Wheelers Shoot Down Iowa to Win Home Opener

Wheelers Shoot Down Iowa to Win Home Opener

By Timothy Wallis

In the home opener and the first iteration of the Battle of I-80, the Quad City Steamwheelers came out with a victory for their first win of the 2026 season. Despite a slow start in the first quarter, the Wheelers' offense and defense came out blitzing in the second quarter and did not look back, securing a 46-25 win.

After a touchback on the opening kickoff, the Wheelers forced a field goal despite Barnstormers' running back Nasjzae Bryant-Lelei, who took a few handoffs deep inside Quad City territory. On the kickoff, a muffed kick recovered by Iowa led to a Bryant-Lelei touchdown reception from quarterback Harrison Roubidoux and made it 9-0 Iowa early. The Wheelers, though, were not scared easily, and after plays that included quarterback Daquan Neal finding wideout Jalal Dean and a Neal keeper, the Wheelers' gunslinger found running back Jarrod Ware cutting across the middle, who ran untouched and broke a defender's ankles for a touchdown, which made it 9-6.

The next defensive possession, the turnovers started for Iowa, when a bad snap hit off Roubidoux's facemask and right into the hands of defensive lineman David Abolarinwa. Neal made it a mission to convert on the mistake, and on third down, Neal scrambled out to his right and found a crease to the end zone for another touchdown, and after the PAT, the Wheelers led 13-9. The Barnstormers came back with another field goal, which maintained pressure on Quad City to score, and they did not disappoint.

Another Neal to Dean connection moved the chains to the Iowa 19-yard line, which set up Neal finding former-Barnstormer Quian Williams wide open in the end zone for a touchdown, which made it 20-12 Quad City on top. The Steamwheeler defense announced its presence once again, and after Roubidoux was crushed by KeShaun Moore in the backfield, Kevin Ransom Jr. plucked the ball out of the air for the interception. The Wheelers drove down the field, and on fourth and goal, Ware took the handoff in for a touchdown to extend their lead to 27-12. After Iowa threw a one-play touchdown with little time on the clock, Wheelers' kicker Jan Bogdan nailed a long field goal going into halftime, which ensured a 30-18 lead.

Right out of halftime, the Wheelers wasted no time in scoring, and in the red zone, Neal found Trenton Barnes wide open for the touchdown, which was followed by a Bogdan deuce that made it 39-18 Wheelers. On a long drive, Iowa stormed back, and their drive was capped off by Roubidoux, who found Demonte Martin eight yards out for a touchdown. On the next Quad City drive, Neal tried to go deep, but his pass was intercepted by Trevon Pope. However, the Wheelers' defense locked in and forced a missed field goal at the end of the third quarter.

For the first drive of the fourth, Neal found his back Ware wide open in the endzone for a touchdown, the score that ultimately proved to be the last one of the game for either team. After two more interceptions for the Wheelers, by Ransom again and Malik Duncan, both teams traded possessions and ran out the clock, with the Wheelers securing the win, 46-26.

Offensively, Daquan Neal threw 11/22 with 159 yards, four touchdowns and an interception, while tacking on 22 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Trenton Barnes took three handoffs for nine yards while also catching one pass for four yards and a touchdown, while wideout Keyvan Rudd took a handoff for eight yards and caught one pass for ten yards. Jalal Dean had two rushes for six yards while having caught three passes for 38 yards, not to overshadow Quian Williams, who caught two passes for 42 yards and a touchdown. Jarrod Ware, despite taking seven handoffs for only four yards and a touchdown, caught four passes for 55 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, KeShaun Moore and Nicholas Harris both recorded five tackles, with Moore adding a tackle for loss as well. Defensive Back Malik Duncan tallied two tackles, including a tackle for loss, while also snatching an interception and breaking up a pass as well. Rounding out the defense, David Abolarinwa had two tackles and a tackle for loss, while Kevin Ransom tacked on two tackles and also had two interceptions. Kicker Jan Bogdan went 1/1 for field goals while nailing a deuce as well. 

With the win, the Steamwheelers move to 1-1 overall and in conference play, a much-needed conference win. While it is only week two, every conference game is important, and it is crucial that the team not only defends home turf but also defeats its rivals. Next, the Wheelers will be in action on April 5, traveling to Orlando and the Kia Center to take on the Orlando Pirates at 3 pm.