Post by DiamondThief on Aug 11, 2024 18:59:23 GMT -8
The 2024 season of the Indoor Football League has nearly come to a close. It's been an outstanding season of triumphs, shortfalls and upsets. Sixteen teams faced off in 128 regular season games culminating with the playoffs. Those playoffs have featured the top four teams in each of the Western and Eastern conferences. The three-round playoffs have culminated in the Massachusetts Pirates and Arizona Rattlers facing off in the 2024 IFL National Championship game on August 17 at Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada.
This is the sixth season we have presented these awards and we do so to honor the top players, head coach and Game of the Year in the Indoor Football league. Several nominees were considered and we aim to bring what we feel are the at the top in the respective categories. Our Golden Helmet Awards reflect performances during the regular season and do not include playoff action.
Three years ago, the Golden Helmet Awards were expanded. An award is presented to the Most Valuable Player which is symbolic of what a player meant to his team and its season's success. Our former Offensive Player of the Year Award evolved as well. Given that indoor football is a quarterback-centered league, we decided to split this honor into two forms; Quarterback of the Year and Offensive Specialist of the Year. The former is a more represented of the individual performance of the quarterback and can include more statistical analysis than the MVP award, while the latter category consists of the best outstanding performance by a running back or wide receiver.
Individual performances were abound all season long and in several games in particular. As we put together our 2024 Golden Helmet Awards, we took the five lead staff members which cover the IFL for Sports Coast to Coast (SCtoC) voted in nine categories to determine the top performers of the season. Each category consisted of five finalists. In the event of a tie (we had two this year), the tiebreaker was created by the elimination of the third choice which was not involved in the tie and that voter cast their vote for one of the two leaders. For example, in our Coach of the Year category, two nominees received two votes and one received one. The voter who cast their ballet for the eliminated player, coach or game was allowed to break the tie by casting a tiebreaking vote for one of the two finalists.
All of the nominees had noteworthy seasons and moments and should be honored and recognized for those. We have attempted to encapsulate both the individual performances and how they came to be honored here on our pages. Beginning last season, we added a comment from one of our voters in each category and we continue that this year. This year, we have included the historical winners of the Golden Helmet Awards each season we have presented them. At the bottom of each year's list of winners is the accompanying link to that years version of this post.
Click for our SCtoC 2024 IFL Schedule, which includes links to the our original recap of each game. Without further ado, the following are the Sports Coast to Coast IFL 2024 Golden Helmet Awards.
Most Valuable Player
(Photo courtesy Vegas Knight Hawks)
JA'ROME JOHNSON, QB, VEGAS KNIGHT HAWKS
Through process of elimination, this came down to two players. Johnson earns this honor by a 4-1 vote over Sam Castronova. Most of this was due to Johnson's impact in leading the Knight Hawks to their first playoff berth and, on top of that, the second seed in the Western Conference. Johnson was fourth in the league with 43 passing touchdowns while throwing for 1,926 yards and led the league with 37 rushing touchdowns off 770 yards. This is Johnson's first such honor. He started last season with the Green Bay Blizzard, but played sparingly after suffering an injury in the season opener. He came to Vegas over the off season and led the team to seven-straight wins to begin the season. Voter Input: "At the end of the day, Johnson was consistently solid all year and led a turnaround for the Knight Hawks. Not too difficult of a choice." -HMB
Quarterback of the Year
(Photo courtesy San Antonio Gunslingers)
SAM CASTRONOVA, QB, SAN ANTONIO GUNSLINGERS
