The San Diego Strike Force has signed kicker Ernesto Lacayo to their 2025 Indoor Football League roster.
Lacayo (5-8, 185, Hastings) joins the Strike Force with veteran status in the indoor football league as he brings over 12 years of professional kicking experience back to San Diego.
Ernesto spent the last two seasons with the Duke City Gladiators. In 2024, he ranked first in the IFL in net yards per kickoff (40.7) while converting nearly 78% of his PATs and 14 field goals (6th most in IFL). In 2023, he converted 85.7% of his PATs and eight field goals while netting a league-best 40.9 yards per kickoff.
Prior to his time in New Mexico, Lacayo spent two seasons with the Arizona Rattlers. In 2022, he ranked first in field goal conversions (8-14) while making a league-high 102 PATs (.816 conversion rate) and netted 34.5 yards per kickoff (3rd in IFL). In 2021, Lacayo ranked second in the league with a 6-11 field goal conversion rate and led the IFL with 84 extra-point makes out of 93 attempts (90.3%). He earned Special Teams Player of the Week honors in Week 14.
Before joining the Rattlers, Lacayo had a brief but impactful stint with the XFL's Seattle Dragons in 2020. His season was cut short due to COVID-19, but in five games, he registered seven touchbacks and converted three field goals, including a season-long of 47 yards.
Ernesto spent the 2019 IFL season with the San Diego Strike Force, earning Second Team All-IFL honors. During that season, he made 10 field goals, with a long of 53 yards, led the league in point-after-touchdown percentage (94%), and scored over 12 points in two separate games.
Lacayo's professional career spans multiple leagues, including the Arena Football League (AFL), Champions Indoor Football (CIF), and the IFL. In 2015, he signed with the Wichita Force in the CIF before being called up to the AFL's Las Vegas Outlaws, where he led the league in PAT percentage, converting 91.5% of his attempts. In 2016, he continued his success with the Portland Steel in the AFL.
In 2014, Lacayo played for the Wichita Wild in the Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL), setting an All-Arena/Indoor record with 30 field goals in a single season. He also kicked a CPIFL-record 55-yard field goal and a 51-yard game-winning field goal that helped send the Wild to the CPIFL Championship game. In 2013, he played for the Louisiana Swashbucklers in the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) before the team folded.
He spent his collegiate career at Hastings College in Nebraska from 2009 to 2010. He was named All-Nebraska Kicker and Special Teams Player of the Year by the Omaha World-Herald both years and set numerous school records, including most field goals in a season (14/17) and career (25/30), as well as perfect PAT records (39/39 in a season, 64/64 career).
Ernesto is originally from Hayward, California, and played at Tennyson High School from 2003 to 2007, where he set multiple kicking records that laid the foundation for his impressive career in indoor and arena football.
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ABOUT THE SAN DIEGO STRIKE FORCE INDOOR FOOTBALL LEAGUE TEAM
The San Diego Strike Force is the professional football team in California, USA and is a member of the Indoor Football League. The Strike Force is led by team president Duke Little, community ambassador Burt Grossman, and general manager Geno Gerbo. Tickets and partnerships are available for the 2025 season. For more information, visit www.sdstrikeforce.com. You can also follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (@sdstrikeforce).
ABOUT THE INDOOR FOOTBALL LEAGUE
The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a professional indoor football league entering it's sixteenth season in 2024. The IFL was created in 2008 out of the merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football. The league consists of 16 teams in two conferences with each team playing 16 games. Its teams are located from San Diego, California, to Lowell, Massachusetts, and is led by Commissioner Todd Tryon. For more information about IFL, visit www.goifl.com.
