Spark Kestrels 30, Bastion Panthers 20
Week 2 · Regular season · round 18 · Thursday 8 October 2026
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPK Spark Kestrels | 7 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 30 |
| BST Bastion Panthers | 7 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 20 |
Game recap
The Spark Kestrels turned the game around and beat the Bastion Panthers 30-20 in round 18 of Week 2. They trailed by as many as 7 points, and their chance of winning dropped as low as 17%. Few expected it: the pregame odds gave the Kestrels a 23% chance.
The Panthers opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run by Marcus Thibodeaux with 1:40 left in the first quarter. The Kestrels led 17-10 at halftime. In the fourth quarter: a 39-yard field goal by Orson Jovanovic for the Kestrels (2:03 left, 23-20); a 7-yard touchdown pass from Eli Varga-Stone to Jaylen Osei for the Kestrels (1:46 left, 30-20).
The biggest swing of the game came with 1:56 left in the fourth quarter: a fumble by Owen Castillo, recovered by the defense. It moved the Kestrels' chance of winning from 58% to 78%.
Top performer: Malachi Reed (RB, Kestrels), with 19 carries for 78 yards and 2 TD; 3 catches for 15 yards. Elsewhere, Owen Castillo (Panthers) had 24 of 31 passing for 233 yards, 1 TD; 1 catch for -4 yards; Marcus Thibodeaux (Panthers) had 15 carries for 99 yards and 1 TD; 2 catches for 23 yards; Elio Bellamy (Panthers) had 10 catches for 110 yards; Eli Varga-Stone (Kestrels) had 26 of 39 passing for 281 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 2 carries for 7 yards.
Before kickoff, the Panthers' game plan was on offense: quick game vs the blitz, attack the zones, target Elio Bellamy; on defense: bracket Jaylen Osei (Elio Bellamy finished with 10 catches for 110 yards). Meanwhile, the Kestrels' game plan was on offense: attack the zones, stay underneath, lean on the run, target Ulric Hargrove; on defense: bracket Julian Asher (Ulric Hargrove finished with 5 catches for 69 yards).
The Panthers move to 14-4 and the Kestrels to 11-7 this week.
Scoring summary
| Time | Team | Play | SPK-BST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 1:40 | Panthers | A 1-yard touchdown run by Marcus Thibodeaux | 0-7 |
| Q1 0:42 | Kestrels | A 1-yard touchdown run by Malachi Reed | 7-7 |
| Q2 2:38 | Panthers | A 37-yard field goal by Wendell Yardley | 7-10 |
| Q2 1:48 | Kestrels | A 6-yard touchdown run by Malachi Reed | 14-10 |
| Q2 0:00 | Kestrels | A 60-yard field goal by Orson Jovanovic | 17-10 |
| Q3 2:08 | Panthers | A 4-yard touchdown pass from Owen Castillo to Julian Asher | 17-17 |
| Q3 1:09 | Panthers | A 40-yard field goal by Wendell Yardley | 17-20 |
| Q3 0:05 | Kestrels | A 36-yard field goal by Orson Jovanovic | 20-20 |
| Q4 2:03 | Kestrels | A 39-yard field goal by Orson Jovanovic | 23-20 |
| Q4 1:46 | Kestrels | A 7-yard touchdown pass from Eli Varga-Stone to Jaylen Osei | 30-20 |
Team stats
| SPK | BST | |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 388 | 363 |
| Passing yards | 281 | 233 |
| Rushing yards | 107 | 130 |
| Completions | 26 of 39 | 24 of 31 |
| Offensive plays | 68 | 57 |
| Third downs | 6 of 13 | 2 of 9 |
| Fourth downs | 1 of 2 | 0 of 1 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Sacks allowed | 4 | 6 |
| Time of possession | 5:59 | 6:01 |
Spark Kestrels box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eli Varga-Stone | 26/39 | 281 | 1 | 1 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malachi Reed | 19 | 78 | 2 | 16 |
| Yannick Delacroix | 4 | 22 | 0 | 11 |
| Eli Varga-Stone | 2 | 7 | 0 | 5 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bastien Radcliffe | 8 | 96 | 0 | 9 |
| Jaylen Osei | 8 | 89 | 1 | 12 |
| Ulric Hargrove | 5 | 69 | 0 | 7 |
| Malachi Reed | 3 | 15 | 0 | 3 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soren Eriksen | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Bastien Oyelaran | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Cyrus Quarles | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Kasimir Castellan | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gideon Norcross | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ulric Ashford | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orson Jovanovic | 3/3 | 60 | 0/0 |
Bastion Panthers box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owen Castillo | 24/31 | 233 | 1 | 0 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Thibodeaux | 15 | 99 | 1 | 16 |
| Wendell Ashford | 5 | 31 | 0 | 10 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elio Bellamy | 10 | 110 | 0 | 12 |
| Emeric Esposito | 7 | 72 | 0 | 7 |
| Julian Asher | 3 | 26 | 1 | 5 |
| Marcus Thibodeaux | 2 | 23 | 0 | 2 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kasimir Varga | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Elio Lachance | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Yannick Coventry | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Bram Zamora | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hector Whitlock | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quentin Ashford | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wendell Yardley | 2/2 | 40 | 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 Spark Kestrels 30, Bastion Panthers 20 on Snapline. More about the teams: Bastion Panthers · Spark Kestrels.