SIOUX FALLS, SD – The Sioux Falls Storm Indoor Football Team wrapped up the 2023 regular season on Saturday night with a dramatic 62-59 win over the Massachusetts Pirates inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.

The Storm took their first lead of the night with 3:05 remaining in the 3^rd quarter when Quarterback Lorenzo Brown Jr. found Wide Receiver Brandon Sheperd on a 22-yard touchdown pass to make it 48-44.
 
Running Back Jimmi Robinson gave the Pirates the lead back early in the 4^th quarter after scoring on a 9-yard run to make it 51-48.

Storm running back Xavier Jackson scored on a 21-yard touchdown pass with 7:48 remaining in the 4^th quarter to give the Storm a brief 54-53 lead.

Robinson would score again with 3:13 remaining in regulation to give Massachusetts the 59-54 advantage. The Pirates went for the two-point conversion, but had it waved off after a successful coaches challenge from Storm head coach Kurtiss Riggs.

Storm wide receiver Donnie Corley Jr. put the Storm over the top for good with 0:11 seconds left in regulation when he hauled in the game winning touchdown pass from 3-yards out.
 
Corley Jr led all Storm receivers with four catches for 68 yards and three touchdowns in the win.
 
Corley finished the regular season with 20 receiving touchdowns, 6th most in the Indoor Football League this season. His 20 TD's are the most by a Storm wide receiver since the 2016 season when Mike Tatum had 18 touchdowns and Caleb Holley finished the season with 21 scores. Corley's 20 touchdowns ties Casey Veenhof (2004) and Carl Sims (2012) for 5th most in a single season in franchise history. Clinton Solomon still holds the Storm single season record with 27 touchdowns scored (2012).

Brown Jr. finished the night going 12-for-22 for 183 yards and seven touchdowns. Brown also ran the ball eight times for 42 yards in his final regular season home game.
 
Xavier Jackson had a big night in his return from the injured list. Jackson ran the ball 14 times for 32 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 39 yards and two scores.
 
Storm linebacker James Brown led all defenders with 12 tackles (8 solo) in the win.  Brown finished the regular season with 85.5 tackles, 2^nd most in the Indoor Football League this season. Storm defensive back Laronji Vason-McCoy finished the season ranked 3^rd in the IFL with 81.5 total tackles (71 solo).

Defensive back Eugene Ford secured his seventh interception of the season on Saturday night, tied for third most in the Indoor Football League. Rashard Smith (2017) was the Last Storm player to record 7 interceptions in a single season. Shannon Poppinga posted 7 takeaways in back-to-back seasons (2007-08). Poppinga holds the Storm's single season record with 10 interceptions (2005).

The Storm win, coupled with a Quad City Steamwheelers loss in Tulsa, Oklahoma helped the Storm secure the #2 seed in the IFL's Eastern Conference and guarantees a 1^st round home game inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center next weekend.

The Sioux Falls Storm will host the Massachusetts Pirates again next Saturday night at 7:05 PM CT in the opening round of the 2023 Indoor Football League playoffs. Tickets are scheduled to be released on Tuesday, July 18^th. Contact the Sioux Falls Storm Ticket Office at 605-838-9009 or visit the website at siouxfallsstorm.com for more information.