Monolith Rhinos 52, Vector Strikers 35
Week 1 · Regular season · round 5 · Tuesday 29 September 2026
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VEC Vector Strikers | 7 | 0 | 21 | 7 | 35 |
| MNL Monolith Rhinos | 14 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 52 |
Game recap
Neither defense had an answer in round 5 of Week 1, but the Monolith Rhinos scored last and best, beating the Vector Strikers 52-35. The teams combined for 87 points.
The Strikers opened the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run by Yannick Whitlock with 2:00 left in the first quarter. The Rhinos led 28-7 at halftime. In the fourth quarter: a 20-yard touchdown pass from Dax Holloway to Nico Saint-Clair for the Strikers (2:41 left, 35-35); a 10-yard touchdown pass from Brandt Kessler to Rory Blackwood for the Rhinos (2:02 left, 42-35); a 22-yard field goal by Tariq Underwood for the Rhinos (1:04 left, 45-35); a 19-yard touchdown pass from Brandt Kessler to Hector Quarles for the Rhinos (0:33 left, 52-35).
The key moment arrived with 1:48 left in the fourth quarter: an interception by Adrien Pellegrini off Dax Holloway. It moved the Rhinos' chance of winning from 77% to 91%.
Top performer: Valen Falkner (RB, Rhinos), with 21 carries for 122 yards and 4 TD. Elsewhere, Brandt Kessler (Rhinos) had 14 of 17 passing for 240 yards, 2 TD; Titus Okafor (Rhinos) had 23 carries for 220 yards and 1 TD; Rory Blackwood (Rhinos) had 12 catches for 187 yards and 1 TD; Dax Holloway (Strikers) had 31 of 52 passing for 417 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT.
The Rhinos move to 1-3-1 and the Strikers to 4-1 this week.
Scoring summary
| Time | Team | Play | VEC-MNL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2:00 | Strikers | A 2-yard touchdown run by Yannick Whitlock | 7-0 |
| Q1 1:12 | Rhinos | A 5-yard touchdown run by Valen Falkner | 7-7 |
| Q1 0:00 | Rhinos | A 20-yard touchdown run by Titus Okafor | 7-14 |
| Q2 1:45 | Rhinos | A 4-yard touchdown run by Valen Falkner | 7-21 |
| Q2 0:28 | Rhinos | A 1-yard touchdown run by Valen Falkner | 7-28 |
| Q3 2:43 | Strikers | A 2-yard touchdown pass from Dax Holloway to Adrien Yardley | 14-28 |
| Q3 2:11 | Rhinos | A 3-yard touchdown run by Valen Falkner | 14-35 |
| Q3 1:33 | Strikers | A 2-yard touchdown pass from Dax Holloway to Elio Falkner | 21-35 |
| Q3 0:29 | Strikers | A 14-yard touchdown pass from Dax Holloway to Nico Saint-Clair | 28-35 |
| Q4 2:41 | Strikers | A 20-yard touchdown pass from Dax Holloway to Nico Saint-Clair | 35-35 |
| Q4 2:02 | Rhinos | A 10-yard touchdown pass from Brandt Kessler to Rory Blackwood | 35-42 |
| Q4 1:04 | Rhinos | A 22-yard field goal by Tariq Underwood | 35-45 |
| Q4 0:33 | Rhinos | A 19-yard touchdown pass from Brandt Kessler to Hector Quarles | 35-52 |
Team stats
| VEC | MNL | |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 475 | 582 |
| Passing yards | 417 | 240 |
| Rushing yards | 58 | 342 |
| Completions | 31 of 52 | 14 of 17 |
| Offensive plays | 69 | 63 |
| Third downs | 7 of 12 | 2 of 4 |
| Fourth downs | 0 of 2 | — |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Sacks allowed | 3 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 5:06 | 6:51 |
Vector Strikers box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dax Holloway | 31/52 | 417 | 4 | 1 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teo Briggs | 8 | 37 | 0 | 10 |
| Yannick Whitlock | 6 | 21 | 1 | 6 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nico Saint-Clair | 15 | 191 | 2 | 27 |
| Adrien Yardley | 6 | 100 | 1 | 7 |
| Elio Falkner | 5 | 64 | 1 | 7 |
| Bastien Kincaid | 3 | 46 | 0 | 8 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yannick Thorne | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Anders Delacroix | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cyrus Whitlock | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lazlo Coventry | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Ivo Falkner | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cyrus Bellamy | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Monolith Rhinos box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandt Kessler | 14/17 | 240 | 2 | 0 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titus Okafor | 23 | 220 | 1 | 25 |
| Valen Falkner | 21 | 122 | 4 | 13 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rory Blackwood | 12 | 187 | 1 | 15 |
| Ivo Underwood | 1 | 34 | 0 | 1 |
| Hector Quarles | 1 | 19 | 1 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyrus Varga | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Adrien Pellegrini | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bram Garrow | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Roman Underwood | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Emeric Varga | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Nils Sandoval | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tariq Underwood | 1/1 | 22 | 0/0 |
Watch the replay
Every play of this game can be replayed on the big screen, with the play calls, the win probability and the commentary: replay Monolith Rhinos 52, Vector Strikers 35 on Snapline. More about the teams: Monolith Rhinos · Vector Strikers.