Cipher Lynx 24, Bastion Panthers 17
Week 4 · Regular season · round 2 · Monday 19 October 2026
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BST Bastion Panthers | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| CPH Cipher Lynx | 0 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 24 |
Game recap
Down but not out, the Cipher Lynx rallied past the Bastion Panthers for a 24-17 win in round 2 of Week 4. They trailed by as many as 10 points, and their chance of winning dropped as low as 20%.
The Panthers opened the scoring with a 39-yard field goal by Wendell Yardley with 0:58 left in the first quarter. At the break the Panthers were up 10-7. Then came the fourth quarter: a 1-yard touchdown run by Ezekiel Hart for the Lynx (3:50 left, 24-10); a 12-yard touchdown pass from Owen Castillo to Julian Asher for the Panthers (3:07 left, 24-17).
The play that tilted the game came with 1:19 left in the third quarter: a 2-yard touchdown run by Orson Achebe. It moved the Lynx' chance of winning from 60% to 79%.
The standout was Kai Navarro (QB, Lynx), with 14 of 26 passing for 144 yards; 12 carries for 76 yards and 1 TD. Elsewhere, Ezekiel Hart (Lynx) had 15 carries for 72 yards and 1 TD; Luca Benedetti (Lynx) had 5 catches for 66 yards; Owen Castillo (Panthers) had 16 of 21 passing for 162 yards, 2 TD; Marcus Thibodeaux (Panthers) had 13 carries for 39 yards; 2 catches for 36 yards.
Before kickoff, the Lynx' game plan was on offense: attack the zones, stay underneath, target Pavel Thorne; on defense: bracket Julian Asher (Pavel Thorne finished with 4 catches for 19 yards). Meanwhile, the Panthers' game plan was on offense: attack the zones, target Emeric Esposito; on defense: bracket Luca Benedetti (Emeric Esposito finished with 4 catches for 36 yards and 1 TD).
The Lynx move to 1-1 and the Panthers to 1-1 this week. The coaches went for it on fourth down 3 times, converting 2.
Scoring summary
| Time | Team | Play | BST-CPH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 0:58 | Panthers | A 39-yard field goal by Wendell Yardley | 3-0 |
| Q2 2:37 | Panthers | A 1-yard touchdown pass from Owen Castillo to Emeric Esposito (extra point) | 10-0 |
| Q2 1:27 | Lynx | A 10-yard touchdown run by Kai Navarro (extra point) | 10-7 |
| Q3 2:49 | Lynx | A safety, Owen Castillo sacked in the end zone | 10-9 |
| Q3 1:19 | Lynx | A 2-yard touchdown run by Orson Achebe (2-pt conversion) | 10-17 |
| Q4 3:50 | Lynx | A 1-yard touchdown run by Ezekiel Hart (extra point) | 10-24 |
| Q4 3:07 | Panthers | A 12-yard touchdown pass from Owen Castillo to Julian Asher (extra point) | 17-24 |
Team stats
| BST | CPH | |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 239 | 350 |
| Passing yards | 162 | 144 |
| Rushing yards | 77 | 206 |
| Completions | 16 of 21 | 14 of 26 |
| Offensive plays | 46 | 66 |
| Third downs | 3 of 8 | 4 of 11 |
| Fourth downs | — | 2 of 3 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Sacks allowed | 5 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 6:50 | 9:10 |
Bastion Panthers box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owen Castillo | 16/21 | 162 | 2 | 0 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Thibodeaux | 13 | 39 | 0 | 23 |
| Wendell Ashford | 6 | 34 | 0 | 11 |
| Elio Zamora | 1 | 4 | 0 | 10 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Thibodeaux | 2 | 36 | 0 | 4 |
| Emeric Esposito | 4 | 36 | 1 | 4 |
| Julian Asher | 4 | 35 | 1 | 5 |
| Elio Bellamy | 3 | 31 | 0 | 4 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orson Esposito | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Valen Montague | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Cassius Kincaid | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kasimir Varga | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bram Zamora | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Emeric Kincaid | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wendell Yardley | 1/1 | 39 | 2/2 |
Cipher Lynx box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kai Navarro | 14/26 | 144 | 0 | 0 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kai Navarro | 12 | 76 | 1 | 15 |
| Ezekiel Hart | 15 | 72 | 1 | 11 |
| Orson Achebe | 8 | 57 | 1 | 12 |
| Zane Lachance | 1 | 1 | 0 | 25 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luca Benedetti | 5 | 66 | 0 | 6 |
| Bram Pellegrini | 3 | 31 | 0 | 5 |
| Zane Lachance | 2 | 28 | 0 | 3 |
| Pavel Thorne | 4 | 19 | 0 | 5 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonas Sandoval | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hector Coventry | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Elio Varga | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Emeric Jovanovic | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Wendell Kincaid | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bastien Oyelaran | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orson Thorne | 0/0 | 0 | 2/2 |
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 Cipher Lynx 24, Bastion Panthers 17 on Snapline. More about the teams: Cipher Lynx · Bastion Panthers.