The Steamwheelers end up falling in the First Round of the IFL Playoffs to the Green Bay Blizzard. Let's take some time to recap what led to this end of the season result for the sQUAD.

After a scoreless first quarter the action got cooking in the second when the Blizzard struck first blood with a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. The Blizzard then created a 10-0 margin between them and the sQUAD. 

Kyle Kaplan ended up being the one to put the sQUAD on the board with a good FG, this made it a 10-3 matchup later in the second quarter. Green Bay came back with a FG of their own to once again make it a 10 point deficit going into halftime.

The Steamwheeler defense went all out this evening and the leader of the pack was Bubba Arslanian. Arslanian was all over whoever had the football in the contest, notching nine total tackles and two tackles for loss. 

The Wheelers came out for the second half ready to fight and Edward Vander threw the first punch by running in a touchdown. Vander and Kyle Kaplan brought the sQUAD to within three points as the Blizzard led 13-10.

Green Bay aimed to extend their lead and they did so, scoring another touchdown and extra point to make it a 20-10 game. Later on in the period Mike Irwin found Keyvan Rudd for a grown man over two defenders in the middle of the field. 

The fourth quarter saw both teams leave it all out on the field to secure a second round berth. Thecatch Rudd made led to a tush push touchdown for the sQUAD. This and a Kaplan PAT brought them to within three, becoming a 20-17 bout in the fourth.

The Blizzard again extended their lead over the sQUAD after a touchdown, this made it a 10 point deficit for the Wheelers to work towards. After the Steamwheeler offense was practically iced by back-to-back penalties and a timeout by Green Bay. This led to an interception for the Blizzard, making way for a Blizzard touchdown to ice the lead over the Wheelers. 

The Steamwheelers fought all the way till the end of the contest, even scoring another touchdown as the clock struck zeros. Quad City ended up losing in their first round matchup against the Green Bay Blizzard, 34-23.

Steamwheeler fans we thank you for sticking with us throughout the entire 2024 season, from the front office to the players we say thank you. We also look forward to seeing you all again in 2025 at the Vibrant Arena at the MARK.