SIOUX FALLS, SD – The Sioux Falls Storm Indoor Football team returns to the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center on Friday night to battle the Green Bay Blizzard in an Indoor Football League showdown.
Friday night's game will be Operation Hope & Caring Night, presented by LEVO Credit Union. Storm players will be wearing Star Wars themed jerseys that will be auctioned off during the game. All net proceeds from the auction will go to Operation Hope & Caring and will directly benefit children in the Sioux Falls School District.
THE SERIES
Friday night's game will be the second meeting of the season between these two Eastern Conference rivals. The Storm lost to the Blizzard in Green Bay, WI back on April 19th by the final score of 48-35. The Storm hold a 19-3 all-time record over the Blizzard and hold a 9-2 record at home against Green Bay.
Last season the Storm went 2-1 against the Blizzard, splitting a pair of home games and pulling off a road win.
LAST TIME OUT - GREEN BAY HANDS STORM FOURTH STRAIGHT LOSS (45-38)
The Sioux Falls Storm traveled to Green Bay on Friday in pursuit of their inaugural victory of the season, encountering the 2-1 Blizzard on their home turf.
Engaged in a spirited contest, the Storm and the Blizzard engaged in a tightly contested match, culminating in a double-digit victory for the Blizzard in the closing moments of the fourth quarter.
Notably, Billy Hall demonstrated prowess on the field, amassing 79 rushing yards on 11 carries, including a pivotal touchdown in the first quarter to momentarily seize a 7-6 lead.
Max Meylor's three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns epitomized the Blizzard's offensive efficiency, overshadowing the Storm's offensive efforts. Despite Hall's commendable performance, including four touchdown passes, the Storm struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities.
Defensively, Elijah Reed led the Storm's efforts with 13 total tackles, complemented by Jalen James with nine tackles. Reed's contributions included two pass breakups and a fumble return.
Despite intermittent offensive successes, the Storm faced challenges in maintaining momentum against the Blizzard's formidable defense. Turnovers, including two on downs, three fumbles, and one interception, contributed to the Storm's difficulties, allowing the Blizzard to capitalize and secure victory.
SCOUTING THE GREEN BAY BLIZZARD
The Green Bay Blizzard finished the 2023 Indoor Football League season with a 7-8 record, finishing as the 5 seed in the Eastern Conference and just missed out on a shot at the playoffs. The Blizzard were 6-7 against Eastern Conference opponents last season, but finished with a 4-3 home record while going 3-5 in
road games.
The Blizzard brought back QB Max Meylor after serving primarily as the backup for Ja'rome Johonson. Meylor has looked good so far this season, going 41-of-73 in the pass attack while throwing for 463 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Meylor has thrown a pair of interceptions this season, but the Green Bay offense has done a terrific job of taking care of the football overall. In five games this season, the Blizzard have only fumbled the football one time.
Wide Receiver Lowell Patron has been the top receiving threat for the Blizzard securing 16 catches for 241 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Meylor is the top rushing threat for Green Bay. The QB has ran the ball 46 times for 160 yards and 9 rushing touchdowns.
Scean Mustin and Ravarius Rivers have been tough defenders for Green Bay. Rivers leads the team with 30 tackles (23 solo) while Mustin leads the team with 3 sacks on the year.
SCOUTING THE SIOUX FALLS STORM
The Sioux Falls Storm finished the 2023 Indoor Football League season with a 11-7 record and an Eastern Conference Championship title.
The Storm offense ranked 4th in the IFL last season in touchdowns (121) and 7th in points per game (46.4). QB Lorenzo Brown Jr. was the top offensive threat, finishing 3rd in the IFL in rushing touchdowns (33) and tied for 4th in passing touchdowns (48).
Former Las Vegas Knight Hawks backup Billy Hall has taken over as the organization's starting QB this season and is off to a solid start.
The Storm re-signed Lorenzo Brown Jr. before the Green Bay game on April 19th. He is expected to serve in a backup roll this season behind Hall.
