Wheelers sink Massachusetts and clinch playoffs with 56-35 win
The Quad City Steamwheelers defended home turf and clinched a playoff berth on Saturday night when they defeated the Massachusetts Pirates, 56-35, in a critical Eastern Conference showdown. Going into the game, despite having a 6-5, barely over .500 record, the Pirates were on a four-game winning streak with a lot of momentum on their side, while the Steamwheelers were 9-3 and sitting in first place.
Before the first offensive snap, kicker Kyle Kaplan gave the sQUAD the early lead when he nailed a deuce on the opening kickoff, which got the Vibrant Arena buzzing early on. However, that lead would not last long, and the Pirates' opening drive ended when quarterback Kenji Bahar found running back Pooka Williams in the end zone for a touchdown and gave the Pirates a 7-2 lead. Not wanting to be outdone, on the first offensive play for Quad City, quarterback Daquan Neal found Jordan Vesey streaking across the middle for a touchdown, which gave the Wheelers the 9-7 lead back.
After the Wheelers' defense held Massachusetts to only a field goal, they only needed one play again when Neal found Tamorrion Terry for the long touchdown to make it 15-10. The ensuing Pirates' possession, the Wheelers forced a turnover on downs and got another stop, before adding on a Kaplan field goal, which extended their lead to 18-10. Despite getting held up the previous two drives from touchdowns, the Pirates finally broke through again and Bahar found a man in the end zone for a touchdown, but an unsuccessful two-point conversion meant the Wheelers still held the 18-18 lead.
A good Deion McShane kick return to the Pirates' 17-yard line gave the Wheelers' good field position, and they capitalized when Neal scrambled and dove into the end zone for a touchdown, which extended their lead to 25-16. Massachusetts would respond with a Bahar scrambling touchdown of his own, and the Pirates defense then forced a Neal interception. However, with 12 seconds left in the half, Massachusetts was unable to get anything going, and the score sat at 25-23 at halftime, with Quad City leading.
Right out of halftime, the Wheelers were forced to kick a field goal, which Kyle Kaplan nailed, and the score became 28-23, a lead that lasted for most of the third quarter. The next few drives, both the Pirates and Steamwheelers took turns kicking it away and turning it over on downs, but the slight drought was broken when Neal found Terry for his second receiving touchdown of the game. As the fourth quarter started, Massachusetts again had a turnover on downs, which the Wheelers converted on when Neal found Vesey for his second touchdown of the game, which made it 42-23.
Massachusetts broke their cold spell when Bahar kept it himself for a touchdown scramble, but the unsuccessful two-point conversion would mean the score sat at 42-29. The next drive for Quad City was all running back Jarrod Ware Jr when he took three handoffs down the field, and on his third one, he hit a nasty cutback and ran into the endzone for a touchdown, which gave Quad City a 49-29 lead. On Kaplan's kickoff, his kick hit the top of the wall, and after a crazy bounce, Camron Harrell recovered the ball in the end zone after a fight for it, another Wheelers' touchdown, which made it 56-29. Massachusetts drove and scored a touchdown with six seconds left, but it was all too late, and the Steamwheelers treated the fans to a 56-35 win.
Quarterback Daquan Neal completed six passes on 13 attempts, throwing for 132 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, while also rushing for 21 yards and another score. Jarrod Ware Jr. rushed for 39 yards and a touchdown on seven attempts, extending his streak of scoring a touchdown to five games. Jordan Vesey was the Wheelers' leading receiver, catching four passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns, while Tamorrion Terry had 57 yards and two touchdowns, despite only catching two passes.
Defensively, Bubba Arslanian was the team's leading tackler with 13 total and one tackle for loss, while defensive lineman Chima Dunga followed with nine tackles, a tackle for loss and a sack. David Cagle also had nine tackles, but tallied two tackles for loss and two sacks. Camron Harrell had a special-teams touchdown when Kaplan's kick bounced off the wall and the Pirates' returner in the end zone, his second of the season.
With the win, the sQUAD firmly remain in first place in the Eastern Conference with a 10-3 overall record and a 9-3 record in conference play. Looking ahead to the postseason as it gets ever so closer, the top four seeds in the East go as follows: Quad City at one, Jacksonville at two, Green Bay at three and Tulsa in the last playoff spot. If the season ended today, the Wheelers would have a home playoff game against the Tulsa Oilers, but with three games left, there is a lot of room for movement.
Next week, the Steamwheelers will have a bye week as they recharge for the last stretch of the regular season. Following the bye week, the sQUAD will welcome the rival Green Bay Blizzard to Moline, Illinois, for John Deere Country Night at XUSD Field at Vibrant Arena at The MARK.