Pulse Jackals 31, Apex Vipers 30
Week 5 · Regular season · round 14 · Wednesday 28 October 2026
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APX Apex Vipers | 0 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 30 |
| PLS Pulse Jackals | 0 | 3 | 13 | 15 | 31 |
Game recap
The Pulse Jackals turned the game around and beat the Apex Vipers 31-30 in round 14 of Week 5. They trailed by as many as 14 points, and their chance of winning dropped as low as 11%.
The Vipers opened the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Mason Okafor-Reid to Luther Banks with 1:45 left in the second quarter. At the break the Vipers were up 14-3. Then came the fourth quarter: a 6-yard touchdown pass from Rio Castellanos to Adrien Esposito for the Jackals (3:55 left, 24-21); a 15-yard touchdown pass from Mason Okafor-Reid to Emeric Castellan for the Vipers (3:14 left, 27-24); a 47-yard field goal by Kasimir Eriksen for the Vipers (1:23 left, 30-24); a 4-yard touchdown pass from Rio Castellanos to Anders Quarles for the Jackals (0:59 left, 31-30).
The play that tilted the game came with 0:59 left in the fourth quarter: a 4-yard touchdown pass from Rio Castellanos to Anders Quarles. It moved the Jackals' chance of winning from 30% to 78%.
Player of the game: Rio Castellanos (QB, Jackals), with 24 of 38 passing for 297 yards, 3 TD. Elsewhere, Fabian Lachance (Jackals) had 8 carries for 67 yards; 1 catch for 17 yards; Cassius Achebe (Jackals) had 6 catches for 98 yards; Mason Okafor-Reid (Vipers) had 37 of 47 passing for 362 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT; 3 carries for 3 yards; Luther Banks (Vipers) had 22 carries for 138 yards; 4 catches for 44 yards and 2 TD.
Before kickoff, the Jackals' game plan was on offense: attack the zones, take shots deep, target Cassius Achebe; on defense: bracket Wendell Garrow (Cassius Achebe finished with 6 catches for 98 yards). Meanwhile, the Vipers' game plan was on offense: attack the zones, stay underneath, target Wendell Garrow; on defense: bracket Tavi Nkemelu (Wendell Garrow finished with 8 catches for 96 yards and 1 TD).
The Jackals move to 7-7 and the Vipers to 8-6 this week. The coaches went for it on fourth down 3 times, converting 2.
Scoring summary
| Time | Team | Play | APX-PLS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q2 1:45 | Vipers | A 3-yard touchdown pass from Mason Okafor-Reid to Luther Banks (extra point) | 7-0 |
| Q2 0:20 | Vipers | A 13-yard touchdown pass from Mason Okafor-Reid to Luther Banks (extra point) | 14-0 |
| Q2 0:05 | Jackals | A 42-yard field goal by Roman Zamora | 14-3 |
| Q3 3:27 | Jackals | A 10-yard touchdown pass from Rio Castellanos to Tavi Nkemelu (2-pt try failed) | 14-9 |
| Q3 2:43 | Vipers | A 14-yard touchdown pass from Mason Okafor-Reid to Wendell Garrow (extra point) | 21-9 |
| Q3 1:54 | Jackals | A 15-yard touchdown run by Jace Albright (extra point) | 21-16 |
| Q4 3:55 | Jackals | A 6-yard touchdown pass from Rio Castellanos to Adrien Esposito (2-pt conversion) | 21-24 |
| Q4 3:14 | Vipers | A 15-yard touchdown pass from Mason Okafor-Reid to Emeric Castellan (extra point missed) | 27-24 |
| Q4 1:23 | Vipers | A 47-yard field goal by Kasimir Eriksen | 30-24 |
| Q4 0:59 | Jackals | A 4-yard touchdown pass from Rio Castellanos to Anders Quarles (extra point) | 30-31 |
Team stats
| APX | PLS | |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 568 | 457 |
| Passing yards | 362 | 297 |
| Rushing yards | 206 | 160 |
| Completions | 37 of 47 | 24 of 38 |
| Offensive plays | 83 | 59 |
| Third downs | 8 of 13 | 2 of 9 |
| Fourth downs | 1 of 2 | 1 of 1 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Sacks allowed | 3 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 10:26 | 5:34 |
Apex Vipers box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason Okafor-Reid | 37/47 | 362 | 4 | 1 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luther Banks | 22 | 138 | 0 | 15 |
| Fabian Varga | 7 | 59 | 0 | 26 |
| Emeric Castellan | 1 | 6 | 0 | 15 |
| Mason Okafor-Reid | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wendell Garrow | 8 | 96 | 1 | 10 |
| Pavel Garrow | 6 | 72 | 0 | 7 |
| Ravi Castellano | 8 | 66 | 0 | 11 |
| Fabian Varga | 6 | 51 | 0 | 7 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soren Falkner | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matteo Falkner | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Wendell Pellegrini | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nils Ashford | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Matteo Zamora | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonas Draven | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kasimir Eriksen | 1/2 | 47 | 3/4 |
Pulse Jackals box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Castellanos | 24/38 | 297 | 3 | 0 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fabian Lachance | 8 | 67 | 0 | 21 |
| Jace Albright | 8 | 66 | 1 | 15 |
| Adrien Esposito | 3 | 27 | 0 | 14 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cassius Achebe | 6 | 98 | 0 | 9 |
| Tavi Nkemelu | 8 | 94 | 1 | 12 |
| Anders Quarles | 6 | 58 | 1 | 6 |
| Fabian Lachance | 1 | 17 | 0 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elio Oyelaran | 39 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Quentin Achebe | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Darius Draven | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Quentin Norcross | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Soren Sandoval | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Valen Zamora | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roman Zamora | 1/1 | 42 | 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 Pulse Jackals 31, Apex Vipers 30 on Snapline. More about the teams: Pulse Jackals · Apex Vipers.