Pioneers edge Troopers for 1st W of IFL season

The Tel Aviv Pioneers got their first win of the season in a 66-62 shootout victory over the Petah Tikva Troopers in Kraft Family Israeli Football League action over the weekend. Meanwhile, the Haifa Underdogs got their second win over the Mazkeret Batya Silverbacks 14-7, and the Jerusalem Lions remained undefeated, coasting to a 45-0 blowout victory over the Beersheba Black Swarm.

The Pioneers and Troopers exchanged punts to start their game, but from there the bank-and-forth shootout was on.

Pioneers quarterback Omri Mizrachi completed 8-of-18 passes for 113 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, while adding a rushing TD. Ariel Hoffman rushed 17 times for an IFL single-game record 243 yards, to go along with two scores. The Pioneers as a team went into the record books with the second-highest single-game offensive yards (535) and tied the single-game record for (accepted) penalties with 20.

Avrami Farkas completed 19-of-40 passes for 301 yards, six touchdowns, an INT and a rushing touchdown for the Troopers. The teams will meet again this Saturday night. Haifa QB Ron Dafni completed 19-of-32 passes for 158 yards and two scores in the Underdogs’ conquest of the Silverbacks, while Mica Allon was a beast on defense with 15 tackles and two interceptions.

Both teams play the Judean Rebels next. The Underdogs will play at the Kraft Family Sports Campus this Friday morning and the Silverbacks will host the Rebels the following Friday.

In the Lions’ rout of Beersheba, David Abell completed 19-of30 passes for 221 yards and two scores, adding 45 yards and a score on the ground. Black Swarm QB Alex Bar was 4-of-12 passing for just 35 yards in a contest that was never in question.

The teams will play again next Saturday night in Beersheba.