Wheeler Nation! Come honor your brave veterans and active duty service members on May 17th for Military Night! This game 8 matchup will be against the Iowa Barnstormers at the Vibrant Arena at the MARK. 

Steamwheelers will be wearing specialty military inspired black and gold uniforms that will be auctioned off following the game!

This game will be Sponsored by Wheelan Pressly Funeral Home and will be broadcasted on Caffine TV as well as the IFL YouTube channel.

About the Steamwheelers

The last game for the Steamwheelers was a tough but victorious battle over the Sioux Falls Storm, 56-49. The sQUAD is now 2-0 against the Storm this season, also snapping a 2 game skid in the process. 

In this matchup against Sioux Falls, the Storm and Steamwheelers traded the lead until the Wheelers jumped out in front 45-30 at the beginning of the 4th quarter. Sioux Falls fought back to hold the lead by one point with a 49-48 score being their lifeline late in the game. The Wheelers pulled the plug and connected Mike Irwin to Edward Vander for the game winning touchdown and Trey Smith added the cherry on top with the game-ending interception.

About the Barnstormers

Iowa is coming off a big comeback win over the Massachusetts Pirates, the Barnstormers were down 21 points in the first half of the game and they ended up securing a 42-34 win at home over the 5-2 Pirates. The Pirates first loss of the year was against the Steamwheelers, 54-43, also breaking their 4-0 undefeated streak as well. 

The Barnstormers were led by their quarterback Alejandro Bennifield and receiver Teo Redding on the offensive end, with Redding decuring 83 yards on 4 receptions and a touchdown on the night.

 

Last time Out

The last time these two teams met was on May 4th, when the sQUAD's 28-point comeback was halted in a loss against the Barnstormers, 55-53. Judd Erickson and Mike Irwin combined for 253 passing yards and 7 passing touchdowns to help lead the Steamwheelers a 2-point deficit that ended up being their downfall. 

Players to Watch

Offense

Kyle King - QB // IAB - King has been leading his team all season as the head of the ship for the Barnstormers offense. His last performance saw him bag 2 passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown on the night. He did this alongside 121 passing yards on 26 attempts.

Kyle Kaplan - K // QCS - Kaplan has been practically lights out when it comes to his FG attempts and his extra point kicks. Last time out he was 6-6 on PATs and 2-3 on FG attempts on the night. So far this season Kaplan is 9-14 on FG attempts and 38-39 on PAT attempts the one miss coming from a block. He's looking to keep his hot streak going. 

 

Defense

Jaylin Swan - DL // QCS - The hard hitting lineman has been putting in work all season on the defensive side of the ball. Swan has picked up 29 total tackles on the season so far, made up of  16 solo tackles and 13 assisted tackles. In his last game against the Storm, he nabbed 6 total tackles with 4 solo and 2 assisted tackles, also bagging an assisted tackle for loss and an assisted sack as well.

Jefferson Fritz - DB // IAB - Fritz has also been no slouch defensively this season, in his last game against the Pirates, he racked up 4 total tackles, including 2 solo and 2 assisted tackles for a light night. Fritz played well against the Wheelers last time they matched up, tallying the same 4 total tackles including 3 solo tackles and one assisted tackle. He also picked up a big 48-yard pick six to contribute to the Barnstormers eventual win.