Game Preview | March 16, 2026

It is 2026, and the start of the IFL season. Week 1 starts off with a bang as the reigning 2025 IFL Champion Vegas Knight Hawks travel to the Resch Center to take on the Green Bay Blizzard in the IFL Hall of Fame Game. The two teams met in the 2025 IFL Championship game last year. Once the two were scheduled for the Week 1 game, fans had this highly anticipated rematch circled on their calendars.

The Knight Hawks have a tough task, as they have to play a team that is eager to get revenge after last year. There are a couple of impact players who could make a difference for the team. One of them is Joshua Tomas. The newly signed running back played for the Bay Area Panthers a year ago, putting together a great season that earned him All-IFL Second Team honors in 2025 as a kick-returner and Offensive Player of the Year. Tomas racked up 623 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns, as well as 601 receiving yards on 52 catches and six touchdowns, in addition to his 647 return yards and two return touchdowns. The Knight Hawks also brought two of his former teammates. All-IFL Rookie and All-IFL First Team offensive lineman Christian Coulter, along with Sidney Walker, played well for Bay Area as the team ranked 3rd in rushing yards last year with 1,691. 

Because of Vegas's threatening run game, there are some impact players for Green Bay that will need to step up. The Blizzard have some Bay Area Panthers of their own, signing 2025 All-IFL defensive lineman Johnathan Ross and teammate Tevaughn Grant. Together, they had nine and a half sacks and 34 tackles for loss. Twenty of those tackles for loss came from Johnathan Ross, whose total led the league in 2025. The former Panthers, paired with Allen Henry and Scean Mustin, create an intimidating defensive line. 

Shifting to the offensive side of the ball, the Blizzard lost some of their top receivers last year, and they are looking for someone to step up. Second-year receiver Terrell Carey and incoming receiver Trevon Alexander. After an impressive tryout a year ago, Carey racked up 21 receptions for 432 yards and three touchdowns. He was then re-signed for another year. Meanwhile, Alexander, in his own second year, joins the Blizzard by way of Bay Area. In 2025, Alexander put together 30 receptions for 389 yards and 11 touchdowns, along with 18 carries for 57 yards and one touchdown.

The Blizzard start their Week 1 game with some irony. Due to an actual blizzard in the Green Bay area, this game has been rescheduled to March 16 at 6 PM CST. Be sure to travel safely and arrive early, as the first 3,000 fans receive an Eastern Conference Champion Banner Rally Towel. See you at the Resch Center!

Written by: Tristan Wendt