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IFL Sioux Falls Storm

Storm Hand Vegas Their Third Upset Loss in a Row Following 46-40 Overtime Thriller

June 14, 2024 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Sioux Falls Storm News Release


SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - On Saturday night, the Sioux Falls Storm Indoor Football Team (3-7) hosted the Vegas Knight Hawks (7-3) at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in a thrilling instant classic that was everything you would want in a football game and then some.

The Knight Hawks came in as the heavy favorites in the game, starting the season 7-0 before falling in each of their last two games in upset fashion. The Storm were looking to give Vegas their third straight loss while also earning their third victory of the season.

Following a devastating two-point loss to their rivals, the Barnstormers last week, the Storm were looking to kickstart a potential late-season run against an elite team to keep their playoff chances alive.

The stakes of this game were evident, as you could feel the intensity and electricity running through the Storm early on. They played competent offense, leaning on Lorenzo Brown Jr. in the first half as he accounted for all three of their first-half touchdowns. On defense, the Strom brought a renewed aggression, turning the ball over twice in the first half and four times throughout the game.

After going punch for punch on touchdowns over the first four drives, the Storm took a bet on fourth and short near the goal line but failed to convert after a pass deflection at the line of scrimmage.

Their defense made up for that misstep with a huge Rome Weber interception that was a big momentum builder for the Storm and led to a Lorenzo Brown Jr. to Bryson Denley touchdown pass that gave them a 20-14 lead.

The Storm defense kept their foot on the Knight Hawks's neck after that, forcing a fumble on the very next drive, which resulted in a Dean Sarris field goal to put the Storm up 23-14.

On the next drive, the Knight Hawks used the Storm's aggressive defense to their advantage on fourth and one, throwing a deep pass for Caleb Holley over top of the Storm defense, which was playing up near the line.

A last-second missed field goal for the Storm ended the first half with them up 23-21

Vegas scored quickly on a second straight Caleb Holley touchdown reception to start the second half, but on their next drive, they ran into the aggressiveness of the Storm defense once again as Claude Davis crashed the offensive line and forced a bad handoff between quarterback Jorge Reyna and running back Caleb Holley. Davis scooped that fumble off of the turf and easily ran it into the end zone for a momentum-changing touchdown. Giving the Storm a lead of 31-28 going into the fourth quarter.

A field goal and a deuce gave the Knight Hawks a short-lived lead, but the Storm's consistent offense quickly took the lead back with a Bryson Denley touchdown run. The storm led 37-33

The Knight Hawks led a crafty six-minute, 37-yard drive that got Vegas within spitting distance of the end zone, but the Storm's impressive defense wasn't going to go out quietly. A big tackle for loss by Claude Davis set up a third down and long, and another tackle for loss by Amin Black set up a fourth and longer. Unfortunately for the Storm, Black's energetic and emotional celebration above the quarterback drew an unsportsmanlike penalty on the linebacker, giving the Knight Hawks a fresh set of downs.

The Knight Hawks took the gift from the refs and scored a go-ahead touchdown pass by Ja'Rome Johnson with just five seconds left in the game.

All seemed lost for the Storm as they received the ball with just three seconds left in the game, but as Dean Sarris watched his end-over-end kick hit off the crossbar of the goal post and in for a game-tying field goal, the Storm's hopes were reignited.

Sarris had kicked the Storm into their second overtime of the season, and this time, they came out with the win.

A quick strike touchdown to Carlos Thompson set up the Storm defense, which made quick work of a tired Knight Hawk offense. Elijah Reed intercepted a pass from Ja'Rome Johnson on the first play of the Knight Hawks drive, winning the game for his team dramatically.

It was a game for the ages and a welcome result for a Storm team that has been struggling to close out close games in the win column.

Defense was the star for the Storm in this one, turning the ball over four times as a unit. Rome Weber was responsible for two of those turnovers, finishing the game with five tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery, and one pass breakup.

Claude Davis also filled up the stat sheet on defense with five tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, one fumble recovery, and one defensive touchdown in the game.

Amin Black led the team in tackles with 12, followed by Elijah Reed with nine tackles, along with one tackle for loss and a game-winning interception. The other defensive player of note was Dajon Emory, who recorded four tackles and two tackles for loss.

On offense, it was all about Lorenzo Brown Jr. He finished with four total touchdowns on 9-16 passing for 117 yards and a pick, as well as 23 rushing yards on nine attempts.

He was able to lead his offense to a win against the two-headed quarterback attack of the Knight Hawks, who switched between Jorge Reyna and Ja'Rome Johnson during the game. Reyna totaled 166 yards and two touchdowns, along with an interception, while Johnson totaled 53 yards, one touchdown, and an interception.

Carlos Thompson led the Storm in receptions with five for 66 yards and a touchdown. Kentrez Bell had two receptions for 16 yards, and Draysean Hudson had one reception for 29 yards.

Bryson Denley was the primary red zone target, getting two touchdowns on two touches for a total of 11 yards.

The Knight Hawks had four players with over 20 yards receiving. Caleb Holley had 66 yards receiving on six receptions and four total touchdowns. C.J. Windham had 44 yards on three receptions. Quentin Randolph had 41 yards on four receptions and a touchdown, and Taurean Taylor had 56 total yards on two receptions and six carries.

The Storm will take the momentum from this win into their next game when they play the Tulsa Oilers in Tulsa on Saturday, June 15. The Sioux Falls Storm will be hosting a Watch Party for the June 15 game at Golf Addiction in Sioux Falls. The event will get underway at 6:30 p.m. CT with kickoff scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

The Storm are on the road for the next two weeks, but return to the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center on Saturday, June 29, for Military Appreciation Night, presented by the South Dakota Army National Guard. The Storm will host the newest member of the Indoor Football League, the Jacksonville Sharks for the first time in franchise history. The Storm visited Jacksonville earlier this season and earned a 52-42 road win over the Sharks.

Fans can purchase tickets to the June 29 home game by visiting the KELOLAND Box Office located inside the main lobby of the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center or by visiting Ticketmaster.com.

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