Post by DiamondThief on Jun 1, 2018 19:17:58 GMT -8
FINAL - Storm 60, Blizzard 21
6/1/18 --
GREEN BAY, WI - The Sioux Falls Storm scored 53 straight points through the second and fourth quarters to easily calm the Green Bay Blizzard, 60-21, tonight at the Resch Center in week 15 of Indoor Football League action.
Sioux Falls moved to 9-3 with the win. The Storm can solidify their hopes of having home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a win over the visiting Iowa Barnstormers next week. The Barnstormers host the Arizona Rattlers on June 2 with kickoff set for 5:05 p.m. pacific (7:05 p.m. central). That contest should put the IFL playoff seeding picture more into light.
Sioux Falls moved to 9-3 with the win. The Storm can solidify their hopes of having home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a win over the visiting Iowa Barnstormers next week. The Barnstormers host the Arizona Rattlers on June 2 with kickoff set for 5:05 p.m. pacific (7:05 p.m. central). That contest should put the IFL playoff seeding picture more into light.
The Blizzard, who fell to 2-10, still have some slim playoff hopes. They will need to win out over the final two weeks of the season; next week when they host the Cedar Rapids Titans and in week 17 when they visit this same Storm team. They also will need the Nebraska Danger to lose to the Titans on June 2 and to the Rattlers on June 16. The teams would end in a tie with the Blizzard owning the tiebreaker due to winning the season series over the Danger, 2-1.
The Blizzard provided the only points of the first quarter when they methodically drove down the field on their opening drive. That drive encompassed 45 yards over nine plays, culminating with a four-yard pass from Bryan Hicks to Kezlow Smith.
Sioux Falls controlled the second quarter. Lorenzo Brown's 12-yard run put the Storm on the board. Miles' Bergner's kick was no good and the Blizzard held a slim 7-6 lead with 10:32 left in the quarter. The Storm took the lead with 4:41 left when Brown found Harrold for 13 yards. Bergner's kick was blocked. After a missed field goal by Tony Smidl of the Blizzard, the Storm scored on a 14-yard strike from Brown to Damien Ford. Bergner's extra point gave the Storm a 19-7 halftime lead.
After hitting the extra point on the opening drive, newly signed Blizzard kicker Smidl missed four field goal tries in the first half (20, 25, 29 and 40 yards).
The Storm opened up the second half with a 56-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Powell had just been signed by Sioux Falls during the week. After recovering a fumble on a botched snap by the Blizzard, the Storm scored on an 11-yard pass from Brown to Harrold. The Storm went up 40-7 with 6:48 left in the third quarter when Brown hit Powell for a 28-yard touchdown. Marlon Moore intercepted Green Bay backup quarterback Tyler Johnson on the next possession, giving the Storm the ball at the Blizzard nine-yard line. Sioux Falls made it a complete route when they scored on a three-yard pass from Brown to Lyle McCombs. The Storm led 47-7 at the end of three quarters.
Sioux Falls backup quarterback Dillon Turner hit Lyle McCombs for a 25-yard touchdown pass with 9:35 left in the fourth quarter. Hill returned the ensuing kicoff 50 yards to cut into the Storm's lead, and it was a 53-14 lead for Sioux Falls with 8:57 left. The Storm added to that four minutes later as Turner ran it in from nine yards out. The Blizzard responded with an 18-yard pass from Hicks to a wide open Hill, and the score was 60-21.
The Storm held an edge in total offense, 233 yards to 170, with a 193 yards to 137 edge in the passing game. Sioux Falls was flagged 6 times for 21 yards, while the Blizzard were penalized 4 times for 40 yards. Each team lost a fumble, and the Storm recorded an interception.
Brown turned in a typical performance of a game of this sort, completing 12 of 15 yards for 141 yards with 5 touchdowns. He also rushed for a touchdown. Turner threw for 52 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for another score. Harrold was solid, catching 5 balls for 60 yards and a pair of touchdowns. McCombs caught his first two touchdown passes of the season, off of 4 receptions for 48 yards. Damond Powell and Damien Ford each had 4 receptions and a touchdown. All of Trey Wafford's 9 total tackles were solos. Owen Williams had a pair of sacks. Marlon Moore recorded an interception and Claude Davis recovered a fumble.
The Blizzard rotated quarterbacks for much of the game, and had better success with Hicks, who went 9 of 16 for 89 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Johnson completed 4 of 12 passes for 59 yards and an interception. He went 9 of 16 for 89 yards with a pair of touchdown tosses. Hill caught 5 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. He also averaged 29.3 kickoff return yards and returned his fourth kickoff return for a touchdown on the season. Jereme Jones and Chris Malott each caught 3 passes for 29 and 21 yards, respectively. Manny Asprilla was all over the field and ended the game with 6.5 total tackles. Rykeem Yates recovered a fumble and also blocked a field goal attempt for the Blizzard.
Both teams are in action next week. The Storm will be at home against the Iowa Barnstormers in a game with potential major playoff seeding implications. That game is set for June 8 with kickoff set for 5:05 p.m. pacific (7:05 central). The Blizzard are also at home, with a date with the Cedar Rapids Titans on June 9. Kickoff in that one is set for 5:05 p.m. pacific (7:05 central).
Both games, as well as all IFL games this season, will be streamed live on the IFL's Official YouTube Channel. SCtoC will present previews of those, and all, games this season. Those previews will be posted on the board of the home team in each game.
- ANM
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