Post by alecs on Jul 15, 2023 20:37:15 GMT -8
Storm 62, Pirates 59
7/15/23 --
SIOUX FALLS, SD - The Sioux Falls Storm hosted the Massachusetts Pirates in the regular season finale on Saturday at the Denny Sanford Premier Center, in which the Storm held a brief pregame ceremony paying tribute to longtime coach Kurtiss Riggs and quarterback Lorenzo Brown, both of whom are expected to retire upon the season's conclusion. The emotional factor therein, coupled with the influence the result of this game would have on playoff seeding, created an epic back-and-forth contest worthy of a potential playoff matchup. With both teams trading blow for blow, it was Sioux Falls who netted a late touchdown to put them over the top, holding off the Pirates by a score of 62 to 59.
The first quarter began with an offensive barrage, starting with the Pirates opening possession, which ended with a beautiful slant route by Isaac Zico, who caught a 16-yard pass from Anthony Russo to open the ledger. The Storm quickly responded, though, as Lorenzo Brown found a wide-open Donnie Corley Jr. for an uncontested 40-yard touchdown to tie the game. Russo led the Pirates down the field once more, with his second touchdown pass of the quarter going to Darren Carrington for ten yards. After Josh Gable kicked a deuce to stretch the Pirates lead to nine, Brown engineered a drive that would take up the rest of the quarter, and a well-run wheel route by Xavier Jackson saw him catch an eight-yard pass from Brown, which cut the lead down to 16-14 to end the first quarter.
On the opening play of the second frame, Jimmie Robinson introduced himself to the score sheet on a four-yard run. The Storm would capitalize on another busted coverage, as Brown found Draysean Hudson for his first touchdown of the game on a 16-yard pass. Shortly after, Zico would net his second receiving touchdown, hauling a 13-yard pass from Russo. Corley would follow that up with his second receiving touchdown (19 yards) just a few plays later. The Pirates would be faced with a 3rd-and-goal from the one yard line on their next possession, and a perfectly run read-option saw Russo take a QB keeper himself for a touchdown. Inside the one-minute warning, Jackson took a sweep-run to the left sideline and found the endzone from six yards out to bring the score to 37-35. The Pirates had just enough time to tally more points before the end of the half, but Isaac Zico was unable to corral a buzzer-beating pass in the endzone, effectively serving as the first defensive stand of the game for either team. Despite trailing by two at the half, Sioux Falls was scheduled to receive the opening kickoff of the second half.
With an opportunity to take their first lead of the game, the Storm started the second half with the ball. An errant pass by Brown was intercepted by Momodou Mbye, which was the first takeaway of the game for the Pirates. An immediate 15-yard pass from Russo to Zico restored the Massachusetts lead to nine points. The Storm bounced back, though, getting a touchdown on a 5-yard sweep run by Jackson to the right sideline. Russo led the Pirates down field again on the next Pirates possession, but the Storm were able to hold them out, as Russo tossed incomplete on a 4th-and-2. This time, the Storm were able to gain control of the lead, with Brown hooking up with Brandon Sheperd on a 22-yard pass. The third quarter ended, with the Storm holding a 48-44 advantage.
Sioux Falls got a second consecutive stop on defense, this time in the form of an interception. Eugene Ford interecepted an endzone-bound pass from Russo, putting Sioux Falls firmly in the drivers' seat with an opportunity to potentially go up by double-digits. But the Pirates once again stood tall and forced a quick four-and-out to take possession back. Two plays later, Robinson cashed in on his second touchdown of the ballgame on a ten-yard scamper. Gable would later hit his second deuce of the game, making the score 53-48 favoring Massachusetts. The Storm got another massive play out of Jackson, a 22-yard reception on a wheel route not too dissimilar from the one he ran earlier in the game. Austin Neufeld tried a drop kick for two points, but booted the attempt wide right to keep the score 54-53 Storm. On the Pirates next possession, Robinson found the endzone for a third time on a 14-yard rush just before the one-minute warning. After the two-point conversion was initially successful, Sioux Falls coach Kurtiss Riggs challenged the play for an illegal formation. That decision would pay in spades, as the successful challenge forced Massachusetts to try again from the eight yard line, and the result attempt was unsuccessful. The Storm received the next kickoff, down by five, with an opportunity to take the lead late. It came down to a 4th-and-6 from the Pirates 11-yard line, and Brown's pass went incomplete for Corley. But the Storm were granted a second chance due to a holding penalty against Pirates defensive back Aarion Maxey-Penton. Two plays later, Brown connected with Corley for a three-yard touchdown with 11 seconds left, and a successful two-point attempt increased Sioux Falls' lead to 62-59. The Pirates would attempt a Hail Mary pass in the dying seconds of the game, but Russo's pass wasn't corralled by Carrington in the corner of the endzone. After a lengthy review to determine if time remained after the play, the ruling that full time had elapsed stood, finalizing Sioux Falls' victory.
