Post by alecs on May 3, 2024 19:40:55 GMT -8
Storm 46, Blizzard 38
5/3/24 --
SIOUX FALLS, SD - It has been a long time waiting for Sioux Falls Storm fans, who packed the Denny Sanford Premier Center on Friday night with hopes of their hometown heroes putting a stop to an ongoing six-game losing streak dating back to last August. With a sturdy defensive effort - and a familiar face taking over at quarterback - the Storm snapped that losing streak, and simultaneously ended the four-game victory run of the visiting Blizzard, taking the matchup by a score of 46 to 38.
The Storm received the opening kickoff and proceeded on a seven-play drive, which saw Billy Hall rumble a one-yard rushing score to open the ledger. After a missed PAT, Green Bay saw its first possession come up empty, with a fourth down play resulting in a hurried pass from Max Meylor sailing past the endzone. With a chance to build a quick double-digit lead, the Storm turned the ball over three plays later, as a pass from Hall was intercepted by Cyntel Williams of the Blizzard. Meylor found the endzone shortly after the takeaway on a rushing touchdown of four yards, giving Green Bay a one-point lead after 15 minutes of play.
Roughly 30 seconds into the second frame, Hall notched his second rushing score with a three-yard plunge, but Sarris again missed the mark on the point after, holding the score at 12-7. After a Sioux Falls third down stop, Green Bay trotted out Andrew Mevis for a field goal attempt of 42 yards. The try sailed through the uprights to cut the Storm lead to two. Sioux Falls made a notable change on their next possession, pulling Hall in favor of an iconic name. Lorenzo Brown, re-signed by the Storm two weeks ago after a brief stint in Arizona, had his number called by coach Andre Fields, but his very first pass attempt was intercepted by Shawn Steele. The Blizzard would again convert that takeaway into points, with Meylor's one-yard run as his second rushing score of the game. Sioux Falls responded, though, working the ball quickly up the field and scoring on an eight-yard run by Bryson Denley. The next possession would see another third down stand by the Storm - and another lengthy field goal of 44 yards good off the foot of Mevis. Inside of the one-minute warning, Brown earned his first score on one of his signature short-yardage dives across the goal line. His three-yard score put Sioux Falls back on top. The final chance of the half for the Blizzard saw Mevis connect on his longest field goal yet - of 47 yards - to send the game to halftime with Sioux Falls holding a slim 24-23 advantage.
Green Bay received the second half kickoff and re-took the lead within minutes on a one-yard keeper by Meylor. After an uneventful sequence of plays by the Storm, a fourth down deep in their own territory resulted in a 55-yard missed field goal by Sarris to award the ball back to the Blizzard. Green Bay would get as close as the Sioux Falls ten-yard line, but Mevis would miss on a field goal attempt of 25 yards, his shortest of the evening. On a lengthy ensuing drive, the Storm hopped back out in front after Brown's second rushing score of one yard. After three quarters of play, Sioux Falls led 31-30, with just 15 more minutes separating them from win number one.
Green Bay would suffer a second consecutive empty possession, after a 30-yard field goal miss by Mevis early in the quarter. Sioux Falls took over, but could only manage three points on a 26-yard field goal by Sarris. On the ensuing kickoff, the return by Kenyon Skinner was stripped from his possession by Elijah Reed, who recovered the fumble and ran it in for a Storm touchdown to bring their lead to ten points. Suddenly needing a touchdown to get new life, the Blizzard got just that with a clutch 15-yard pass from Meylor to Lowell Patron. After a failed two point conversion, Mevis connected on a deuce on the following kickoff to halve the lead down to two points. Just outside the one-minute warning, it would be another rushing score by Brown to extend the lead back to eight, but a Sarris missed PAT meant Green Bay still had a chance to at least tie the game with its next possession. On second and goal at the Storm nine-yard line, a Meylor pass attempt into the endzone was intercepted on a well-read play by Reed. With just 13 seconds to go, Reed's latest heroic play would ultimately be the one to send Sioux Falls to the winner's circle, wrapping up a 46-38 win over their longtime IFL rivals.
