’Tis the end of the 2024 IFL regular season. Don’t be sad it’s over, be happy it happened. This season provided us with many thrilling games and compelling storylines all year, but more importantly it provided us with a sanctuary of consistency and sanity in a year that saw a lot of chaos and turmoil in the Arena football world.
We’ve got the playoffs starting this week, but this past weekend was the last time that we will see 8 of these teams in action for the 2024 season. Some teams went out with a bang, while others went out with a whimper — but what did we learn in the final week of the IFL regular season?
Massachusetts Pirates @ Tulsa Oilers
Result: 44-24 Tulsa
What We Learned: Pirates are looking rough heading into the playoffs & Tulsa was one play away from making the dance
Ultimately, this game didn’t really matter for the Pirates. They were in the playoffs regardless, it just needed to be determined if they would be the 3 or 4 seed. But they still came out really flat on offense that has to be worrisome for Pirates fans heading into the first round matchup against Frisco.
Alejandro Bennifield got the start at QB but was eventually pulled out of caution to make sure he was good to go for the playoffs. RB Jimmie Robinson was heavily involved in the passing game, hauling in 9 catches for 64 yards, but there wasn’t much else for Mass to hand their hats on.
The Pirates will travel to Texas to take on the Frisco Fighters in the first round of the playoffs.
For Tulsa, this was a strong finish to the season but they HAVE to be kicking themselves for how this they self sabotaged their season. Everything that needed to happen in order to make the playoffs happened - but they just needed to hold Quad City out of the end zone last week with 5 seconds left.
Look at the rest of their season and their offense hit a VERY rough patch where if they showed any signs of life during that 6 game losing streak, they are probably in the playoffs right now.
But in terms of this game, Andre Sale had a tremendous day - going 20/31 for 191 yards & 6 TDs, while getting the ball to the IFL leader in receptions Alexis Rosario 7 times for 88 yards & a TD and Jarrod Ware 9 times for 76 yards & 2 TDs.
You still have to consider 2024 a success for the Oilers despite coming up short of the playoffs. They went 3-13 last season in their inaugural season and doubled their win total for this year.
This Tulsa team has a bright future if they can retain some of these main pieces on both sides of the ball, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a couple names get poached by other teams or to the next level in the UFL or CFL. Tough ending for Tulsa but excited for their future.
Arizona Rattlers @ San Antonio Gunslingers
Result: 41-34 Arizona
What We Learned: Arizona’s running game is trending in the right direction & San Antonio seemed to run out of gas in this one
Heading into this game, Arizona was in a “win and you’re in” situation for the playoffs and they were in control for the majority of this game, eventually cruising to the win in the second half. The rushing attack was the star of this one, with RB Shannon Brooks scoring 3 TDs on the ground & QB Dalton Sneed adding 2 more.
This game had a point total of 104.5 at kickoff, indicating that a lottttt of people thought this was going to be a shootout — myself included. But both defenses played surprisingly well in this one. Both teams had a couple of turnovers in the first half that really derailed any momentum for either offense and made this one a lot more tame than expected.
For the Gunslingers, last week I mentioned that QB Sam Castronova was 6 TDs away from hitting 100 total (passing & rushing) and thought he had a strong chance to hit in this one — but he really couldn’t get much going early on in the passing game. He ended the day going 11/26 for 144 yards, 3 TDs & an INT adding another TD on the ground — bringing his season total to 98. So close!
Nyqwan Murray continued his strong finish to the season with 5 catches for 56 yards & 2 TDs, with DJ Myers getting 59 yards & a TD as well. This San Antonio offense had a historic first season in the IFL, but came to an end without a playoff birth primarily due to their poor defense throughout the year.
Quad City Steamwheelers @ Jacksonville Sharks
Result: 43-37 Jacksonville
What We Learned: Quad City’s road woes don’t bode well for the playoffs & Jacksonville is going to be electric in 2025
Jacksonville stunk for the majority of this season, but I’ll be damned if they weren’t ELECTRIC towards the end of the year. They finished the last quarter of the season with a 3-1 record, and that lone loss was to number one seed Green Bay by just 3 points.
It is a night and day difference between the Sharks team we saw in Week 1-4 vs Week 15-19 — and it is primarily due to the quarterback play of Kaleb Barker. He injected life into this offense and has the organization and the fanbase fired up for 2025.
And if you want to talk about an ELECTRIC ending to the season, look no further than the game winning kick six missed field goal return with no time left by Tyler King.
Unreal ending to the game that gave them a win over a playoff bound team and gives a lot of reasons to be optimistic about IFL year two in 2025.
On the other side, the road woes continue for Quad City. When the Steamwheelers are at home, they average the following on offense & defense in terms of points scored and points allowed:
Offense - 45.8
Defense - 44.3
But when they are on the road, the numbers tell a much different story:
Offense - 39.1
Defense - 47.5
This is problematic for Quad City because they are the 4 seed in the playoffs — meaning every single game is going to be a road game leading to the IFL National Championship.
