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Storm Fall in City of Brotherly Love

January 29, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Tampa Bay Storm News Release


PHILADELPHIA - The Tampa Bay Storm began the road to ArenaBowl XX Sunday in a 34-52 loss at the hands of first-year head coach Brett Munsey and the Philadelphia Soul. The Storm were without head coach Tim Marcum who was serving the first game of a two-week suspension. The Storm were held scoreless in the second quarter for the first time in 17 regular season quarters. The loss dropped the Storm to 10-6 all-time in season openers.

Storm quarterback Shane Stafford completed 23 of 42 passes for 285 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. Freddie Solomon led the Storm receiving corps with six receptions for 112 yards and one touchdown. Lawrence Samuels, Ronney Daniels and Bobby Sippio also made touchdown grabs. Defensively for the Storm the defensive specialist duo of Tramain Jones and Jonathan Ordway picked up exactly where they left off in 2005 as Jones tallied seven tackles (five solo, four assisted) and Ordway made 3.5 stops (two solo, three assisted) with an interception.

After a defensive stop that saw the Soul go three-and-out Stafford answered with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Freddie Solomon for the Storm's first touchdown of the season.

Tony Graziani answered with a touchdown run from eight yards out to give the Soul a 7-6 lead. The Storm failed to advance the ball on three downs and a missed field goal from 58 yards on their following possession.

On the ensuing drive Marcus Knight made two key grabs totaling 29 yards and Sean Scott carried the ball from a yard out give the Soul a 14-6 lead.

After a 43-yard kickoff return by Jonathan Ordway, Stafford found Lawrence Samuels in the flat for a 17-yard touchdown. Gramatica converted the point after for his first ever AFL point and the Storm trailed 14-13 at the end of the 1st quarter.

On the first play of the 2nd quarter Graziani wasted no time finding J.J. McKelvey for a 45-yard touchdown giving the Soul a 21-13 advantage. Following a Gramatica missed field goal from 27 yards, Graziani hooked up with Scott again for a 40-yard screen setting up a Mike Brown touchdown run from one-yard out to extend the Soul lead to 28-13. After a second consecutive defensive stop by the Soul Scott scored his second touchdown of the afternoon to give the Soul a 35-13 lead at the end of the half.

The Storm wasted no time in the third quarter as Stafford completed four-consecutive passes culminating with a 17-yard touchdown strike to Bobby Sippio, his first touchdown reception as a member of the Storm. The Soul responded with a touchdown strike of their own as Graziani connected with Brown for a 31-yard reception.

On the Storm's second drive of the half Stafford found Ronney Daniels for a 17-yard strike to cut the deficit to 15. After the kickoff Soul kicker Todd France answered with a 48-yard field goal to give the Soul a 45-27 lead. On the following Storm possession a 26-yard reception setup a Sippio touchdown reception from Stafford which made the score 45-34 in favor of the Soul with 42.9 seconds left in the third quarter.

After an unsuccessful Soul drive to start the fourth quarter, the Storm took over from their own 16-yard line. On the very first play Kevin Gaines picked off an errant Stafford pass. On the ensuing Soul possession the favor was returned as defensive specialist Jonathan Ordway who picked off Graziani at the goal line. The Storm couldn't get things going offensively on their next possession as they turned the ball over on downs at the Philadelphia 23-yard line. The Soul and Graziani milked the clock for a 4:05 drive that extended their lead to 52-34, as Graziani found Scott in the corner of the endzone for a touchdown.

The Soul sealed the game as Mike Brown intercepted a pass off the boards and the Philadelphia offense ran out the clock to hand the Storm their first loss of the season.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from January 29, 2006


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