It was a thriller of a matchup for the Steamwheelers against the Iowa Barnstormers. The Battle of I-80 didn't disappoint at all; it was a back and forth, high-energy contest that came down to the last few seconds of the game. Stay tuned in, this recap is gonna be a long one.

The Wheelers started the game steaming with a dime of a pass from Mike Irwin to Edward Vander, Vander shook two defenders to get into the endzone for a TD on the first snap of the game. Kyle Kaplan came around and cleaned it up with a good extra point, giving the sQUAD the early 7-0 lead. On the next kickoff, Jefferson Fritz ran the ball back for a kick return TD for Iowa to tie the game at 7.

The Steamwheelers would drive down the field and were forced to try a FG that went wide right. After Darreon Jackson forced a turnover on downs on Iowa's ensuing drive, Kaplan's FG attempt was good to give the Wheelers the lead 10-7 going into the second. This quarter saw the Wheelers and the Barnstormers trade the lead 5 times throughout the period. Starting with the Barnstormers scoring and taking the lead 14-10 after a good PAT. The sQUAD struck back with a TD of their own as Irwin powered it in to put the Wheelers on top, 17-14. 

Stormers scored another TD making it a 21-17 game, the Wheelers had an answer for them with Irwin threading the needle on a pass to Ka'Ron Ashley for a TD to take the lead back, 24-21. It was a team effort on defense for the Steamwheelers as everybody had at least one tackle with Darreon Jackson leading the way with 8 total tackles. Jaylin Swan and Keshaun Moore looked like the most dominant tag team since the Hardy Boyz, they both bagged 2 sacks each, and a combined 35 sack yards on the night.
 

Getting back to the game, the Barnstormers FG attempt was good to tie the game at 24 before the Wheelers worked their way down the field to push Irwin in for a TD to take the lead 31-24. The Stormers stuck around still, scoring another TD to bring the game within a point, 31-30 going into the second half. The battle of the kickers started the third quarter, Gabriel Rui gave Iowa the lead, 33-31 with a good FG. Kaplan struck back with a FG of his own to take the lead right back, 34-33.

The Barnstormers shot back with a bomb down the field that payed off, another touchdown and good PAT put them on top again, 40-34. Jarrod Harrington took that touchdown personally, the next kickoff he ran it back 51 yards for a TD to snatch the lead back, 41-40 after Kaplan added an extra point at the end. Later on Melik Owens came through with a strip sack, causing a fumble recovered by Jaylin Swan for a TD. Kaplan strikes again for a good PAT, extending the lead 48-40.

Iowa fought back to score again near the end of the period, making it a one point game, 48-47, going into the fourth.  

Kaplan started the last quarter with a 21-yard FG, giving them a 5 point lead, 51-47 early in the period.

The next drive for the Barnstormers saw them deal with the definition of a mudslide. The momentum shifted 100% in the Wheelers favor, after multiple penalties for Iowa, 'The Biggest Bear' Keshaun Moore charged in for a sack and caused Iowa to pick up an intentional grounding penalty in the process. The defense overall was the definition of a stonewall, not letting anything get past them under any circumstance. Some time later Kaplan lined up and hit a 53-yard FG to bring the Wheelers' lead to 54-47, Kaplan ended the game 5-6 on FG attempts to earn himself the QC Strongman of the Game award.

The Captain of the Defenses Malik Duncan ended up nabbing a huge interception in the fourth to add to the momentum that the sQUAD created in the arena. The following play however a misshandled pitch on the option play from the Steamwheelers gave Iowa the ball back.

After 3 red-zone stops, a costly unsportsmanlike penalty on the sQUAD gave the Barnstormers a chance with little time left. The Barnstormers would hit a receiver on a slant to score with 9 seconds left, adding insult to injury with a 2-point conversion to take the lead 55-54 in the 4th.

With 9 seconds left, on their own 5-yard line after the kickoff by Rui, the Steamwheelers would look again to make just enough plays to win. Irwin would find Keyvan Rudd along the wall for a few yards and 5 seconds remained. Head Coach Cory Ross would call for the leg opting to kick a field goal. Kyle Kaplan strutted on to the field and after a good Ivory Scott snap, good placement by Judd Erickson, a 49-yard boot from Kaplan would give the Steamwheelers a 57-55 win in the Battle of I-80.
 

The sQUAD bring their record to 4-4 on the year and knocking the Barnstormers down to 2-6 for the season so far.  

Tune in for the next Steamwheeler game against the Green Bay Blizzard on May 31st. The game will be in Green Bay and will be broadcasted on Caffeine TV as well as the IFL YouTube Channel.