Nova Raptors 45, Vector Strikers 38
Week 5 · Regular season · round 20 · Thursday 29 October 2026
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VEC Vector Strikers | 14 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
| NVA Nova Raptors | 0 | 3 | 21 | 21 | 45 |
Game recap
Down but not out, the Nova Raptors rallied past the Vector Strikers for a 45-38 win in round 20 of Week 5. They trailed by as many as 21 points, and their chance of winning dropped as low as 5%.
The Strikers opened the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown run by Yannick Whitlock with 2:24 left in the first quarter. The Strikers led 24-3 at halftime. In the fourth quarter: a 1-yard touchdown run by Dorian Hargrove for the Raptors (3:22 left, 31-31); a 2-yard touchdown pass from Axel Stroud to Nils Coventry for the Raptors (2:23 left, 38-31); a 16-yard touchdown pass from Axel Stroud to Bram Thorne for the Raptors (1:23 left, 45-31); a 13-yard touchdown pass from Dax Holloway to Adrien Yardley for the Strikers (1:00 left, 45-38).
The play that tilted the game came with 3:22 left in the fourth quarter: a 1-yard touchdown run by Dorian Hargrove. It moved the Raptors' chance of winning from 33% to 58%.
The standout was Axel Stroud (QB, Raptors), with 39 of 54 passing for 498 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT; 5 carries for 9 yards. Elsewhere, Omari Fenn (Raptors) had 12 carries for 69 yards and 1 TD; 1 catch for 8 yards; Bram Thorne (Raptors) had 12 catches for 160 yards and 2 TD; Dax Holloway (Strikers) had 28 of 46 passing for 382 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT; 2 carries for 13 yards; Yannick Whitlock (Strikers) had 8 carries for 84 yards and 1 TD.
Before kickoff, the Raptors' game plan was on offense: quick game vs the blitz, beat man coverage, take shots deep, target Bram Thorne; on defense: bracket Nico Saint-Clair (Bram Thorne finished with 12 catches for 160 yards and 2 TD). Meanwhile, the Strikers' game plan was on offense: attack the zones, throw it more, target Elio Falkner; on defense: bracket Zion Whitaker (Elio Falkner finished with 9 catches for 93 yards and 2 TD).
The Raptors move to 11-9 and the Strikers to 10-9-1 this week. The coaches went for it on fourth down twice, converting 1.
Scoring summary
| Time | Team | Play | VEC-NVA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2:24 | Strikers | A 4-yard touchdown run by Yannick Whitlock (extra point) | 7-0 |
| Q1 1:21 | Strikers | A 4-yard touchdown pass from Dax Holloway to Elio Falkner (extra point) | 14-0 |
| Q2 3:29 | Raptors | A 25-yard field goal by Adrien Norcross | 14-3 |
| Q2 1:21 | Strikers | A 3-yard touchdown pass from Dax Holloway to Nico Saint-Clair (extra point) | 21-3 |
| Q2 0:14 | Strikers | A 53-yard field goal by Adrien Lachance | 24-3 |
| Q3 3:15 | Raptors | A 2-yard touchdown run by Omari Fenn (extra point) | 24-10 |
| Q3 1:25 | Raptors | A 2-yard touchdown pass from Axel Stroud to Bram Thorne (extra point) | 24-17 |
| Q3 0:53 | Strikers | A 6-yard touchdown pass from Dax Holloway to Elio Falkner (extra point) | 31-17 |
| Q3 0:05 | Raptors | A 10-yard touchdown pass from Axel Stroud to Zion Whitaker (extra point) | 31-24 |
| Q4 3:22 | Raptors | A 1-yard touchdown run by Dorian Hargrove (extra point) | 31-31 |
| Q4 2:23 | Raptors | A 2-yard touchdown pass from Axel Stroud to Nils Coventry (extra point) | 31-38 |
| Q4 1:23 | Raptors | A 16-yard touchdown pass from Axel Stroud to Bram Thorne (extra point) | 31-45 |
| Q4 1:00 | Strikers | A 13-yard touchdown pass from Dax Holloway to Adrien Yardley (extra point) | 38-45 |
Team stats
| VEC | NVA | |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 499 | 605 |
| Passing yards | 382 | 498 |
| Rushing yards | 117 | 107 |
| Completions | 28 of 46 | 39 of 54 |
| Offensive plays | 61 | 82 |
| Third downs | 3 of 10 | 5 of 11 |
| Fourth downs | 0 of 1 | 1 of 1 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Sacks allowed | 1 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 5:28 | 10:32 |
Vector Strikers box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dax Holloway | 28/46 | 382 | 4 | 1 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yannick Whitlock | 8 | 84 | 1 | 25 |
| Dax Holloway | 2 | 13 | 0 | 10 |
| Bastien Kincaid | 2 | 11 | 0 | 31 |
| Teo Briggs | 2 | 9 | 0 | 5 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrien Yardley | 11 | 156 | 1 | 12 |
| Elio Falkner | 9 | 93 | 2 | 14 |
| Bastien Kincaid | 3 | 68 | 0 | 4 |
| Nico Saint-Clair | 5 | 65 | 1 | 13 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonas Ingram | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yannick Thorne | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ivo Falkner | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lazlo Jovanovic | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Cyrus Whitlock | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fabian Thorne | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrien Lachance | 1/1 | 53 | 5/5 |
Nova Raptors box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axel Stroud | 39/54 | 498 | 4 | 1 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omari Fenn | 12 | 69 | 1 | 14 |
| Nils Coventry | 5 | 22 | 0 | 10 |
| Axel Stroud | 5 | 9 | 0 | 6 |
| Dorian Hargrove | 2 | 7 | 1 | 6 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bram Thorne | 12 | 160 | 2 | 16 |
| Ivo Norcross | 13 | 160 | 0 | 13 |
| Zion Whitaker | 10 | 155 | 1 | 14 |
| Tariq Achebe | 2 | 13 | 0 | 2 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quentin Norcross | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Anders Delacroix | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zane Eriksen | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Bastien Montague | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pavel Sandoval | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Matteo Draven | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrien Norcross | 1/1 | 25 | 6/6 |
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 Nova Raptors 45, Vector Strikers 38 on Snapline. More about the teams: Nova Raptors · Vector Strikers.