The Storm reloaded at the Wide Receiver position with the addition of ALL-IFL receiver Kentrez Bell, who led the IFL with 1,092 receiving yards. Carlos Thompson Jr. also returns to the Storm offense after one season in San Diego with the Strike Force.
Third year running back Bryson Denley will start this week for the Storm after a 1st quarter ankle injury sidelined Xavier Jackson last week in Fargo. KeShawn Williams is also on the IR leaving Denley as the only active RB for the Storm.
PENALTIES PILING UP EARLY IN THE IFL
The Sioux Falls Storm enter tonight's home game against the Green Bay Blizzard tied for the most penalties in the league this season.
The Storm's 54 penalties in five games are tied with San Diego and Massachusetts for the most in the IFL. The Storm rank 4th in the IFL in penalty yards (384).
The Green Bay Blizzard enter the night with the 2nd fewest penalties (33) in the IFL and the 4th fewest penalty yards (255).
Last season the Storm played in 18 games including the IFL National Championship and had the 2nd fewest penalties in the IFL (88) and the third fewest penalty yards (638).
QB BILLY HALL MAKING THE MOST OF HIS OPPORTUNITIES
Quarterback Bill Hall joined the Sioux Falls Storm Roster this season after spending most of the 2023 campaign as the backup for the Las Vegas Knight Hawks.
Hall won the QB battle out of training camp and has continued to impress early in the season and currently ranks in the top 10 in a number of IFL offensive categories.
Entering the May 3rd game against the Green Bay Blizzard, Hall ranks 7th in pass completions (51), 8th in passing yards (574), 2nd in rushing attempts (66) and leads the IFL in rushing yards (309).
Hall enters the week ranking 8th in the IFL in rushing TD's (8) and 7th in passing TD's (12).
LILLY MAKES SEASON DEBUT LAST WEEK VS MASSACHUSETTS
Sioux Falls Storm defensive lineman Undraez Lilly made his 2024 season debut last week in Fargo, ND against the Massachusetts Pirates.
Lilly started the season on the PUP List while recovering from a shoulder injury.
The injury actually occured during the 2023 season, forcing Lilly to wear a protective wrap around the injured arm. Lilly played through the injury, finishing with 39 total tackles, including 12.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.
The Montevallo, Alabama native has appeared in 32 games for the Storm over the past two seasons, totaling 15 sacks and 88 total tackles (54 solo). Lilly appeared in three IFL playoff games last season for the Storm recording 6 tackles (4 solo) including a sack in the Eastern Conference Championship game against the Frisco Fighters.
During his time with the Storm, Lilly has consistently showcased his ability to disrupt opposing offenses and earning accolades for his performance. His tenacity and passion for the game exemplify the values of the Storm organization, making him an ideal fit for the team.
Lilly was a member of the IFL's All-Rookie Team in 2022 while also earning All-IFL Second Team honors. Lilly's 9.5 sacks during his rookie season were tied for a league high. He enters the 2024 season ranked 9th on the Storm's career sack list with current teammate Claude Davis sitting ahead of him in 8th place with 25 career sacks.
LAST STORM VICTORY
For the first time in franchise history, the Sioux Falls Storm find themselves at a winless 0-5 start, a stark departure from their storied legacy of success.
The last time the Storm faced such adversity was in 2004, opening the season with an 0-2 start before eventually rebounding to an 11-3 record, albeit falling short in the United Bowl championship against the Lexington Horsem*n.
The Storm's last win came July 29th, 2023, against the Frisco Fighters in the IFL's Eastern Conference Championship, the weight of their 279-day winless streak looms heavy. This streak extends back to their defeat at the hands of the Bay Area Panthers in the IFL National Championship Game, marking an overall six-game losing skid.
Throughout their 24-year tenure, the Storm have faced and overcome adversity before. Notably, in the 2005 season, they endured a four-game losing streak from June 11th to July 2nd before clinching victory in United Bowl 1 against the Sioux City Bandits (40-38).
The longest losing streak in franchise history remains the six-game slump during the 2001 season. After starting the season with a promising 4-0 record, the Storm lost six straight from May 5th to June 9th before ultimately losing to the Wyoming Cavalry in the semifinals.
Print Friendly Version
