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Storm Extend Home Winning Streak to 12 Games

February 10, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Tampa Bay Storm News Release


TAMPA BAY - The Tampa Bay Storm (2-1 Overall, 1-0 Division) held off the Georgia Force (1-2 Overall, 1-1 Division), 61-60, in front of 16,751 fans at the St. Pete Times Forum Friday night. The Storm stopped a two-point conversion by Georgia with no time left in regulation to secure the victory. The win extends the Tampa Bay home winning streak to 12 games dating back to April 18, 2004. The Storm are also 23-5 including playoffs at home since the ArenaBowl Championship season of 2003.

Storm quarterback Shane Stafford completed 26 passes for 339 yards and five touchdowns. Coming into the game Stafford needed two completions to go over the 1,000 completion mark for his career. He now has 1,024. WR/LB Lawrence Samuels led all Storm receivers with 10 receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns. WR/DB Bobby Sippio also had a two-touchdown outing catching eight passes for 124 yards en route to being named Baby Ruth Offensive Player of the Game.

Lynarise Elpheage was named ADT Defensive Player of the Game as he made six stops and intercepted a Matt Nagy pass early in the first quarter. Samuels earned U.S. Army Ironman of the Game honors with an interception and 2.5 tackles on defense in addition to his offensive output.

Storm QB Stafford opened the scoring with a one-yard touchdown run to give the Storm a, 7-0, advantage. The Storm have now scored on all three of their opening drives to start the season. After a Lynarise Elpheage interception Stafford hooked up with Bobby Sippio on a 33-yard scoring strike to give the Storm a, 14-0, lead.

After missing his first three field goals of the season, Storm kicker Bill Gramatica converted from 26-yards to put the Storm up 17-6 at the end of one quarter.

With the score 17-13 in the second quarter, Sippio ran the ball in from three yards out to give the Storm a, 24-13, advantage. A Jonathan Ordway fumble at the Tampa Bay five-yard line on a kickoff return allowed Nagy to find Derek Lee for a three-yard score to reduce the Storm lead, 30-27, at the half.

Georgia took their first lead of the game on a Nagy to Chris Johnson 11-yard touchdown pass to start the third quarter. After a Chris Jackson 58-yard kickoff return for touchdown FB/LB Jarrod Penright showed determination to get to the end zone from two yards away to give the Storm a, 46-40, lead at the end of the third quarter.

With 1:15 left in the game Stafford found a wide-open Elpheage for a 30-yard touchdown. Elpheage converted a two-point conversion to give the Storm a 61-54 lead. The Force wouldn't quit with under a minute left as Nagy ran the ball in from a yard out as time expired to make the score, 61-60. Georgia Head Coach Doug Plank decided to go for the two point conversion and the win on the following play. After a false start penalty called on the Force, Nagy threw a pass too high for Johnson in the back of the end zone to end the game.

The Storm are now 47-2 all-time when they score 60+ points in a game.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 10, 2006


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