The Sioux Falls Storm return to the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center tonight at 7:05 PM CT to battle the 1^st place Frisco Fighters.

Tonight's game is Military Appreciation Night presented by the South Dakota Army National Guard and Frontier Climbing & Fitness.

The Storm have not played inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in five weeks. Their last home game was a 52-35 win over the Tulsa Oilers back on May 5^th.  The Storm went 1-2 during the month-long roadtrip before entering the bye-week last week.

Tonight's game will be the first meeting of the season between the Sioux Falls Storm and the Frisco Fighters. These two teams will face each other again on July 1^st in Frisco, Texas.



SERIES HISTORY

The Sioux Falls Storm and Frisco Fighters have faced each other three times dating back to July 31^st, 2021.

The Frisco Fighters lead the all-time series 3-0.

The Storm hold an 0-2 record against the Frisco Fighters inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.



SCOUTING THE FRISCO FIGHTERS
 
The Frisco Fighters enter Saturday night's matchup with an 8-2 record and hold a one-game lead over the Massachusetts Pirates and Bay Area Panthers for the best record in the Indoor Football League.
 
The Fighters have the top scoring offense in the league, averaging 56.3 points per game. Their 78 total touchdowns are tied for the most in the IFL so far this season.

Fighters quarterback TJ Edwards is an MVP candidate leading the IFL in rush attempts (121), rushing yards (602), rushing touchdowns (33), pass completions (137), and pass attempts (224). Edwards also has the longest pass completion by an IFL QB this season (49 yards).

Frisco running back Jimmie Smith is also having a good season, ranking 9^th in the IFL in rushing yards (338) and rushing touchdowns (14).
 
The Frisco defense has been one of the best units in the IFL during the 2023 season rankings 4^th in points allowed per game (41.4) and touchdowns allowed (41.3).



SCOUTING THE SIOUX FALLS STORM
 
The Sioux Falls Storm return from the bye-week with a 5-4 record and currently sit in 4^th place in the IFL's Eastern Conference.  The Storm enter the night with a ½ game lead over the Green Bay Blizzard for the final playoff spot.

The Storm have one of the top offensive and defensive units in the league this season.  Offensively the Storm rank 6^th in the IFL in points scored per game (49.3) while the defense ranks 3^rd overall in points allowed per game (40.3).

Quarterback Lorenzo Brown Jr. has been the top offensive threat for the Storm this season ranking 11^th in the IFL in rushing yards (315) and 7^th in the IFL in rushing touchdowns (15). His 98 pass completions are 8^th most in the league this season and his 23 passing touchdowns rank 7^th overall.

Wide Receiver Donnie Corley Jr. has the Storm's top target this season, racking up 507 receiving yards to go along with 14 touchdowns (6^th in the IFL).
 
Running back Xavier Jackson has appeared in just four games this season, but he has made the most of his opportunities, scoring 8 touchdowns while averaging 5.3 yards per carry.

The Storm defense currently has three players in the top-10 as far as total tackles this season. Defensive back Laronji Vason-McCoy leads all Storm players with 48.5 total tackles (5^th in the IFL), linebacker James Brown is 6^th in the IFL with his 47.5 tackles, and defensive back Clifton Duck ranks 7^th in the league with 46.5 tackles on the year.


LOOKING AHEAD

The Sioux Falls Storm are back on the road next week when they visit the Tulsa Oilers for the first time in franchise history on June 17^th.  The Storm return to the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center on June 23^rd for Faith and Family night, presented by Amy Stockberger Real Estate.  There will be a pre-game tailgate  party in the parking lot starting at 4pm with kickoff scheduled for 7:05 PM. For more information visit the Storm website at siouxfallsstorm.com or follow the storm on social media @siouxfallsstorm.


ONE LAST THING
 
Storm defensive Back Eugene Ford had another interception in the win over Iowa.
 
 Ford has picked off an opposing quarterback six times this season, tied for 2^nd in the IFL.
 
Ford's six interceptions are the most by a Storm player since 2017 when Rashard Smith had seven interceptions. The Storm's single season record stands at 10, set by Shane Poppinga during the 2005 season.
 
 Poppinga also posted back-to-back season with seven interceptions during the 2007 and 2008 campaigns.

ABOUT THE SIOUX FALLS STORM
 
The Sioux Falls Storm are a professional indoor football team based in Sioux Falls, SD. The Storm have won 11 indoor football championships over 23 seasons and are participants in the Indoor Football league. The Denny Sanford PREMIER Center has been the home of Storm Indoor Football since construction of the site was completed prior to the 2015 season.