Spark Kestrels 32, Bastion Panthers 31
Week 4 · Regular season · round 18 · Thursday 22 October 2026
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPK Spark Kestrels | 12 | 0 | 13 | 7 | 32 |
| BST Bastion Panthers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
Game recap
The Spark Kestrels beat the Bastion Panthers 32-31 in round 18 of Week 4, and they needed every second to do it. The decisive score was a 25-yard touchdown pass from Eli Varga-Stone to Lazlo Zamora with 0:08 left in the fourth quarter. The result went against the odds, which had the Kestrels at 33% before kickoff.
The Kestrels opened the scoring with a 9-yard touchdown run by Malachi Reed with 3:50 left in the first quarter. The Panthers led 14-12 at halftime. The fourth quarter brought a 4-yard touchdown run by Marcus Thibodeaux for the Panthers (3:35 left, 28-25); a 36-yard field goal by Wendell Yardley for the Panthers (0:28 left, 31-25); a 25-yard touchdown pass from Eli Varga-Stone to Lazlo Zamora for the Kestrels (0:08 left, 32-31).
The key moment arrived with 0:08 left in the fourth quarter: a 25-yard touchdown pass from Eli Varga-Stone to Lazlo Zamora. It moved the Kestrels' chance of winning from 18% to 76%.
The standout was Malachi Reed (RB, Kestrels), with 12 carries for 84 yards and 2 TD; 1 catch for 9 yards. Elsewhere, Owen Castillo (Panthers) had 20 of 25 passing for 217 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 2 carries for 1 yard; Marcus Thibodeaux (Panthers) had 27 carries for 159 yards and 2 TD; 5 catches for 67 yards; Julian Asher (Panthers) had 7 catches for 74 yards; Eli Varga-Stone (Kestrels) had 18 of 29 passing for 206 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT; 5 carries for 25 yards.
Before kickoff, the Panthers' game plan was on offense: attack the zones, target Elio Bellamy; on defense: bracket Jaylen Osei (Elio Bellamy finished with 4 catches for 40 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 7 catches for 61 yards).
The Panthers move to 8-10 and the Kestrels to 5-12-1 this week. The coaches went for it on fourth down once, and it worked.
Scoring summary
| Time | Team | Play | SPK-BST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 3:50 | Kestrels | A 9-yard touchdown run by Malachi Reed (extra point missed) | 6-0 |
| Q1 2:33 | Panthers | A 7-yard touchdown run by Wendell Ashford (extra point) | 6-7 |
| Q1 0:40 | Kestrels | A 1-yard touchdown run by Malachi Reed (extra point missed) | 12-7 |
| Q2 2:35 | Panthers | A 6-yard touchdown run by Marcus Thibodeaux (extra point) | 12-14 |
| Q3 2:37 | Kestrels | A 19-yard touchdown pass from Eli Varga-Stone to Jaylen Osei (2-pt try failed) | 18-14 |
| Q3 1:44 | Kestrels | A 9-yard touchdown run by Yannick Delacroix (extra point) | 25-14 |
| Q3 0:31 | Panthers | A 7-yard touchdown pass from Owen Castillo to Emeric Esposito (extra point) | 25-21 |
| Q4 3:35 | Panthers | A 4-yard touchdown run by Marcus Thibodeaux (extra point) | 25-28 |
| Q4 0:28 | Panthers | A 36-yard field goal by Wendell Yardley | 25-31 |
| Q4 0:08 | Kestrels | A 25-yard touchdown pass from Eli Varga-Stone to Lazlo Zamora (extra point) | 32-31 |
Team stats
| SPK | BST | |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 329 | 416 |
| Passing yards | 206 | 217 |
| Rushing yards | 123 | 199 |
| Completions | 18 of 29 | 20 of 25 |
| Offensive plays | 52 | 61 |
| Third downs | 3 of 8 | 5 of 8 |
| Fourth downs | 1 of 1 | — |
| Turnovers | 2 | 4 |
| Sacks allowed | 4 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 5:35 | 10:25 |
Spark Kestrels box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eli Varga-Stone | 18/29 | 206 | 2 | 1 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malachi Reed | 12 | 84 | 2 | 17 |
| Eli Varga-Stone | 5 | 25 | 0 | 16 |
| Yannick Delacroix | 2 | 14 | 1 | 9 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bastien Radcliffe | 5 | 65 | 0 | 6 |
| Ulric Hargrove | 7 | 61 | 0 | 9 |
| Lazlo Zamora | 3 | 36 | 1 | 4 |
| Jaylen Osei | 2 | 35 | 1 | 5 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kasimir Castellan | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Bastien Oyelaran | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tariq Brennan | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Valen Pellegrini | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Orson Bellamy | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Soren Eriksen | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orson Jovanovic | 0/1 | 0 | 2/4 |
Bastion Panthers box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owen Castillo | 20/25 | 217 | 1 | 1 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Thibodeaux | 27 | 159 | 2 | 26 |
| Wendell Ashford | 4 | 39 | 1 | 15 |
| Owen Castillo | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julian Asher | 7 | 74 | 0 | 8 |
| Marcus Thibodeaux | 5 | 67 | 0 | 6 |
| Elio Bellamy | 4 | 40 | 0 | 6 |
| Emeric Esposito | 3 | 21 | 1 | 4 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orson Esposito | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hector Whitlock | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cassius Kincaid | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elio Lachance | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Valen Montague | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Zane Ashford | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wendell Yardley | 1/1 | 36 | 4/4 |
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 32, Bastion Panthers 31 on Snapline. More about the teams: Bastion Panthers · Spark Kestrels.