Castronova was the backbone of the Gunslingers this season. While they had their defensive struggles during the year, their quarterback had their offense at the top of the charts. Castronova led the IFL in every major passing category; most notably in passing touchdowns with 75 and in passing yards with 3,336. He also rushed for 439 yards and 23 touchdowns. Castronova's four main receivers each caught 54 or more passes with three of them reaching the 70-plus receptions plateau. He led the Gunslingers to four fourth-quarter comebacks. He may or not return to the Gunslingers, as head coach Tom Menas recently said he does not re-sign his starting quarterback until October of the off-season. Voter Input: "Castronova was instrumental in leading the Gunslingers to their .500 record. After starting out 0-3, they played behind from a a standings standpoint all season, so that's a substantial feat." -ANM
Offensive Specialist of the Year
(Photo courtesy Massachusetts Pirates)
JIMMIE ROBINSON, RB, MASSACHUSETTS PIRATES
Robinson won this category by a 4-1 count, with the remaining vote going to San Antonio Gunslingers wide receiver Nyquan Murray. Robinson was the glue which held the Pirates' offense together. He stepped up to make the Pirates competitive. He led all IFL running backs with 28 rushing touchdowns and 905 rushing yards. He also caught 56 passes for 418 yards and four touchdowns. The Pirates owe a lot to their season, and their success thus far in the playoffs to the reliability of Robinson's abilities. This is second honor here, having won the Golden Helmet Award last year as Offensive Rookie of the Year. Voter Input: "His contributions in every facet of the game he touched arguably single-handedly saved the Pirates’ season, all things considered. For starters, Robinson takes him his second consecutive IFL rushing crown, taking defenses for 905 yards rushing (roughly 4.5 ypc) and also exhibiting the same level of immaculate ball control as he did a season ago with no fumbles lost." -AS
Defensive Player of the Year
(Photo via IFL)
RAVARIUS RIVERS, DB, GREEN BAY BLIZZARD
There were some intriguing players on SCtoC's ballot but, in the end, Rivers was the unanimous choice due to his all-around performance this season. His 92.5 tackles were third in the IFL and he was the co-leader in interceptions with eight. He also anchored the top-rated defense in the league which helped power the Blizzard to a franchise-best 13-3 record and the first seed in the Eastern Conference. If there was a play being made, Rivers was typically near the football. He also added 10 pass break ups and three tackles for loss to his 2024 resume. Voter Input: "Ravarius was a key contributor to the league's #1 scoring defense and total defense. He had a nose for the football all season, leading the Blizzard in tackles, ranking in the Top 5 in the IFL in solo tackles (3rd) and assists (4th), and leading the league with nine interceptions. His contributions led to a historic regular season for the Blizzard in which they set the franchise record for most wins in a season (13). In a crowded field of excellent defenders, it's hard to deny the contributions Ravarius performed all season long." -DKH
Special Teams Player of the Year
(Photo courtesy San Antonio Gunslingers)
TC STEVENS, K, SAN ANTONIO GUNSLINGERS
This particular vote came down to a tiebreaker between Stevens and Jarrod Harrington, kick returner and wide receiver for the Quad City Steamwheelers. The vote reflects Stevens' high percentage of point-after makes but, even more so, his IFL record 21 deuces this season. He seemed to become more apt at the deuce game by game. The Gunslingers only attempted six field goals this year, opting rather to go for it more on fourth down, per head coach Tom Menas' philosophy. The majority of our voters decided not to count that against Stevens, who retired at the end of the season after a long career in indoor/arena football. Voter Input: "I considered going with Harrington here for his kickoff average and four touchdowns, but I went with Stevens. He had a solid XP percentage and record-setting number of deuces." -HMB
Offensive Rookie of the Year
(Photo by Matt Hinshaw)
JOSHUA JONES, QB, NORTHERN ARIZONA WRANGLERS