At the time of this post being published, a box score was not yet available for the game -- idk what happened, but we'll skip it for now. I do know that PJ Vander scored again (#FeedVander).
Quad City is in the dance, but have a very tough draw in the number one seed Green Bay Blizzard in the first round on Friday night.
Green Bay Blizzard @ Sioux Falls Storm
Result: 51-30 Green Bay
What We Learned: Green Bay is hot heading into the playoffs & Sioux Falls finally gets put out of their misery
Heading into this one, Green Bay needed a win to clinch the number one seed and home field all throughout the playoffs — and they came out and DOMINATED this game.
They got out to a 30-7 lead early in the 3rd quarter and just keep them foot on the gas to crush the Storm. QB Max Meylor had an UNREAL game, going 23/28 for 265 yards & 5 TDs, with 2 more TDs added on the ground — 7 total in the game!
RB EJ Burgess also had a huge game through the air, hauling in 9 catches for 123 yards & 2 TDs. DB Ravarius Rivers added another interception to his total on the year and the Green Bay defense was suffocating the Storm offense the entire game.
This team is a primed for a playoff run and both the offense and defense are dialed in ready for Quad City this weekend.
On the other side, it’s finally over, Sioux Falls fans. This team can’t hurt you anymore. This was the toughest test of the season for QB Jiya Wright so far and he did okay all things considered, but just couldn’t get anything going until it was way too late.
Wright finished 7/15 for 72 yards, 2 TDs & an INT, but added another 90 yards and a ground score — but took 20 rushing attempts to get there. WR Draysean Hudson hauled in 4 catches for 55 yards & 2 TDs to end the year strong, but there really wasn’t much else going well for the Storm.
This might be the last time that we see Lorenzo Brown Jr (again) and it is the end of an era for the Storm (again). The worst season in Sioux Falls history is a wrap and there’s nowhere to go but up…right? RIGHT?!
Iowa Barnstormers @ Frisco Fighters
Result: 59-47 Frisco
What We Learned: Iowa went out fighting & Frisco is turning it up on offense
Frisco got off to a slow-ish start in this one, but ultimately was eventually able to pull ahead and outlast the Barnstormers. Iowa jumped out to a quick 14-5 lead, but Frisco was able to get a couple of interceptions and jump ahead at the start of the second half.
QB TJ Edwards had another great game to end the year, going 11/17 for 147 yards & 3 TDs, with 54 yards & 4 more TDs on the ground. WR Phazion McClurge had another monster week with 6 catches for 94 yards & 2 TDs and is heating up just in time for the playoffs — with a couple of long grabs that really stretched the field for the Frisco offense. DB Ethan Casselberry snagged 2 interceptions for on defense for the Fighters and really flipped the momentum of the game for Frisco’s 13th of the year.
Frisco is in a really great spot heading into the playoffs, but will be without RB Justin Rankin — as he just signed with the Edmonton Elks of the CFL. The Fighters offense is still stacked assuming that they can get everyone back in the rotation for the playoffs (RB Martez Carter, WR Cole Blackman) and should be good with the week of rest some of their key pieces had in Week 19.
For Iowa, they went out fighting and jumped out to an impressive early lead over a really good Fighters team, but as has been the case with other Iowa games this year, turnovers did them in.
QB Brandon Alt went 16/28 for 264 yards & 6 TDs, but with 2 crucial INTs. The good news is that Alt found 4 different receivers for touchdowns in the game, with WR Keyshawn Taylor getting 5 catches for 85 yards & a TD and WR Quain Williams getting 5 catches for 71 yards & 3 TDs.
The bad news is that Iowa had no presence on the ground, with only 5 total carries for 23 yards on the day. All year the Barnstormers have been able to get big plays through the air, but at the cost of potential game altering turnovers.
In 2025, if Iowa is able to focus on improving their balance in the running game, they should be more competitive. It really seems like the loss of RB Antonio Wimbush to Vegas in the offseason affected this team a lot more than we realized at the time.
Bay Area Panthers @ San Diego Strike Force
Result: 30-20 Bay Area
What We Learned: This was the most uneventful Cali Clash of the year, but we get redemption next week!
With Bay Area having locked up the number one seed prior to this week and San Diego securing a playoff birth a couple of weeks back, this game was essentially a preseason game for both of these teams. Neither starting QB played in this one and there were a handful of other players that had limited playing for both teams in order to avoid any risk of injury.
Bay Area started QB Felix Harper in this one and he had a pretty solid game passing the ball (11/15 for 84 yards, a TD & an INT), but made some throws that were questionable and could have potentially had multiple INTs in this one.