Lorenzo Brown, Jr. took over for starting quarterback Billy Hall in the second quarter, and he completed five of eight passes for 92 yards, with no touchdowns and an interception in the win. Both QB's did most of their damage on the ground, with Hall's nine carries for 43 yards and two touchdowns complemented by Brown's ten rushes for 28 yards and three touchdowns. Bryson Denley logged twelve rushes for 58 yards and a touchdown, adding two catches for 30 yards. Draysean Hudson was the only other Storm player with multiple catches, on three catches for 34 scoreless yards. Claude Davis (two sacks) and Elijah Reed (one interception and a fumble recovery for a touchdown) made outstanding contributions for the Storm's defense and special teams in the victory.
Max Meylor connected on 18 of his 30 pass attempts for 165 yards, with a touchdown and interception in the defeat. E.J. Burgess was both the leading rusher (seven carries for 41 yards) and receiver (seven catches for 66 yards) for Green Bay, while Meylor took seven carries for 28 yards and three touchdowns. Demetrius Moore came down with six catches for 55 yards, while Lowell Patron caught three balls for 31 yards and a score. On defense, Shawn Steele and Cyntel Williams each pulled down one interception apiece.
On the night, Sioux Falls outgained Green Bay on offense 243-219. Each team turned the ball over twice in the game. Both teams were flagged for nine accepted penalties, with the infractions costing Green Bay 48 yards, and Sioux Falls 37 yards.
This was the 25th meeting between the Storm and Blizzard in the current iteration of the IFL - and the 22nd occurrence in which the Storm claimed victory. On the current season, the series is now tied at one apiece, with the home side winning each game. The rubber match, set for the penultimate day in the regular season on Saturday July 20th, will be back in South Dakota.
The Storm (1-5) will host the Quad City Steamwheelers (2-3) on Friday May 10 with kickoff set for 5:05 p.m. The Blizzard (4-2) are at home to face the Tulsa Oilers (3-3) on Saturday May 11 for a 1:05 p.m. kickoff. Times listed are pacific daylight time.
Both games, as well as all IFL games this season, will be streamed live on the IFL YouTube Channel and Caffeine TV IFL. 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. Click for our complete IFL 2024 Schedule.
5/3/24 --
SIOUX FALLS, SD - It has been a long time waiting for Sioux Falls Storm fans, who packed the Denny Sanford Premier Center on Friday night with hopes of their hometown heroes putting a stop to an ongoing six-game losing streak dating back to last August. With a sturdy defensive effort - and a familiar face taking over at quarterback - the Storm snapped that losing streak, and simultaneously ended the four-game victory run of the visiting Blizzard, taking the matchup by a score of 46 to 38.
The Storm received the opening kickoff and proceeded on a seven-play drive, which saw Billy Hall rumble a one-yard rushing score to open the ledger. After a missed PAT, Green Bay saw its first possession come up empty, with a fourth down play resulting in a hurried pass from Max Meylor sailing past the endzone. With a chance to build a quick double-digit lead, the Storm turned the ball over three plays later, as a pass from Hall was intercepted by Cyntel Williams of the Blizzard. Meylor found the endzone shortly after the takeaway on a rushing touchdown of four yards, giving Green Bay a one-point lead after 15 minutes of play.
Roughly 30 seconds into the second frame, Hall notched his second rushing score with a three-yard plunge, but Sarris again missed the mark on the point after, holding the score at 12-7. After a Sioux Falls third down stop, Green Bay trotted out Andrew Mevis for a field goal attempt of 42 yards. The try sailed through the uprights to cut the Storm lead to two. Sioux Falls made a notable change on their next possession, pulling Hall in favor of an iconic name. Lorenzo Brown, re-signed by the Storm two weeks ago after a brief stint in Arizona, had his number called by coach Andre Fields, but his very first pass attempt was intercepted by Shawn Steele. The Blizzard would again convert that takeaway into points, with Meylor's one-yard run as his second rushing score of the game. Sioux Falls responded, though, working the ball quickly up the field and scoring on an eight-yard run by Bryson Denley. The next possession would see another third down stand by the Storm - and another lengthy field goal of 44 yards good off the foot of Mevis. Inside of the one-minute warning, Brown earned his first score on one of his signature short-yardage dives across the goal line. His three-yard score put Sioux Falls back on top. The final chance of the half for the Blizzard saw Mevis connect on his longest field goal yet - of 47 yards - to send the game to halftime with Sioux Falls holding a slim 24-23 advantage.