Jones established himself early in the season as the dual-threat quarterback with a strong arm. In some voters' eyes, he was the early favorite this season and did not let. He led the Wranglers to a 9-7 record and, though they missed a playoff spot, they had some terrific moments. He was ranked in the top three in regular season with 2,912 passing yards and 56 scores through the air with just seven interceptions. He was effective on the ground, as well, as he led the team with 128 rushes, 671 yards and 21 touchdowns. Retaining Jones into next season would go a long way to building a contender in Prescott Valley. The vote was not unanimous, however, as Wranglers wide receiver John Maldonado received a vote in this category. Voter Input: "The Wranglers fell short of the playoffs this season and there were some missed opportunities there. On the other side of it, Jones led a talented team to the brink of the playoffs. In fact, had they been in the Eastern Conference, they would have been the third seed. I enjoyed watching him play." -MMM
Defensive Rookie of the Year
(Photo courtesy Vegas Knight Hawks)
BRYCE HAMPTON, DB, VEGAS KNIGHT HAWKS
There was a talented group of rookies in the IFL this season and any number of players could have come away with this honor, but voters tabbed him by a 4-1 count. The dissenting vote interestingly went to his Knight Hawks teammate, Makel Calhoun. The two were close in impact with Hampton's eight interceptions and 10 pass break ups becoming the deciding factor for some. He also had 62.5 tackles and a tackle for loss. Vegas' defense was much improved this season and was a big reason why the team reached the playoffs (earning the second seed) with an 11-5 record in just the third season as a franchise. Hampton was a huge part of that, playing the part of ball hawk in the secondary. Should he come back, perhaps accompanied by Calhoun, the future could look bright for the Knight Hawks. Duke City Gladiators' defensive back Aaron Jackson also got some consideration among some voters. Voter Input: "Another tough decision here, with so many impressive first-year defenders showing out this season. I’ll once again pivot to Vegas for my nomination of Bryce Hampton for DPOY. The rookie showed incredible shutdown ability, with his eight interceptions trailing only DROY nomination Ravarius Rivers for the league lead in that category." -AS
Game of the Year
(Photo by Titus Wilkinson)
JULY 7 - WRANGLERS 47, PANTHERS 46
Narrowing down one game of the year out of 128 games isn't the easiest task out there. However, this category turned out to be unanimous. With under nine minutes left, the Wranglers found themselves down 46-23 -- a 23-point margin. They clawed their way back, scoring three touchdowns in the final 5:12 of the game. The first came on a 14-yard pass from Joshua Jones to Tosin Oyekanmi. The second came on a six-yard run from Jones with 1:06 left. That put the score at 46-37 in favor of the Panthers. That's when the Wranglers pulled off the improbable 10-point play. The got the ball back due to an onside kick recovery at their own 10 and drove down tp the Bay area five-yard line, scoring on a touchdown toss from Jones to Gene Coleman II with four seconds remaining. Kicker Axel Perez took care of the rest. He converted a two-point dropkick conversion to pull the Wranglers' to within a point. Then, Perez nailed the deuce to complete the comeback. The Panthers had one last shot, but Stevie Artique's 54-yard field goal was no good. Click for the SCtoC Game Recap. Voter Input: "At one point this game was a 25 point deficit for the Wranglers - 25! Scoreboard creepers seeing the score as 40-15 would have probably assumed it would end in a Bay Area victory with 5:12 left in the 3rd. While Northern Arizona and Bay Area would ultimately score trade touchdowns to make the score 40-23 going into the 4th quarter. This game proved that no lead is safe when it comes to indoor football, and if you think the game is lost, stick with it because there's always that chance. A no-brainer decision in naming this the Game of the Year." -DKH
Coach of the Year
(Photo by David Frerker)
TAYLOR GENUSER, HC, SAN DIEGO STRIKE FORCE