Lorenzo Brown dialed back the clock in a vintage performance in tonight's win. He completed 12 of 22 passes for 183 yards, seven touchdowns, and one interception. Brown also carried eight times for 42 yards as a rusher. Xavier Jackson had an awesome all-around day, taking 14 carries for 32 yards and two touchdowns and adding three receptions for 39 yard and two touchdowns. Donnie Corley Jr led Storm receivers with four catches for 68 yards and three touchdowns, while Draysean Hudson (3/41/1) and Brandon Shepherd (1/22/1) each had receiving touchdowns as well for the Storm. Eugene Ford had the lone interception on defense.
Anthony Russo tossed 27 passes, completing 15 of those for 210 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception in the loss. He also ran six times for 34 yards and an additional score. Jimmie Robinson finishes his outstanding regular season with an 11-carry, 73-yard, and three-touchdown performance, while also adding 22 yards on 3 receptions. Isaac Zico had five catches for 82 yards and three touchdowns, while Darren Carrington also caught five balls for 54 yards and a score. Momodou Mbye recorded the Pirates' only interception of the contest. Josh Gable was perfect on extra point attempts (seven attempts) and also contributed a pair of deuces.
The win for Sioux Falls, paired with Quad City's loss against the Tulsa Oilers (56-35), vaults the Storm into the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference, earning them the right to host a first-round playoff game. Ironically enough, they have set up a rematch with the #3-seeded Pirates next week, which makes it the second direct rematch from Week 18 (Northern Arizona at Arizona being the other fixture). The Storm can also check off another box on their historic list; tonight's win against the Pirates was their first in franchise history (lost previous two meetings).
The IFL has announced that the rematch between these two teams will take place on Saturday, July 22nd, for a 7:05 ET (4:05 PT) kickoff. Click for our complete 2023 IFL Schedule.
7/15/23 --
SIOUX FALLS, SD - The Sioux Falls Storm hosted the Massachusetts Pirates in the regular season finale on Saturday at the Denny Sanford Premier Center, in which the Storm held a brief pregame ceremony paying tribute to longtime coach Kurtiss Riggs and quarterback Lorenzo Brown, both of whom are expected to retire upon the season's conclusion. The emotional factor therein, coupled with the influence the result of this game would have on playoff seeding, created an epic back-and-forth contest worthy of a potential playoff matchup. With both teams trading blow for blow, it was Sioux Falls who netted a late touchdown to put them over the top, holding off the Pirates by a score of 62 to 59.
The first quarter began with an offensive barrage, starting with the Pirates opening possession, which ended with a beautiful slant route by Isaac Zico, who caught a 16-yard pass from Anthony Russo to open the ledger. The Storm quickly responded, though, as Lorenzo Brown found a wide-open Donnie Corley Jr. for an uncontested 40-yard touchdown to tie the game. Russo led the Pirates down the field once more, with his second touchdown pass of the quarter going to Darren Carrington for ten yards. After Josh Gable kicked a deuce to stretch the Pirates lead to nine, Brown engineered a drive that would take up the rest of the quarter, and a well-run wheel route by Xavier Jackson saw him catch an eight-yard pass from Brown, which cut the lead down to 16-14 to end the first quarter.
On the opening play of the second frame, Jimmie Robinson introduced himself to the score sheet on a four-yard run. The Storm would capitalize on another busted coverage, as Brown found Draysean Hudson for his first touchdown of the game on a 16-yard pass. Shortly after, Zico would net his second receiving touchdown, hauling a 13-yard pass from Russo. Corley would follow that up with his second receiving touchdown (19 yards) just a few plays later. The Pirates would be faced with a 3rd-and-goal from the one yard line on their next possession, and a perfectly run read-option saw Russo take a QB keeper himself for a touchdown. Inside the one-minute warning, Jackson took a sweep-run to the left sideline and found the endzone from six yards out to bring the score to 37-35. The Pirates had just enough time to tally more points before the end of the half, but Isaac Zico was unable to corral a buzzer-beating pass in the endzone, effectively serving as the first defensive stand of the game for either team. Despite trailing by two at the half, Sioux Falls was scheduled to receive the opening kickoff of the second half.
