The Sioux Falls Storm suffered their second straight loss, falling to 4-5 on the season Saturday night in a 43-42 to the Massachusetts Pirates.
It was a game that saw each team trade leads throughout the entire contest as there were 10 lead changes.
The Pirates (6-3) got the game going on a 10-yard touchdown pass and after a failed PAT attempt, Massachusetts led 6-0 7:48 into the first quarter. Wide receiver Tim Keith got the first score for the Storm on a 10-yard run into the end zone, taking their first lead at 7-6.
Touchdowns from running back Nate Chavious and wide receiver Aaron Dilworth in the second quarter gave the Storm back the lead after trading touchdowns with the Pirates. Darren Carrington II gave the Pirates a 27-21 advantage on a 24-yard pass from quarterback Alejandro Bennifield. Kicker Craig Peterson closed out the half with a 41-yard field goal, with the Storm trailing 31-20 at the break.
Quarterback Dalton Sneed completed only two passes the entire game, going 2-for-8 in the passing game, with his two completions coming on touchdowns. He ran 10 times for 41 yards and two touchdowns, both of which came in the second half. Sneed's second touchdown rush was the team's final touchdown of the game and gave the team a 42-36 lead with 3:38 left in the game.
The Pirates completed a five play, 23-yard possession in the final minutes to take a one-point lead and win the game 43-42. The score came on an 8-yard completion from Mike Glass III to Thomas Owens with six seconds left.
Sioux Falls dropped to fifth in the IFL Eastern Conference standings, while Massachusetts sits at second, one game behind the Frisco Fighters for first place.
Chavious ran 15 times for 118 yards and a touchdown. His biggest run of the game was 42 yards. Sioux Falls leaned heavily on the run game and used it to their advantage, compiling a total of 169 rushing yards.
Dilworth and Donnie Corley had the only two receptions of the game for the road team, with Dilworth converting a 27-yard catch and Corley hauling in a six-yard touchdown.
Carlos Thompson Jr. had nine total tackles in the game, with six solo tackles and three assisted. Marquis Hendrix had two solo tackles and five assisted tackles. Undraez Lilly had three tackles for loss for 19 yards.
Sawyer Petre struggled kicking the ball, going 0-for-2 in the game on kicks from 61 and 50 yards respectively. The 50-yard kick was to win the game at the end of regulation.
The Storm are back on the road for their next game May 28 against the Quad City Steemwheelers at 7:05 p.m. in Moline, Illinois. Their next home game is against the Bismarck Bucks Saturday, June 11 at 7:05 p.m.