Green Bay received the second half kickoff and re-took the lead within minutes on a one-yard keeper by Meylor. After an uneventful sequence of plays by the Storm, a fourth down deep in their own territory resulted in a 55-yard missed field goal by Sarris to award the ball back to the Blizzard. Green Bay would get as close as the Sioux Falls ten-yard line, but Mevis would miss on a field goal attempt of 25 yards, his shortest of the evening. On a lengthy ensuing drive, the Storm hopped back out in front after Brown's second rushing score of one yard. After three quarters of play, Sioux Falls led 31-30, with just 15 more minutes separating them from win number one.
Green Bay would suffer a second consecutive empty possession, after a 30-yard field goal miss by Mevis early in the quarter. Sioux Falls took over, but could only manage three points on a 26-yard field goal by Sarris. On the ensuing kickoff, the return by Kenyon Skinner was stripped from his possession by Elijah Reed, who recovered the fumble and ran it in for a Storm touchdown to bring their lead to ten points. Suddenly needing a touchdown to get new life, the Blizzard got just that with a clutch 15-yard pass from Meylor to Lowell Patron. After a failed two point conversion, Mevis connected on a deuce on the following kickoff to halve the lead down to two points. Just outside the one-minute warning, it would be another rushing score by Brown to extend the lead back to eight, but a Sarris missed PAT meant Green Bay still had a chance to at least tie the game with its next possession. On second and goal at the Storm nine-yard line, a Meylor pass attempt into the endzone was intercepted on a well-read play by Reed. With just 13 seconds to go, Reed's latest heroic play would ultimately be the one to send Sioux Falls to the winner's circle, wrapping up a 46-38 win over their longtime IFL rivals.
Lorenzo Brown, Jr. took over for starting quarterback Billy Hall in the second quarter, and he completed five of eight passes for 92 yards, with no touchdowns and an interception in the win. Both QB's did most of their damage on the ground, with Hall's nine carries for 43 yards and two touchdowns complemented by Brown's ten rushes for 28 yards and three touchdowns. Bryson Denley logged twelve rushes for 58 yards and a touchdown, adding two catches for 30 yards. Draysean Hudson was the only other Storm player with multiple catches, on three catches for 34 scoreless yards. Claude Davis (two sacks) and Elijah Reed (one interception and a fumble recovery for a touchdown) made outstanding contributions for the Storm's defense and special teams in the victory.
Max Meylor connected on 18 of his 30 pass attempts for 165 yards, with a touchdown and interception in the defeat. E.J. Burgess was both the leading rusher (seven carries for 41 yards) and receiver (seven catches for 66 yards) for Green Bay, while Meylor took seven carries for 28 yards and three touchdowns. Demetrius Moore came down with six catches for 55 yards, while Lowell Patron caught three balls for 31 yards and a score. On defense, Shawn Steele and Cyntel Williams each pulled down one interception apiece.
On the night, Sioux Falls outgained Green Bay on offense 243-219. Each team turned the ball over twice in the game. Both teams were flagged for nine accepted penalties, with the infractions costing Green Bay 48 yards, and Sioux Falls 37 yards.
This was the 25th meeting between the Storm and Blizzard in the current iteration of the IFL - and the 22nd occurrence in which the Storm claimed victory. On the current season, the series is now tied at one apiece, with the home side winning each game. The rubber match, set for the penultimate day in the regular season on Saturday July 20th, will be back in South Dakota.
The Storm (1-5) will host the Quad City Steamwheelers (2-3) on Friday May 10 with kickoff set for 5:05 p.m. The Blizzard (4-2) are at home to face the Tulsa Oilers (3-3) on Saturday May 11 for a 1:05 p.m. kickoff. Times listed are pacific daylight time.
Both games, as well as all IFL games this season, will be streamed live on the IFL YouTube Channel and Caffeine TV IFL. 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. Click for our complete IFL 2024 Schedule.
-AS
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