Wheelers fall in a high-scoring shootout on the road

By Timothy Wallis

In a late, west coast interconference matchup, the Quad City Steamwheelers faced a team they had not played since 2023, the San Diego Strike Force. In a high-scoring game that featured plenty of touchdowns and fireworks, the Wheelers were unable to get a stop or keep pace, falling on the road, 73-59, and dropping to 2-3 overall.

On the opening possession, the San Diego Strike Force wasted no time striking first, as quarterback Nate Davis orchestrated a quick drive capped off by a one-yard touchdown run from Tyrell Greene Jr., giving San Diego an early 7-0 lead. Quad City responded with a methodical drive led by quarterback Daquan Neal, who mixed in passes to Keyvan Rudd and Quian Williams before finding running back Jarrod Ware for a short touchdown reception, cutting the deficit to 7-6 after the extra point.

San Diego answered right back, as Davis connected with Edward Vander for a touchdown to extend the lead to 14-7. The Steamwheelers continued to move the ball efficiently, but after a late first-quarter drive stalled, Jan Bogdan drilled a 26-yard field goal to make it 14-10 early in the second quarter. The Strike Force offense stayed aggressive, finishing another drive with a touchdown pass to Dallas Daniels to push the lead to 21-10.

Neal and the Steamwheelers offense showed explosiveness on the next drive, as Neal found Quian Williams for a 45-yard touchdown, keeping Quad City within striking distance at 21-17. However, San Diego continued to capitalize through the air, scoring quickly again to make it 28-17. Neal responded with another efficient drive, hitting Jordan Vesey for a touchdown, though a missed extra point kept the score at 28-23.

The final minute of the half turned into a shootout, with both teams trading quick scores. After San Diego extended its lead to 36-23, Neal led a rapid two-play drive ending in a Jarrod Ware touchdown run to make it 36-29. The Strike Force answered immediately with a one-play touchdown pass, but Bogdan knocked through a 30-yard field goal as time expired, sending the Steamwheelers into halftime trailing 43-33.

Right out of the break, Quad City delivered a spark, as Quian Williams returned the opening kickoff of the second half 50 yards for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 43-40. San Diego answered once again with a touchdown drive, but Neal quickly responded with a one-play, 23-yard touchdown strike to Williams, keeping the game within reach at 50-46.

The back-and-forth battle continued throughout the third quarter, with San Diego adding two more touchdowns to extend its lead to 59-47. Quad City continued to fight, driving deep into Strike Force territory late in the quarter, but a missed field goal to open the fourth quarter stalled momentum.

Early in the fourth, the Steamwheelers' defense came up with a big play, as Kevin Ransom Jr. intercepted a pass to give Quad City possession. Neal capitalized, leading a short drive capped by a touchdown pass to Quian Williams, cutting the deficit to 59-53. However, San Diego responded yet again with a deep touchdown pass, extending the lead to 65-53.

A costly interception on the next Quad City drive halted momentum, and the Strike Force took advantage, adding another touchdown to push the score to 72-53 late in the game. Despite the deficit, Neal continued to battle, leading a late touchdown drive that ended with a pass to Quian Williams, making it 72-59. In the end, the early deficit and relentless San Diego offense proved too much to overcome, as the Steamwheelers fell in a high-scoring battle, 73-59, despite a strong offensive performance and multiple explosive plays throughout.

Daquan Neal had another statistically good game, throwing 19-for-31 for a season-high 270 yards and six touchdowns to one interception, but had a very quiet game on the ground, rushing only three times for a loss of two. Jarrod Ware ran for 18 yards and a touchdown on five attempts while catching four passes for 52 yards and a score through the air, while Jordan Vesey ran once for 11 yards and caught three passes for 38 yards and a score. Quian Williams led the way with seven receptions for 120 yards, four touchdowns, and a kickoff return touchdown, while Keyvan Rudd caught five passes for 60 yards.

On defense, Alex Herriott led the Wheelers with 10 tackles, while Charles Rosser tallied eight and Jamon Williams followed behind with six. Rashaun Williams racked up two tackles, including a tackle for loss, while KeShaun Moore had two tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss as well. Kevin Ransom Jr continued his ball-hawking prowess, snagging an interception in his second consecutive game. Kicker Jan Bogdan scored 11 points overall, going two for three on field goals and five for six on PATs.

Next week, the Wheelers will return home to the Quad Cities to host an important Eastern Conference foe, the 2-1 Jacksonville Sharks, a team the sQUAD eliminated in last year's playoffs. That game will take place on Sunday, April 26, at 3:00 pm at The Wheelhouse at the Vibrant Arena at The Mark in Moline, IL.