My oh my! What an insane way to finish the last home game of the season by ending how they started, in overtime. Read more to see how the sQUAD held on to win over Sioux Falls.

Getting started in the first quarter the Storm put the first points on the board with a FG early, to give them a 3-0 lead. Jarrod Harrington got things going for the Wheelers with a 33 yard kick return that set up the offense for Judd Erickson to float a pass to Keyvan Rudd for a first down in the red zone.

That first down led to Erickson pitching the ball over to the scoring machine known as Edward Vander, who ran the ball in for a touchdown. Kyle Kaplan adds the cherry on top with a good PAT, giving the Steamwheelers the lead, 7-3.

Vander ended the night with three huge touchdowns that kept the sQUAD in the game, along with 31 yards on eight carries. 

The Steamwheelers defense came to play tonight, forcing the Storm into FG attempts in the first quarter and making huge plays and stops throughout this battle. Jayln Swan stepped up to bag a sack and Melik Owens came up and made a huge stop on the next play as well. 

The Storm relied on the kicking to make up for their offense in the first quarter, netting two FGs and a deuce to make it an 8-7 game with the Storm on top going into the second quarter.

Both teams went back and forth with the lead throughout the matchup, making it an all-out indoor war and resembling the first bout from March when these two teams first met this season.

Erickson started the second quarter finding the returning Jordan Vesey for a first down that led to Erickson taking it in himself for a touchdown. Another good Kaplan PAT made it 14-8, until the Storm fired back and scored a touchdown of their own to take the lead.

After their good extra point made it 15-14 the sQUAD fought downfield to score but ended up relying on Kaplan to save the drive, his FG attempt was good and the Wheelers took back the lead, 17-15.

Sioux Falls got the ball moving quickly and thought things were going smooth until their quarterback threw a dime…to the defense! Trey Smith swooped in for an interception to set the Wheelers offense up for success. 

After a failed drive and turning the ball over Dreko Statham wanted a piece of the action so he ended up picking off the Storm QB himself too. This would be short-lived due to both teams picking up penalties and canceling out the interception, this led to a Storm FG that gave them the lead once again and made it 18-17 going into halftime.

The second half saw the Storm cash into the bank first, scoring a touchdown and extending their lead to 29-17 after another good extra point attempt.

Midway through the third quarter, Mike Iwrin tagged in for Judd Erickson and Irwin got the Wheelers downfield like Usain Bolt in the Olympics. A quick dot to Warren Newman III gained a first down and led to Vander swapping positions with Irwin to rush in and secure another touchdown. This quarter also saw both teams in a defensive battle to see who could stop who the most, 25-23 was the score with the Storm winning going into the fourth quarter.

Let's buckle out seatbelts everybody, because this is where things get wild. 

Sioux Falls started off the period with a FG to extend their lead to five, 28-23. The Storm defense picked up a facemask penalty that gave the Wheelers a first down, this set up Vander to score his third touchdown of the night. Kaplan added on an extra point and the sQUAD took the lead, 30-28.

The Steamwheelers held the lead shortly until the Storm came back to take it away again, putting themselves up 35-30 until about a minute left in regulation time. 

The Wheelers worked the ball into the red zone and Mike Iwrin broke into the endzone for a clutch touchdown to take the lead with less than a minute left on the clock. The Steamwheelers failed their 2-pt conversion originally but a penalty on the Storm led to the Wheelers getting a retry on their conversion.

They did not waste the opportunity with Irwin pitched the rock to Vander who powered through the defense for two, securing a 38-35 lead in crunchtime for the sQUAD.

With the Wheeler defense clutching up and becoming an unstoppable force, the Storm was left with no choice but to go for a FG. With two seconds left they were able to tie the game at 38 and send it into overtime.

In overtime Irwin quickly found Harrington for a touchdown and extra point to take the lead 45-38, all they needed to do now was hold Sioux falls and make a stop to secure the win. The Storm had other plans, instantly passing for a touchdown and making it a one point game.

Sioux Falls then lined up for a 2-pt conversion to take the lead and they threw an incomplete pass, the Wheelers won on a failed conversion, 45-44. What a dramatic ending to the last home game of the season for the Steamwheelers.

This brings the sQUAD to an even .500 once again, a 7-7 record overall and a 6-2 record at home.  Please tune into the official IFL YouTube channel on July 13th for their next matchup against the Tulsa Oilers.

Steamwheelers fans, we thank you for coming out and supporting another season of Quad City Steamwheelers Football. We're excited for next year to have you all back and filling the Vibrant Arena at the MARK with your energy and passion for Steamwheeler Football.