The scoreboard says it all as the Bay Area Panthers defeated the San Diego Strike Force by three points in a thriller at SAP Center in San Jose on Sat Apr 20, 2024 (Bay Area Panthers X photo)
By Jerry Feitelberg and Lauren Smith
SAN JOSE–If you have never been to an arena football game, I am here to tell you that you are missing out on a fun experience. It’s entertaining with much action, and the fans are fantastic. There is lots of scoring, interceptions, recovering a fumble in the end zone, some defense, and missed extra points, and it is a joy to watch.
Each team has eight players, three offensive linemen, and five players eligible to carry the ball. Defense is at a premium. It is wide-open football. Also, the SAP Arena is known for its loud noise. The fans, mostly young and enthusiastic, were cheering so loud I thought I was at a Sharks’ game.
The Bay Area Panthers defeated the San Diego Strike Force 53-50. Each team came into the game with a 3-0 record. The play in the first half was fast and furious. Felix Harper’s pass was intercepted on the Panthers’ first offense play. Not to worry, fans.
The Strike Force fumbled on their first play, and the Panthers recovered for the score. San Diego tied the game. Both teams missed the extra point after the touchdown. The Score was 6-6. The Panthers intercepted a pass for their second tally. San Diego had to settle for a field goal. The Panthers led 13-9. The Panthers kept the pressure on the San Diego defense. Bay Area went ahead 19-9.
San Diego answered with a touchdown. to make it 19-15. The Panthers increased the lead with two more scores to lead 31-15. San Diego countered with a TD and a two-point conversion to trail 31-23 with just one minute left in the half. The Panthers’ offense did not fail, and they scored with seven seconds left. The Panthers lead 38-23 at the end of the first half.
The Strike Force drew first blood in the second half. The Panthers’ defense let a San Diego wide receiver get past them, and the pass was on the mark for a touchdown. The extra point was good. The Panthers lead 38-30. The Panthers answered with a TD. The Kicker missed the extra point.
Bay Area leads 44-30 with 7:54 left in the third quarter. As mentioned above, the game is played at a frantic pace. San Diego closed the gap to seven points as they scored with 3:09 left. The Panthers are clinging to a seven-point advantage, 44-37. There was no more scoring in the third quarter.
The Panthers’ first drive of the fourth quarter stalled at the 10-yard line. The Kicker made the field goal to make it a 47-37 game. San Diego needed three plays to get into the endzone for another touchdown. The extra point was blocked. The Strike Force’s defense stiffened.
The Panthers had to kick from their end zone, and the kick was blocked and recovered on the Panthers’ six-yard line. San Diego scored on the first play. The extra point could have been better, but San Diego had their first game lead, 50-47. With 31 seconds left, the Panthers got a first down due to a penalty.
They got the ball to the Strike Force’s seven-yard line with 24 seconds left. A running play got the ball to the four-yard line. Harper could not find a receiver, so he ran the ball into the end zone for the score. They failed to make the extra point.
The Panthers lead 53-50 with 13 seconds left on the clock. The Panthers’ kickoff was returned to the Strike Force’s five-yard line. The noise level is off the chart. San Diego has to go 45 yards with ten seconds left. San Diego’s attempt for a field goal was not good. The Panthers win 53-50 to improve to 4-0 for the season.
After the game, I had the opportunity to talk with three Panther players. They knew time was running out, but they were confident they would pull out the win, and they did. Many of these young men may not make it to the NFL. They love the game of football, and they had a lot of fun playing arena football. Their next home game is on May 4th at the SAP Arena. The game will start at 6:056 pm.
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