WR Jazeric Peterson had a phenomenal over the wall touchdown catch and RB Ben Jones got the ball 16 times for 52 yards & his first 2 TDs as a Panther. This was very much a “run the clock out and get to next week” game for both teams if we are being honest.
On the other side, this was the Rudy Johnson read option show early in this one with Johnson getting the start at QB, but newly signed QB Darius James Peterson got some reps in the offense by unfortunately didn’t really do well passing the ball (4/13 for 79 yards, a TD & an INT). He did, however, score 2 TDs on the ground, which is where he has exceeded in the past.
This was a very forgettable game the Strike Force offense, but I don’t think they seemed to mind. This hardly resembled the Cali Clash that we already saw 3 separate times earlier this season, but the good news is we get to run it back next week in the playoffs — AT FULL STRENGTH!
Tucson Sugar Skulls @ Vegas Knight Hawks
Result: 49-25 Vegas
What We Learned: Vegas leapfrogged San Diego to the 2 seed & Tucson wraps up 2024 with the worst record in the IFL
Vegas needed a win and a San Diego loss in order to jump to the number two seed and that is exactly what happened! Vegas started off hot but allowed Tucson to creep back into the game in the second quarter, before really blowing the doors off of this one in the 4th quarter.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one -- but Ja’Rome Johnson had himself a day. 10/14 for 180 yards & 5 TDs passing, with 13 rushes for 54 yards & 2 TDs on the ground. Another 7 TD game for the IFL MVP candidate!
WR Quentin Randolph had quite the day, hauling in 3 catches for 84 yards & 2 TDs, including a Hail Mary right before half time that was a dart from Johnson and a incredible effort to go up and get it by Randolph. That catch came at a time when Tucson had the momentum heading into halftime and Vegas ripped right back in their favor and kept it the rest of the way.
Vegas makes the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and will be hosting the Arizona Rattlers on Saturday night.
On the other side, Tucson had a really strong first half and kept it close with Vegas behind a couple of rushing TDs by Devonte Sapp-Lynch, but really struggled in the passing game when they started to fall behind in the second half. QB Vincent Espinoza ended the day going 10/21 for 87 yards, a TD & 2 INTs and could really only connect with Sapp-Lynch consistently.
This was a nightmare season for Tucson, as they finished with a 2-14 record and went through 8 different starting QBs throughout the season. Coach Billy Back seemed very optimistic about the team’s outlook in 2025 if they get the chance to give it another shot with this same core, but we’ll have to wait and see if he gets that opportunity.
Northern Arizona Wranglers @ Duke City Gladiators
Result: 69-48 Duke City
What We Learned: NAZ looked uninspired in the early going & Ernesto Lacayo flexed hard to end the season
This was a tough spot for the Northern Arizona Wranglers, as they had a shot at the playoffs heading into the weekend but the Arizona Rattlers clinched the final spot on Saturday night with their win against the Gunslingers. It was very apparent that the Wranglers weren’t playing their usual brand of football early on, and with their season wrapped up the gave the keys for the offense to backup QB Dillon Sterling-Cole to get some playing time and see what he can do.
Sterling-Cole looked rough at the beginning, but eventually found his groove — going 16/28 for 244 passing yards, 4 TDs & 2 INTs, with another 33 yards on the ground. As has been the case with NAZ all season, they could not get much going on the ground game outside of the QB yet again, with non QBs getting 3 carries for -5 yards on the day.
In 2025, if the Wranglers are able to bring back Joshua Jones and get a true RB to accompany him, this team can be very dangerous in the West yet again. The presence of Jarrod Ware from the 2023 team was very apparent at times through the season and needs to be addressed to take the next step and get back into the playoffs.
For Duke City, they kept fighting and chugging along and ended their year with a season high in points scored with 69 (nice). QB Javin Kilgo had a strong day going 14/24 for 151 yards, 4 TDs & an INT, with 3 of those TDs going to WR Tamarrion Terry who has emerged as the big-bodied WR1 that the Gladiators have needed since he was acquired from Jacksonville midseason.
Duke City was able to apply constant pressure to Northern Arizona in this one, primarily due to Ernesto Lacayo having one of the best kicking performances of any player in any given week this year in the IFL — scoring 25 total points via 6 Deuces, 7 XPs & 2 FGs.
Every single time Duke City scored, they Lacayo seemed to tack on ANOTHER 2 points via the deuce just kept the boot on the Wranglers neck all game long. The Wranglers would do a great job of scoring 7-8 points to stay in it, but Duke City would seemingly always answer with 9 points via a touchdown, XP & deuce and made things very difficult for NAZ.
Certainly not the most ideal season for Duke City, but it seems like the coaching change that brought in new Head Coach Kerry Locklin was a step in the right direction. We’ll have to see if Duke City decides to give him a full run next year as a the head coach, or if they will look to bring in a fresh face for 2025.
Playoffs start next week! Peep the podcast this week for a preview of what's to come and what to expect!
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