With an opportunity to take their first lead of the game, the Storm started the second half with the ball. An errant pass by Brown was intercepted by Momodou Mbye, which was the first takeaway of the game for the Pirates. An immediate 15-yard pass from Russo to Zico restored the Massachusetts lead to nine points. The Storm bounced back, though, getting a touchdown on a 5-yard sweep run by Jackson to the right sideline. Russo led the Pirates down field again on the next Pirates possession, but the Storm were able to hold them out, as Russo tossed incomplete on a 4th-and-2. This time, the Storm were able to gain control of the lead, with Brown hooking up with Brandon Sheperd on a 22-yard pass. The third quarter ended, with the Storm holding a 48-44 advantage.
Sioux Falls got a second consecutive stop on defense, this time in the form of an interception. Eugene Ford interecepted an endzone-bound pass from Russo, putting Sioux Falls firmly in the drivers' seat with an opportunity to potentially go up by double-digits. But the Pirates once again stood tall and forced a quick four-and-out to take possession back. Two plays later, Robinson cashed in on his second touchdown of the ballgame on a ten-yard scamper. Gable would later hit his second deuce of the game, making the score 53-48 favoring Massachusetts. The Storm got another massive play out of Jackson, a 22-yard reception on a wheel route not too dissimilar from the one he ran earlier in the game. Austin Neufeld tried a drop kick for two points, but booted the attempt wide right to keep the score 54-53 Storm. On the Pirates next possession, Robinson found the endzone for a third time on a 14-yard rush just before the one-minute warning. After the two-point conversion was initially successful, Sioux Falls coach Kurtiss Riggs challenged the play for an illegal formation. That decision would pay in spades, as the successful challenge forced Massachusetts to try again from the eight yard line, and the result attempt was unsuccessful. The Storm received the next kickoff, down by five, with an opportunity to take the lead late. It came down to a 4th-and-6 from the Pirates 11-yard line, and Brown's pass went incomplete for Corley. But the Storm were granted a second chance due to a holding penalty against Pirates defensive back Aarion Maxey-Penton. Two plays later, Brown connected with Corley for a three-yard touchdown with 11 seconds left, and a successful two-point attempt increased Sioux Falls' lead to 62-59. The Pirates would attempt a Hail Mary pass in the dying seconds of the game, but Russo's pass wasn't corralled by Carrington in the corner of the endzone. After a lengthy review to determine if time remained after the play, the ruling that full time had elapsed stood, finalizing Sioux Falls' victory.
Lorenzo Brown dialed back the clock in a vintage performance in tonight's win. He completed 12 of 22 passes for 183 yards, seven touchdowns, and one interception. Brown also carried eight times for 42 yards as a rusher. Xavier Jackson had an awesome all-around day, taking 14 carries for 32 yards and two touchdowns and adding three receptions for 39 yard and two touchdowns. Donnie Corley Jr led Storm receivers with four catches for 68 yards and three touchdowns, while Draysean Hudson (3/41/1) and Brandon Shepherd (1/22/1) each had receiving touchdowns as well for the Storm. Eugene Ford had the lone interception on defense.
Anthony Russo tossed 27 passes, completing 15 of those for 210 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception in the loss. He also ran six times for 34 yards and an additional score. Jimmie Robinson finishes his outstanding regular season with an 11-carry, 73-yard, and three-touchdown performance, while also adding 22 yards on 3 receptions. Isaac Zico had five catches for 82 yards and three touchdowns, while Darren Carrington also caught five balls for 54 yards and a score. Momodou Mbye recorded the Pirates' only interception of the contest. Josh Gable was perfect on extra point attempts (seven attempts) and also contributed a pair of deuces.
The win for Sioux Falls, paired with Quad City's loss against the Tulsa Oilers (56-35), vaults the Storm into the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference, earning them the right to host a first-round playoff game. Ironically enough, they have set up a rematch with the #3-seeded Pirates next week, which makes it the second direct rematch from Week 18 (Northern Arizona at Arizona being the other fixture). The Storm can also check off another box on their historic list; tonight's win against the Pirates was their first in franchise history (lost previous two meetings).
The IFL has announced that the rematch between these two teams will take place on Saturday, July 22nd, for a 7:05 ET (4:05 PT) kickoff. Click for our complete 2023 IFL Schedule.
All IFL games through the conference finals 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.
- AS
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