RESPECT, ATTENTION, AND FIRST PLACE ON THE LINE IN SAN DIEGO

For most of this season, the outside conversation about the Indoor Football League's Western Conference has centered around the defending National Champion Vegas Knight Hawks and the 2024 National Champion Arizona Rattlers. A lot of that attention stems from the post-game altercation between Vegas Head Coach Mike Davis and Arizona Head Coach Kevin Guy following the Knight Hawks 56-42 win over the Rattlers on May 3rd in Vegas. Then there was the live Yahoo Sports Daily interview on May 18th and the rematch in the IFL Cup Championship Game on May 24th won by Vegas 48-44.

But while all this was all going on, the San Diego Strike Force was busy putting together a heck of a season and now they find themselves in second place in the Western Conference as they get set to host Vegas on Friday night at Frontwave Arena. The game kicks off at 10pm Eastern Time and since the biggest games in the Indoor Football League get the biggest stage, the contest will now be carried on Yahoo Sports.

Vegas leads the Western Conference with a 9-2 record with San Diego a half game back at 8-2 while Arizona has dropped to third place with a 7-4 record.

So much for overlooking the Strike Force!

"When I crack jokes about the other two (Vegas and Arizona), I'm just basically using that as motivation that they're just assuming that their organizations are better than our football team," said Strike Force Head Coach Taylor Genuser. "We're here to show you that we're ready to play ball and we're ready to win the West."

Friday night's game figures to be an iconic chess match between Genuser and Davis, but both coaches haven't been shy to talk about this showdown, especially when it comes to those words of motivation.

Genuser intimating that his team has been overlooked is just one aspect of that, but the feeling from Vegas is that the Strike Force has been in the Western Conference conversation all season long.

"Whatever you need to do to motivate your team is fine by me," said Davis. "If they really think that they were overlooked, okay that's up to them. There's nobody overlooking them. Nobody. Not us. Not Arizona. Not Tucson. At the end of the day, they put together a good football team that plays well and they're exciting to watch and they come to work. They don't get too rattled." 

It's a marquee regular-season game that will certainly have a lot of eyeballs on it.

THIS GAME HAS FLEX APPEAL

How big is this game on Friday night?

Well, it's so big that the IFL has moved the game to Yahoo Sports with coverage starting at 10pm ET. In addition, the IFL has flexed their top announcing team into the telecast so Brent Stover, Kurtiss Riggs and Jason Fitz will be on the call Friday night at Frontwave Arena.

"I'm thrilled to be part of the broadcast for one of the biggest games of the year," said Stover, the Indoor Football League's Director of Broadcasting and "The Voice of the IFL". 

"This could very well be a preview of the Western Conference title game. Vegas needs to bounce back and San Diego needs to keep it rolling."

It's been an interesting few weeks for the defending champions.

On June 7th, they survived a huge scare and beat the Northern Arizona Wranglers on the road 71-70 in overtime. And then this past week, on June 13th, the Knight Hawks' nine-game winning streak came to and end as they fell to Tucson at home 52-48.

While the Knight Hawks look to get back on track, the Strike Force will look to do something they haven't done all season…beat a team with a winning record.

"You think it's the two best teams," said Riggs, the Head Coach of eleven indoor football championship teams.  

"I still have a lot of questions. As I've dug in and looked at more details of San Diego, they've only played two winning teams this year and they lost to both of them. When you watch them, you think they're talented and they have the pieces."

While the Knight Hawks and the Strike Force are heated rivals in the Western Conference, that rivalry also comes with respect.

MUTUAL ADMIRATION

As the Strike Force and the Knight Hawks get ready to wage war on Friday night, both teams have the utmost respect for each other. Vegas, looking for their second straight National Championship, is well aware that San Diego is a legitimate threat to both winning the Western Conference and competing for a championship.

The Strike Force look across the field at their opponent knowing that Vegas has something that they want.

"They're the champs until they're not," said Genuser. "They're the defending champs and we're here to respect that. We're not looking at them any other way than that's the team we're trying to knock off and we're trying to get the hardware from them. They're a very good football team. It's always a battle against them. It's always a physical game. For our organization, this game is going to give us some good trajectory heading into the playoffs." 

And when Vegas takes a close look at San Diego, they see a quality football team that has been on the Western Conference radar all season long. While many people zeroed in on Vegas and Arizona, the Knight Hawks knew all along that the Strike Force would be part of the discussion.

"It's always been us three," said Davis. "It's never been us and Arizona. It's always been us three because San Diego is phenomenal. Anytime you have a great staff and a Hall of Fame quarterback, you're going to be successful. And they have more players to go with him. The more resources you have for your quarterback, the better you're going to be." 

That Hall of Fame quarterback is 39-year-old San Diego signal caller Nate Davis. "They have a great football team and a great organization. All we can do is control what we can control. We just have to keep on working and keep on putting wins together. It's going to be a tough one this week."

Both San Diego and Vegas have a mutual respect for each other but they are also conference rivals and will stop at nothing to try and win the game on Friday. And despite the words that go back and forth, the Head Coaches share that respect.

TEACHER VS PUPIL 

During San Diego's inaugural IFL season in 2022, Genuser was on the Strike Force coaching staff as Offensive Coordinator. During that season, the Strike Force made a change and promoted Genuser to Interim Head Coach and his first game was against Vegas. During that game, Genuser threw the red challenge flag contesting that the Knight Hawks should have been flagged for a corner blitz.

As it turns out, Genuser didn't know the rule.

"I challenged it and lost the challenge," said Genuser. "(Davis) was like you gotta know the rules buddy…I can do that if I know you're running the ball."

