15-yard sprint. Northern Arizona's second drive with Sterling-Cole did not yield a touchdown, but did manage three points with a successful 36-yard field goal from Perez. Duke City's streak of touchdown drives would be stopped right at the one-minute warning, with a Kilgo pass unable to find Gourney Sloan for a pivotal Wrangler stand. A prompt three-and-out, however, would summon Perez for a 56-yard field goal that missed wide left. Just enough time remained for a 45-yard attempt from Lacayo, but his kick veered to the right to end the half, with the Gladiators carrying a 32-19 lead.
The second half opened with a third deuce off the boot of Lacayo, putting Northern Arizona in a 15-point hole for their offense to overcome. They ate into that deficit with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Sterling-Cole to Maldonado, along with a Perez dropkick to bring the game back to a manageable 34-27 margin. The Wranglers kept their rivals out of the endzone once more, but a strong 45-yard field goal from Lacayo allowed the Gladiators to escape with at least a few more points to add to their total. Lacayo doubled down with yet another deuce, and the Wranglers took their next drive through to the end of the third quarter, setting the stage for an exciting finish with the Gladiators ahead 39-27.
A supercharged fourth quarter began with an Axel Perez 30-yard field goal to wrap up Northern Arizona's previous drive. Duke City swung back with another Kilgo-to-Terry connection, this one coming from 15 yards out on a third-and-ten play. Lacayo bombed away another deuce to continue his hot streak, and a combined sack effort from Jamel Williams and Kwame Sutton result resulting in a safety to propel the Gladiator lead to 20 points. Kilgo and Terry would continue their fun on a quick 29-yard touchdown pass on the next drive. The Wranglers responded with a four-yard touchdown pass from Sterling-Cole to Maldonado, but a failed onside kick gave great starting position to the Gladiators. While Duke City could not find a touchdown, a chip shot 20-yarder from Lacayo still got them to the 60-point mark of the contest, and his sixth deuce thereafter ran the count up to 62 points. With nothing further to lose, Sterling-Cole tossed a deep pass to Kobay White, which he made a great play on for a 45-yard touchdown reception. Kilgo's first mistake of the game arrived with just over three minutes to go, with one of his passes intercepted by Travion Banks to restore some faith in an improbable Wranglers comeback bid. They scored quickly on a 45-yard reception from Sterling-Cole to Maldonado. The onside kick magic was not there for Perez, though, and the Gladiators took advantage of another short field, allowing Kilgo to find Concliffe for an 11-yard touchdown pass. One final attempt to score for the Wranglers was thwarted by an interception by Gregory Dent, making that the impact play to close the book on the 2024 Regular Season. In an impressive showing in their home finale, Duke City crushes Northern Arizona, 69-48.
Javin Kilgo drew the start for the Gladiators and completed 14 of 24 passes for 151 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception, adding three rushes for 24 yards and a touchdown. Devanaire Concliffe rushed seven times for 64 yards and a touchdown and added four catches for 45 yards and a score. Tamorrion Terry led Duke City with five catches for 80 yards and three touchdowns. Jamel Williams recorded a half sack which went for a safety and led the team with seven tackles, while Gregory Dent and Craig Holmes both intercepted passes in the victory. Ernesto Lacayo set a new IFL single-game record with six deuces and finished the game accounting for 25 of Duke City's 69 points.
Northern Arizona split the load at quarterback tonight. Josh Jones started and completed four of nine passes for 48 yards and two touchdowns. Dillon Sterling-Cole took over in the second quarter and compiled a stat line of 16-for-28 passing for 244 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions. He rushed five times for 35 yards as well. John Maldonado caught five passes for 96 yards and four touchdowns, while Kobay White (4/76/1) and Deshon Stoudemire (8/64/1) also had a receiving touchdowns. Malik Sonnier had seven tackles to lead all Wrangler defenders, Dajor Davenport logged a sack, and Travion Banks added to his season-long total with an interception.
Needless to say with the score line as it is, both offenses did whatever they wanted to, with Northern Arizona having the sizable advantage in yards gained, 321 to 249. Duke City was a plus-two in turnover differential thanks to their pair of interceptions. The Wranglers were called for seven penalties, costing them 41 yards, while the Gladiators took four penalties for 31 yards.
Since the inception of this rivalry in 2021, the Gladiators have dominated this particular matchup. Tonight was no different, with the victory giving the Gladiators an eight game to two lead in the all-time series. The Gladiators exacted revenge for their prior loss this season to the Wranglers in Prescott Valley, where they lost 39-23 on April 20.
Tonight's game closes the book on 2024 for both teams, with the Wranglers finishing the campaign with a 9-7 record, while Duke City ends with a 3-13 mark.
The start of the playoffs for the eight qualifying teams will take place next weekend, starting with Friday's match in the Eastern Conference between [#4] Quad City and [#1] Green Bay. That game will kick off at 5:05pm PT. All 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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