This category came down to three head coaches who led their teams to their respective best seasons in their franchise histories. Then, it was narrowed to two. In a tiebreaking vote, Genuser wins the nod to the Strike Force's turnaround. They've always been talented on offense, but this year the coach put together a tough defense which, among other things, led the IFL in interceptions as a unit. The Strike Force earned their first-ever playoff berth and might have claimed the second seed had they not rested some key players in the season finale. He took over the helm of the team midway through the 2022 season and has proven he has what it takes to build a contender. Corey Roberson of the Green Bay Blizzard, who won this honor in 2019, and Mike Davis of the Vegas Knight Hawks were in the running as well. Voter Input: "Genuser gets my nod for having built a solid contender and leading the Strike Force to it's first playoff berth. I also looked at Davis and Roberson." -ANM
Previous Golden Helmet Award Winners
Check out the previous threads of our SCtoC IFL Golden Helmet Awards. Links to the threads are listed at the bottom of each year's honorees:
2023
Most Valuable Player: Drew Powell, Arizona Rattlers
Quarterback of the Year: TJ Edwards, Frisco Fighters
Offensive Specialist of the Year: Justin Rankin, Bay Area Panthers
Defensive Player of the Year: Jordan Jones, Tulsa Oilers
Special Teams Player of the Year: Charles Headen III, Frisco Fighters
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Jimmie Robinson, Massachusetts Pirates
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Kishawn Walker, Northern Arizona Wranglers
Game of the Year: June 3 - Rattlers 63, Wranglers 62 - 2OT
Coach of the Year: Kurtiss Riggs, Sioux Falls Storm
Full Article: 2023 SCtoC IFL Golden Helmet Awards
2022
Most Valuable Player: Drew Powell, Arizona Rattlers
Quarterback of the Year: Ramone Atkins, Duke City Gladiators
Offensive Specialist of the Year: Justin Rankin, Frisco Fighters
Defensive Player of the Year: James Brown, Green Bay Blizzard
Special Teams Player of the Year: Sawyer Petre, Sioux Falls Storm
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Kaleb Barker, Northern Arizona Wranglers
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Nathan Sheets, Quad City Steamwheelers
Game of the Year: April 8 - San Diego Strike Force 67, Tucson Sugar Skulls 66
Coach of the Year: Les Moss, Northern Arizona Wranglers
Full Article: 2022 SCtoC IFL Golden Helmet Awards
2021
Most Valuable Player: Nate Davis, Duke City Gladiators
Quarterback of the Year: Drew Powell, Arizona Rattlers
Offensive Specialist of the Year: Dello Davis, Duke City Gladiators
Defensive Player of the Year: Charles Williams, Frisco Fighters
Special Teams Player of the Year: Sawyer Petre, Spokane Shock
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Laquvionte Gonzalez, Massachusetts Pirates
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Zuril Hendrick, Bismarck Bucks
Special Teams Rookie of the Year: Laquvionte Gonzalez, Massachusetts Pirates
Game of the Year: July 31 - Massachusetts Pirates 63, Spokane Shock 57 - 2OT
Coach of the Year: Patrick Pass, Massachusetts Pirates
Full Article: 2021 SCtoC IFL Golden Helmet Awards
2020
None - Season Canceled
2019
Offensive Player of the Year: Daquan Neal, Iowa Barnstormers
Defensive Player of the Year: Davontae Merriweather, Arizona Rattlers
Special Teams Player of the Year: Marques Rodgers, San Diego Strike Force
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Tommy Armstrong Jr., Nebraska Danger
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Treyvon Williams, Iowa Barnstormers
Individual Game Performance of the Year: Lorenzo Brown Jr, Sioux Falls Storm
Game of the Year: June 8 - Arizona Rattlers 50, Tucson Sugar Skulls 49
Coach of the Year: Corey Roberson, Green Bay Blizzard
Full Article: 2019 SCtoC IFL Golden Helmet Awards
2018
Offensive Player of the Year: Drew Powell, Iowa Barnstormers
Defensive Player of the Year: Ricarlo Bell, Cedar Rapids Titans
Special Teams Player of the Year: Miles Bergner, Sioux Falls Storm
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Jake Medlock, Cedar Rapids Titans
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Ricarlo Bell, Cedar Rapids Titans
Individual Game Performance of the Year: Darrell Monroe, Arizona Rattlers
Game of the Year: April 28 - Arizona Rattlers 84, Cedar Rapids Titans 83
Coach of the Year: Dixie Wooten, Iowa Barnstormers
Full Article: 2018 SCtoC IFL Golden Helmet Awards
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