Spark Kestrels 24, Nova Raptors 22
Week 5 · Regular season · round 22 · Friday 30 October 2026
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPK Spark Kestrels | 3 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 24 |
| NVA Nova Raptors | 7 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 22 |
Game recap
The Spark Kestrels came back to beat the Nova Raptors 24-22 in round 22 of Week 5. They trailed by as many as 10 points, and their chance of winning dropped as low as 12%.
The Raptors opened the scoring with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Axel Stroud to Bram Thorne with 1:57 left in the first quarter. At the break the Raptors were up 10-3. The fourth quarter brought a 1-yard touchdown pass from Eli Varga-Stone to Bastien Radcliffe for the Kestrels (3:47 left, 17-13); a 12-yard touchdown pass from Axel Stroud to Zion Whitaker for the Raptors (2:58 left, 20-17); a 19-yard touchdown pass from Eli Varga-Stone to Yannick Delacroix for the Kestrels (2:48 left, 24-20); a safety, Eli Varga-Stone sacked in the end zone for the Raptors (0:26 left, 24-22).
The play that tilted the game came with 2:48 left in the fourth quarter: a 19-yard touchdown pass from Eli Varga-Stone to Yannick Delacroix. It moved the Kestrels' chance of winning from 44% to 77%.
Top performer: Bastien Radcliffe (WR, Kestrels), with 1 carry for 3 yards; 8 catches for 75 yards and 2 TD. Elsewhere, Axel Stroud (Raptors) had 22 of 43 passing for 239 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT; 1 carry for -1 yard; Omari Fenn (Raptors) had 12 carries for 68 yards; 2 catches for 7 yards; Zion Whitaker (Raptors) had 7 catches for 85 yards and 1 TD; Eli Varga-Stone (Kestrels) had 19 of 39 passing for 205 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT; 5 carries for 16 yards.
Before kickoff, the Raptors' game plan was on offense: quick game vs the blitz, attack the zones, target Tariq Achebe; on defense: bracket Jaylen Osei (Tariq Achebe finished with 1 carry for -4 yards; 2 catches for 36 yards). Meanwhile, the Kestrels' game plan was on offense: attack the zones, target Bastien Radcliffe; on defense: bracket Zion Whitaker (Bastien Radcliffe finished with 1 carry for 3 yards; 8 catches for 75 yards and 2 TD).
The Raptors move to 11-11 and the Kestrels to 8-13-1 this week. The coaches went for it on fourth down once, and it worked.
Scoring summary
| Time | Team | Play | SPK-NVA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 1:57 | Raptors | An 8-yard touchdown pass from Axel Stroud to Bram Thorne (extra point) | 0-7 |
| Q1 0:21 | Kestrels | A 26-yard field goal by Orson Jovanovic | 3-7 |
| Q2 1:55 | Raptors | A 32-yard field goal by Adrien Norcross | 3-10 |
| Q3 2:32 | Raptors | A 42-yard field goal by Adrien Norcross | 3-13 |
| Q3 1:32 | Kestrels | An 8-yard touchdown pass from Eli Varga-Stone to Bastien Radcliffe (extra point) | 10-13 |
| Q4 3:47 | Kestrels | A 1-yard touchdown pass from Eli Varga-Stone to Bastien Radcliffe (extra point) | 17-13 |
| Q4 2:58 | Raptors | A 12-yard touchdown pass from Axel Stroud to Zion Whitaker (extra point) | 17-20 |
| Q4 2:48 | Kestrels | A 19-yard touchdown pass from Eli Varga-Stone to Yannick Delacroix (extra point) | 24-20 |
| Q4 0:26 | Raptors | A safety, Eli Varga-Stone sacked in the end zone | 24-22 |
Team stats
| SPK | NVA | |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 348 | 365 |
| Passing yards | 205 | 239 |
| Rushing yards | 143 | 126 |
| Completions | 19 of 39 | 22 of 43 |
| Offensive plays | 73 | 67 |
| Third downs | 5 of 15 | 3 of 13 |
| Fourth downs | 1 of 1 | 0 of 2 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Sacks allowed | 5 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 8:28 | 7:32 |
Spark Kestrels box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eli Varga-Stone | 19/39 | 205 | 3 | 2 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malachi Reed | 17 | 77 | 0 | 19 |
| Yannick Delacroix | 6 | 47 | 0 | 19 |
| Eli Varga-Stone | 5 | 16 | 0 | 15 |
| Bastien Radcliffe | 1 | 3 | 0 | 19 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bastien Radcliffe | 8 | 75 | 2 | 15 |
| Ulric Hargrove | 3 | 53 | 0 | 7 |
| Yannick Delacroix | 2 | 28 | 1 | 2 |
| Jaylen Osei | 4 | 26 | 0 | 6 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kasimir Castellan | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gideon Norcross | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Dorian Kincaid | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tariq Brennan | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Valen Pellegrini | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Valen Lachance | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orson Jovanovic | 1/1 | 26 | 3/3 |
Nova Raptors box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axel Stroud | 22/43 | 239 | 2 | 2 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omari Fenn | 12 | 68 | 0 | 15 |
| Nils Coventry | 7 | 63 | 0 | 25 |
| Axel Stroud | 1 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tariq Achebe | 1 | -4 | 0 | 27 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zion Whitaker | 7 | 85 | 1 | 14 |
| Ivo Norcross | 5 | 59 | 0 | 7 |
| Bram Thorne | 4 | 38 | 1 | 9 |
| Tariq Achebe | 2 | 36 | 0 | 6 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anders Delacroix | 25 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Adrien Brennan | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Pavel Sandoval | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Zane Eriksen | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Kasimir Oyelaran | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Quentin Norcross | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrien Norcross | 2/2 | 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 Spark Kestrels 24, Nova Raptors 22 on Snapline. More about the teams: Nova Raptors · Spark Kestrels.