Bastion Panthers 31, Nova Raptors 28
Week 3 · Regular season · round 13 · Wednesday 14 October 2026
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BST Bastion Panthers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
| NVA Nova Raptors | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
Game recap
The Bastion Panthers beat the Nova Raptors 31-28 in round 13 of Week 3, and they needed every second to do it. The decisive score was a 3-yard touchdown pass from Owen Castillo to Emeric Esposito with 0:07 left in the fourth quarter.
The Raptors opened the scoring with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Axel Stroud to Zion Whitaker with 1:33 left in the first quarter. At the break the Raptors were up 21-14. In the fourth quarter: a 26-yard field goal by Wendell Yardley for the Panthers (2:29 left, 28-24); a 3-yard touchdown pass from Owen Castillo to Emeric Esposito for the Panthers (0:07 left, 31-28).
The key moment arrived with 0:07 left in the fourth quarter: a 3-yard touchdown pass from Owen Castillo to Emeric Esposito. It moved the Panthers' chance of winning from 53% to 89%.
Top performer: Marcus Thibodeaux (RB, Panthers), with 9 carries for 75 yards and 2 TD; 5 catches for 51 yards. Elsewhere, Axel Stroud (Raptors) had 23 of 33 passing for 276 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT; 1 carry for 5 yards; Omari Fenn (Raptors) had 23 carries for 87 yards; 2 catches for 20 yards; Ivo Norcross (Raptors) had 6 catches for 90 yards and 3 TD; Owen Castillo (Panthers) had 25 of 35 passing for 207 yards, 1 TD.
Before kickoff, the Raptors' game plan was on offense: attack the zones, stay underneath, target Ivo Norcross; on defense: bracket Julian Asher (Ivo Norcross finished with 6 catches for 90 yards and 3 TD). Meanwhile, the Panthers' game plan was on offense: attack the zones, stay underneath, target Emeric Esposito; on defense: bracket Zion Whitaker (Emeric Esposito finished with 6 catches for 62 yards and 1 TD).
The Raptors move to 6-7 and the Panthers to 7-4-2 this week.
Scoring summary
| Time | Team | Play | BST-NVA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 1:33 | Raptors | A 7-yard touchdown pass from Axel Stroud to Zion Whitaker | 0-7 |
| Q1 0:58 | Panthers | A 3-yard touchdown run by Wendell Ashford | 7-7 |
| Q2 2:47 | Panthers | A 6-yard touchdown run by Marcus Thibodeaux | 14-7 |
| Q2 1:56 | Raptors | A 16-yard touchdown pass from Axel Stroud to Ivo Norcross | 14-14 |
| Q2 1:33 | Raptors | A 25-yard touchdown pass from Axel Stroud to Ivo Norcross | 14-21 |
| Q3 2:34 | Panthers | A 9-yard touchdown run by Marcus Thibodeaux | 21-21 |
| Q3 0:25 | Raptors | A 9-yard touchdown pass from Axel Stroud to Ivo Norcross | 21-28 |
| Q4 2:29 | Panthers | A 26-yard field goal by Wendell Yardley | 24-28 |
| Q4 0:07 | Panthers | A 3-yard touchdown pass from Owen Castillo to Emeric Esposito | 31-28 |
Team stats
| BST | NVA | |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 365 | 407 |
| Passing yards | 207 | 276 |
| Rushing yards | 158 | 131 |
| Completions | 25 of 35 | 23 of 33 |
| Offensive plays | 54 | 68 |
| Third downs | 1 of 8 | 8 of 12 |
| Fourth downs | 2 of 2 | — |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Sacks allowed | 3 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 5:46 | 6:14 |
Bastion Panthers box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owen Castillo | 25/35 | 207 | 1 | 0 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wendell Ashford | 7 | 83 | 1 | 22 |
| Marcus Thibodeaux | 9 | 75 | 2 | 18 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julian Asher | 7 | 76 | 0 | 10 |
| Emeric Esposito | 6 | 62 | 1 | 6 |
| Marcus Thibodeaux | 5 | 51 | 0 | 6 |
| Elio Bellamy | 3 | 14 | 0 | 7 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bram Zamora | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Elio Lachance | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Cassius Kincaid | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quentin Ashford | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Orson Esposito | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kasimir Varga | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wendell Yardley | 1/1 | 26 | 0/0 |
Nova Raptors box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axel Stroud | 23/33 | 276 | 4 | 3 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omari Fenn | 23 | 87 | 0 | 12 |
| Nils Coventry | 8 | 34 | 0 | 11 |
| Axel Stroud | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Tariq Achebe | 1 | 5 | 0 | 17 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ivo Norcross | 6 | 90 | 3 | 6 |
| Zion Whitaker | 7 | 78 | 1 | 12 |
| Bram Thorne | 5 | 44 | 0 | 7 |
| Tariq Achebe | 3 | 44 | 0 | 5 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quentin Brennan | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quentin Norcross | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adrien Varga | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Bastien Montague | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matteo Draven | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pavel Sandoval | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrien Norcross | 0/1 | 0 | 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 Bastion Panthers 31, Nova Raptors 28 on Snapline. More about the teams: Nova Raptors · Bastion Panthers.