HENDERSON, Nev.--Dalton Sneed ran for three touchdowns and threw two scoring passes to JT Stokes as the Bay Area Panthers won the Dollar Loan Center IFL National Championship with a 51-41 victory over the Sioux Falls Storm.  

"We've got a resilient group," said Sneed, who was named the game's most valuable player.  "We've got great coaches who led us the whole way through.  We believed in one another, came to work every day and you see all the work was put on full display today." 

Despite not throwing an interception in nine weeks and leading his team to the second seed in the West, Sneed did not receive All-IFL honors but did come away with the ultimate prize. He injured his throwing arm in the Western Conference Championship win over Northern Arizona and did not practice during the week.  

Sneed finished 10-11 for 106 yards and two scores.  The only incompletion came on a dropped ball early in the second quarter. He added 47 yards rushing on 12 carries with three touchdowns in the first half.  

"I think by far he was the most valuable player in the league," said Offensive Coordinator Dixie Wooten.  "We knew we could only go so far without Dalton.  He's a great leader and the stats he put up were unbelievable."  

Sneed gave the Panthers a 33-20 lead with a 3-yard run with 16 seconds left in the second quarter, his third rushing TD of the half.  Sneed faked a pitch to Rankin going left and took the ball right and jumped into the end zone for a 33-20 lead.  

Craig Peterson's extra point try caromed off the left upright but the Panthers got the point back when JR Stevens and Antwon Kincade tackled Sioux Falls' return man Dwight Blakey in the end zone for a one-point rouge.  

The Storm made a second half charge with a pair of Lorenzo Brown scoring runs sandwiching a 28-yard Peterson field goal to cut the lead to 37-34 early in the fourth.  The Peterson kick ended a streak of 16 consecutive possessions with a touchdown going back to the first round win over Tucson. 

Bay Area returned to the end zone with Sneed's second scoring pass to Stokes on a right to left slant from 18-yards out and a 44-34 edge.  It was the final catch of the day for Stokes who had 6 receptions for 80 yards and two scores.  

The game was put out of reach when Bill Atkins deflected a Brown pass in the red zone and Marquise Bridges hauled in the deflection before sprinting 50 yards down the right sideline for a 51-34 lead with 8:20 to play. 

The victory completed the turnaround for the Panthers who were 1-15 in 2022 before the franchise overhaul.  

"It's a testament to all the hard work that these guys have put into it," said Defensive Coordinator Rob Keefe.  "From the first phone call to the first signed contract to the first walkthrough, first installation, first film session and first practice—we changed the culture." 

The game marked the end of the career of Storm Head Coach Kurtis Riggs, who leaves after winning 11 league titles and seven IFL Championships.   

"We got within three in third quarter but they did a nice job and kept the pressure on us," said Riggs "They were 5-5 (five touchdowns on five possessions) in the first half. We just couldn't slow them down...It was a tough game. They're a good team."  

To reach the championship game, the Storm rallied from 18 down in the fourth quarter to beat Massachusetts and from 20 points down to beat Frisco.  But Sioux Falls could not come up with enough stops as the clock struck midnight on Cinderella. 

"It's a great feeling because everybody's exhausted," said Keefe.  "If you put in that kind of work and are totally exhausted, you usually wind up as champions.  That's what we did tonight."