Lesson learned as Genuser has turned into one of the best coaches in the Indoor Football League. 

"He's done a great job," said Davis. "It took him a minute, but he's figured out a way. He surrounded himself with good coaches."

Genuser brought in Adam Shackleford as President of Football Operations, Director of Scouting and Defensive Coordinator. He also had Rod Miller on his staff but Miller is now the Knight Hawks' Defensive Coordinator. 

"He quickly understood or he looked around and found out that I can't do this by myself," said Davis. "I better get myself some people I can rely on and lean on who maybe have a little more experience than I have so I can learn and grow and he's done that." 

But that little rules lesson wasn't the only piece of advice that Davis gave to the young coach. When Genuser was the San Diego Offensive Coordinator, and also since he's been Head Coach, Davis has been a great resource for him in learning the ropes of what it takes to be a successful coach in the IFL.

"Mike took me under his wing early on in this league when it came to all the compliance stuff," said Genuser. "Mike was just kind of teaching me the tricks of the trade that wasn't taught to me because there was nobody here in our organization who could teach me these things. Our relationship has evolved in the most positive ways. I'm just grateful that he's poured into me even though he's never been required to." 

Davis saw something in Genuser back then and now the teacher and the student will battle on Friday for first place in the Western Conference.

"As a young coach, we all try to do things a little bit differently," said Davis. "Sometimes, we think we know more than we know. The hardest thing to do as a young coach is to humble yourself because you want to know it all and you don't. I think he's come a long way. The kid has turned out to be a really good coach and his players respond well to him."

Friday night's Vegas vs San Diego game will certainly be must-see TV, but it's just one episode of what could be a trilogy.

FIRST OF THREE?

When the Strike Force and Knight Hawks hook up on Friday night, it will be the first meeting of the season between the Western Conference rivals. The IFL schedule makers knew what they were doing as these two teams will meet for a second time on July 12th in Vegas, a game that could decide the top seed in the Western Conference.

And you never know…these teams could meet again in August for the chance to represent the Western Conference in the National Championship Game on August 16th in Tucson.

"I look at this as the first of a three-game series," said Genuser. "There's a pretty good chance that there's a third meeting. The biggest thing is that we just have to get this first one. Why is this one the most important one? Because we're at home. We have to defend home field. We have to prove that we can beat a team with a winning record. We just need to strike them."

No pun intended by Genuser?

Perhaps, but the Strike Force will look to knock off the defending champs and move into first place in the Western Conference. 

How does Vegas get out of their multi-week funk and retain the Western Conference's penthouse?

"Take care of us," said Davis. "If we take care of us, things work out in our favor. If we stoop down and play to people's levels, people can play with you. We're the defending champs. You're going to get everybody's best game."

With so much on the line, Friday night figures to be similar to an old-school fifteen-round heavyweight championship fight.

THE LATEST CHAPTER

Last season, Vegas and San Diego met twice.

In the regular season, on March 31st, the Knight Hawks came out of San Diego with a 48-41 victory.

And then in the Western Conference Championship Game in Vegas on August 8th, the Knight Hawks held off the Strike Force 74-68.

What should we expect on Friday?

Another thriller is certainly a possibility.

For the Strike Force, the game plan is simple.

"Tackle (Vegas running back Josh) Tomas and cover Q (wide receiver Quentin Randolph)," said Genuser. "They've got guys across the board. Those two have done it at a high level in this league. I just think that if we can limit those two and try to make others beat us in the most respectful way possible, I think that's a big piece. They just have very good personnel. I feel like we have a spark and an identity that's different from last year."

From a Vegas perspective, the objective is to limit the success of Strike Force quarterback Nate Davis who, like Vegas quarterback Jayden De Laura, has a plethora of targets to find including Dallas Daniels, Cole Blackman, and Jalen Sample.

"They have one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the league and you have some star-studded caliber receivers," said Davis. "It makes it easier for Nate because he just throws it to a spot and they go get it. As a quarterback, when you can do that, your life is pretty simple. Our games against San Diego have always been barnburners. They're always close. It's never one-sided for either side." 

The Knight Hawks will certainly game plan for Davis, but his experience and success in this league will be tough to shut down.

"Coach Davis puts a great defense out there," said Davis. "He mixes a lot of stuff up. We just have to be prepared for it. 

There's probably no wrinkle that I've never seen."

It's a game that figures to come down to the final series with the victor earning the top spot in the Western Conference.

IT SHOULD BE A BATTLE

As the regular season winds down, teams in both conferences are jockeying for playoff position. For Vegas and San Diego, Friday's contest could be viewed as a playoff game with first place on the line.

With so much at stake, could it be the impetus for Vegas to snap out of their funk?

"As a professional, you should be able to do that every game," said Davis. "At the end of the day, being Vegas and being the defending champs, you're always going to get everybody's best game and if you're not ready for that, you deserve to get beat and it will be no different this weekend. If we come in not prepared, we'll end up getting beat by San Diego." 

Vegas has what San Diego wants…the hardware.

The Strike Force will have an opportunity on Friday to make sure the road to Tucson goes through San Diego.

"Coach Davis has seen it all," said Genuser. "He's done it all. He's won it all. For me, I feel like I've seen a lot. I've done a lot. But I haven't won a lot yet. We're just trying to respect our opponent and understand that we can't go into this thing unprepared. Mike is very smart and I'm just excited for the chess match." 

All eyes around the Indoor Football League will certainly be on Frontwave Arena in San Diego on Friday night. For the fans who will be in attendance and for those watching the game on Yahoo Sports, it's a game that should have a little bit of everything.