
In Week 19 of the 2024 IFL season, several teams were still competing either for their seeding in the 1st round of the playoffs or, in the case of the Arizona Rattlers and Northern Arizona Wranglers, still fighting for a playoff berth. With the stakes high, several teams put themselves in a position to host a first-round playoff game like the Vegas Knight Hawks. Those games during the final seeding of each playoff team in the East and West, setting up the matchups for the first round of the IFL playoffs starting on July 26th.
Western Conference Matchups
#4 San Diego Strike Force (10-6) @ #1 Bay Area Panthers (13-3), Sunday, July 28th at 7:05 pm EST
#3 Arizona Rattlers (11-5) @ #2 Vegas Knight Hawks (11-5), Saturday, July 27th at 10:05 pm EST
Eastern Conference Matchups
#4 Quad City Steamwheelers (8-8) @ Green Bay Blizzard (13-3), Friday, July 26th at 8:05 pm EST
#3 Massachusetts Pirates (8-8) @ #2 Frisco Fighters (13-3), Saturday, July 27th at 7:05 pm EST
Note: IFL fans can stream all IFL playoffs games on the IFL Network on YouTube.
In addition to the teams looking forward to the playoffs, several teams were trying to finish the season on a high note heading into the off-season. Among those teams were the Tulsa Oilers, which picked up a win against the Massachusetts Pirates, the Jacksonville Sharks, after struggling for the majority of their first season in the IFL, finished on a high note with a win over the Quad City Steamwheelers, and the Duke City Gladiators found a way to get their third win of the season against the Northern Arizona Wranglers. Many of these teams hope to use a season-ending win as a springboard to a more successful season in 2025, similar to the remarkable turnaround by the Green Bay Blizzard, which went from not qualifying for the playoffs in 2023 to being the top seed in the Eastern Conference in 2024.
Let’s examine the results of the Week 19 games as the IFL teams head into the playoffs.
Tulsa Oilers (6-10) 44, Massachusetts Pirates (8-8) 24
After a frustrating season, the Tulsa Oilers finished the 2024 season on a high note by winning against the Massachusetts Pirates. The Oilers, led by quarterback Andre Sale, completed 20 out of 31 passes for 191 yards and six touchdown passes. In addition to Sale, running back Jarrod Ware made a significant impact by catching nine passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns while adding four carries for 14 yards. Wide receiver D’marcus Adams also caught two touchdown passes and wide receiver Alexis Rosario caught seven passes for 68 yards and a touchdown. Having already secured a playoff spot and being guaranteed to play on the road, the Pirates gave Connor Degenhardt some playing time. However, that did not stop running back Jimmie Robinson from catching nine passes for 64 yards and scoring a rushing touchdown.
Arizona Rattlers (11-5) 41, San Antonio Gunslingers (8-8) 34
The Arizona Rattlers traveled to face the San Antonio Gunslingers, knowing they needed a win to secure their playoff spot after a challenging start to the 2024 season. The Rattlers picked up a road win behind the efforts of quarterback Dalton Sneed, who completed 11 out of 17 passes for 83 yards and a touchdown, adding 18 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Running back Shannon Brooks also made a colossal impact, rushing for 68 yards and scoring three rushing touchdowns. San Antonio struggled to produce points against the Rattler’s defense, but quarterback Sam Castronova did throw for 144 yards, resulting in 3 touchdowns and adding a rushing touchdown.
Jacksonville Sharks (5-11) 43, Quad City Steamwheelers (8-8) 37
The Jacksonville Sharks picked up a hard-fought win against the Quad City Steamwheelers after struggling for most of their first season in the IFL. Jacksonville relied on the performance of quarterback Kaleb Barker, who completed 12 out of 21 passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns, and he also ran for 31 yards and a touchdown. Sharks running back Tyler King also supported the success of the Jacksonville offense while running for 58 yards and a touchdown. Like the Massachusetts Pirates, the Steamwheelers used Week 19 to rest players and avoid significant injuries heading into the 1st round of the playoffs. Quad City quarterback Judd Erickson completed 6 out of 11 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown, and backup quarterback Mike Irwin completed 5 out of 9 passes for 1114 yards and added another touchdown.
Green Bay Blizzard (13-3) 51, Sioux Falls Storm (3-13) 30
The Green Bay Blizzard finished their breakout 2024 season by earning their 13th win and the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference by defeating the Sioux Falls Storm. Green Bay quarterback Max Meylor completed 23 out of 28 passes for 265 yards and five touchdowns and added two rushing touchdowns. In addition to Meylor’s production, running back EJ Burgess caught nine passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns. The Storm finished their disappointing 2024 season with a bright spot as quarterback Jiya Wright passed for 72 yards and two touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown. Also, Storm wide receiver Draysean Hudson caught four passes for 55 yards and two touchdowns.
Frisco Fighters (13-3) 59, Iowa Barnstormers (5-11) 47
The Frisco Fighters were also competing for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Still, due to the Blizzard winning against Sioux Falls, the Fighters could only build some momentum to finish the regular season. Fighters quarterback TJ Edwards completed 11 out of 17 passes for 147 yards, resulting in three touchdowns, 54 rushing yards, and four rushing touchdowns. Iowa resisted the Fighter’s efforts to pick up another win but came up short despite the outstanding effort of quarterback Brandon Alt and his 264 passing yards and six passing touchdowns.
Bay Area Panthers (13-3) 30, San Diego Strike Force (10-6) 20
The Bay Area Panthers finished the IFL regular season as the top team in the Western Conference for the second season in a row, and they did so by picking up a win against the San Diego Strike Force, which will be their opponent in the first round of the playoffs. During their winning performance, Panthers quarterback Felix Harper completed 11 out of 15 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown, and he added a rushing touchdown. Panthers running back Benjamin Jones also added 52 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. San Diego chose to rest starting quarterback Nate Davis until the playoffs, and backup quarterback Darrius Peterson struggled to put points on the scoreboard, completing only 4 out of 13 passes for 79 yards. Peterson threw a touchdown pass and ran for two touchdowns in a losing effort.
Vegas Knight Hawks (11-5) 49, Tucson Sugar Skulls (2-14) 25
The Vegas Knight Hawks needed a win against the Tucson Sugar Skulls to clinch a home playoff game for the 1st round of the playoffs. Knight Hawks quarterback Ja’Rome Johnson exploded, completing ten out of 14 passes for 180 yards and five touchdowns, and he added 51 rushing yards and scored two rushing touchdowns. Johnson also did a stellar job getting the ball to his offensive weapons, including wide receivers Quentin Randolph, CJ Windham, and Trevon Van. Tucson ended their season with quarterback Vince Espinoza completing 10 out of 21 passes for 87 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. Sugar Skulls running back Davonte Sapp-Lynch did have a big game with 61 rushing yards, 48 receiving yards, and two touchdowns, one receiving touchdown, and one rushing touchdown.
Duke City Gladiators (3-13) 69, Northern Arizona Wranglers (9-7) 48
In Week 19, the Northern Arizona Wranglers needed a win against Duke City and a Rattlers loss to earn a spot in the playoffs. Unfortunately for the Wranglers, the Rattlers won their game, leaving them playing for pride against the Duke City Gladiators. Northern Arizona started backup quarterback Dillon Sterling-Cole. Sterling-Cole took advantage of the opportunity, completing 16 out of 28 passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions. Duke City picked up their third win of the season behind the effort of quarterback Javin Kilgo and his 14 completing for 157 yards, four touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown. In addition to Kilgo’s production, Gladiators wide receiver Tamarrion Terry caught five passes for 80 yards and three touchdowns.
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