Freight Fall on the Road in Iowa
April 26, 2025 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Fishers Freight News Release
FISHERS - The Fishers Freight head to Iowa for the first time in franchise history to take on the Iowa Barnstormers. After another Quarterback change and some late-game blunders, the Freight would fall to the Barnstormers and fall below .500 for the first time this season.
FIRST QUARTER
The Freight started with the football with Jiya Wright back in as the starting QB for Fishers. He drove his team down the field and finished with a touchdown pass to rookie Jaelin Carter, the first receiving touchdown of his career.
The Barnstormers would waste no time answering back as the Freight's defensive struggles continued to show. Hunter Clausen would punch it in for Iowa as the Barnstormers lined up in a jumbo set with a defensive lineman taking the snap as the Quarterback.
After a great return by Aaron Jackson, and aided by a horse-collar tackle, the Freight punched it in again with a Jiya Wright touchdown on a read-option run. Iowa's special teams would answer right back, taking the ensuing kickoff 50 yards to the end zone to tie the game back up at 14.
The first turnover of the game would come on a speed option where Jon Lewis would fumble the ball on the pitch from Jiya Wright, dropping it right into the hands of the Barnstormers on their own nine-yard line. The quarter would end 90 seconds later with the score still tied at 14.
SECOND QUARTER
The Barnstormers would continue draining the clock for over five minutes on this drive, getting it down to 1st and goal at the five-yard line. The drive would abruptly end as Barnstormers QB James Cahoon would fumble the football, and Tamar Heart would recover for the Freight.
After a turnover on downs by the Freight, off the turnover by Heart, the Barnstormers would drive down and take their first lead of the game off James Cahoon's first touchdown throw in a Barnstormers uniform with Jalen Bracey on the receiving end of the pass.
The Freight would start their next drive in Barnstormers' territory, but due to multiple penalties, they would only net one yard, and a 28-yard field goal by Victor Leventritt would cut the deficit to just four points.
A failed surprise onside kick would give Iowa the football on Fishers' 11-yard line, and the Barnstormers would capitalize just three plays later with a Cahoon passing touchdown, making the score 28-17.
Iowa would attempt their own onside kick by squibbing the kickoff off the up-man Jaiden Roe, and theirs would be successful, setting them up with the football with 40 seconds remaining in the half. Iowa would get it down to the 14-yard line and, with five seconds remaining, Gabe Rui would convert a 30-yard field goal to end the half, putting Iowa up 31-17.
THIRD QUARTER
Iowa would receive the second-half kickoff, and it took them three plays to find the end zone as Cahoon would find Quian Williams for the 22-yard touchdown reception.
The Freight's first possession of the second half would not go as planned when Jiya Wright would be intercepted by Caleb Streat, giving the Barnstormers their first touchdown of the season. Fishers would return the favor when AJ Felton intercepted Cahoon just three plays later.
On the ensuing possession, Keegan Shoemaker would replace Jiya Wright at Quarterback. Shoemaker would lead the team down the field and punch it in himself on the QB sneak to cut Iowa's lead to 14.
Another onside kick attempt would come for the Freight, this time a successful one after the Barnstormers failed to hold on to the football after a recovery attempt. The quarter would end with the Freight driving down the field and a score of 38-24 in favor of Iowa.
FOURTH QUARTER
A crucial fourth down would be converted by JT Stokes, then two plays later, the Freight would punch it in on an Isaiah Cox rushing touchdown from the three-yard line. Victor Leventritt would miss the extra point, leaving the Freight down eight points with 13:17 left in the 4th quarter.
To compensate for the miss, the Freight would try their third onside kick of the game. This would mirror the first attempt as unsuccessful, and on the next offensive play for Iowa, they would score on a Hunter Clausen rushing touchdown, his second of the game.
Two plays later, the Freight were back in the end zone when Jordan Kress caught the deep ball from Shoemaker to cut Iowa's lead back to eight. Once again, the Freight would try their fourth onside kick attempt, and it would not be successful.
Iowa would take over at the Freight five-yard line due to an offside call against the Freight. Iowa would stall out and be pushed back on an unsportsmanlike penalty, forcing a long field goal that Rui would miss.
The miss would end up not hurting as Shoemaker would throw an interception right into the hands of Caleb Streat, his second of the game. Streat would take it to the house and give Iowa a 14-point lead and their highest score of the season so far at 52 points.
Aaron Jackson would fumble the kickoff, and the Barnstormers would capitalize with another touchdown pass, bringing their point total to 59 on the night.
A turnover on downs would give Iowa one final possession, and they would punch it in with defensive lineman Tyler Tate taking the direct snap for a walk-in touchdown.
The game would end with the Iowa Barnstormers defeating the Fishers Freight 66-37.
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