Sioux Falls, SD –The Sioux Falls Storm Indoor Football Team are set to face off against the Massachusetts Pirates in an electrifying showdown set to take place tonight. The highly anticipated game, dubbed the Fargo Gridiron Classic, will unfold within the thrilling atmosphere of Scheels Arena in Fargo, ND.
Kickoff for the Fargo Gridiron Classic is set for 7:05 PM CT, and fans can expect an action-packed evening filled with thrilling plays, intense competition, and an atmosphere charged with excitement.
For those unable to attend in person, the game will be broadcast live on YouTube, ensuring that fans across the nation can tune in to witness the spectacle unfold.
Don't miss out on the excitement as the Sioux Falls Storm go head-to-head with the Massachusetts Pirates in what promises to be an unforgettable clash of Indoor Football League titans.
For more information, including ticket availability and team updates, visit the Scheels Arena website.
THE SERIES
The rivalry between the Sioux Falls Storm and the Massachusetts Pirates is a fairly new one, but the battles have been memorable.
The Pirates lead the all-time series 3-2, including an early season win in Lowell, Ma (39-31) on March 29th, 2024.
The Sioux Falls Storm finished the 2023 season with a 2-0 record against Massachusetts. The wins came in back-to-back weeks, including a 1st round playoff win at home inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center on July 22nd (42-39).
Saturday night's contest will be the first neutral site meeting between the two Eastern Conference opponents in the series history.
LAST TIME THEY MET - STORM FALL TO PIRATES IN 49-41 SHOOTOUT (3/29/24)
Lowell, MA - The Sioux Falls Storm hit the road for a second consecutive week, facing another challenging Eastern Conference opponent in the Massachusetts Pirates. Both teams exchanged blows with big offensive plays, but the Pirates walked away from this shootout with a 49-41 home win over the Storm.
Sioux Falls quarterback Billy Hall led the offensive attack, throwing three touchdown passes and running in three more scores on the ground. He finished the night 11-for-17 in the pass attack for 179 yards and added 10 carries for 36 yards.
Second year running back Xavier Jackson finished the night with 58 total yards of offense and two receiving touchdowns. Wide Receiver Kentrez Bell also played well in the loss. Bell finished the night as the team's leading receiver, hauling in three catches for 70 yards and a score.
Massachusetts Quarterback Alejandro Bennifield outduelled Hall on Friday night, throwing for 173 yards and five touchdowns. Bennifield was incredibly accurate, going 15-for-16 in pass attempts, including three passes of 30 yards or more.
Four different Massachusetts receivers scored a touchdown on Friday night. Isaac Zico was the leading receiver, finishing with four catches for 60 yards and a score. Thomas Owens had three catches for 46 yards and two touchdowns.
Pirates Running Back Jimmie Robinson had three touchdowns on the night, including an eight yard receiving score.
SCOUTING THE MASSACHUSETTS PIRATES
The Massachusetts Pirates finished the 2023 Indoor Football League season with a 9-7 record, finishing as the 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Pirates were 7-4 against Eastern Conference opponents last season, and finished with a 7-0 home record. The Pirates went 2-7 in road matchups.
Massachusetts is off to another hot start (4-1), led by 2nd year quarterback Alejandro Bennifield, who currently ranks 3rd in the IFL in pass completions. Bennifield has gone 58-for-91 in the pass attack while throwing for 644 yards (2nd in IFL) and 15 passing touchdowns (2nd in IFL).
The Pirates have a dangerous wide receiver group with Isaac Zico leading the charge with 17 receptions (tied 4th IFL), 232 yards (tied 4th IFL), and 5 touchdowns (tied 6th IFL). Teo Redding is also having a good start to his 2024 season, hauling in 16 receptions and 171 yards while grabbing 4 touchdowns.
Calvin Bundage leads the Pirates defensively, ranking 7th in the IFL in total tackles with 24 in five games played. Bundage is also 2nd in the IFL in sacks with 2.5 so far this season.
Former Sioux Falls Storm ballhawk Eugene Ford is tied for the league lead with 4 interceptions in 5 games played. Ford had 9 interceptions in his rookie season with the Sioux Falls Storm.
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. Hall currently ranks 6th in the IFL in rushing with 152 yards on the ground. His 5 rushing touchdowns are tied for 5th in the IFL this season.
Hall is 27-for-44 in the pass attack, throwing for 330 yards and 5 touchdowns.
The Storm re-signed Lorenzo Brown Jr. last week. He is expected to serve in a backup roll for the remainder of the 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 last season. Carlos Thompson Jr. also returns to the Storm offense after one season in San Diego with the Strike Force.
BILLY HALL MAKING MOST OF EARLY SEASON OPPORTUNITY
Quarterback Bill Hall joined the Sioux Falls Storm Roster this season after 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 April 27th game against Massachusetts, Hall ranks 9th in pass completions (42), 8th in passing yards (489), third in rushing attempts (49) and rushing yards (231).
Hall also ranks 10th in the IFL in passing TD's (9) and ranks 9th in the IFL in rushing TD's (6).
AMIN BLACK OFF TO HOT START IN 2024
Rookie linebacker Amin Black has been a force for the Storm defense so far this season. The Former Villinova Wildcat earned the starting linebacker role after an impressive training camp.
Black has appeared in three games so far this season for the Sioux Fall Storm, racking up 24 tackles including four tackles for loss.
Black did not play in last weeks road loss to the Green Bay Blizzard, but is expected to return to the lineup this week in a neutral site game against the Massachusetts Pirates in Fargo, ND on Saturday, April 27th.
CATCHING UP WITH KENTREZ BELL
Kentrez Bell has been the most reliable receiver for the Sioux Falls Storm this season. Over the first four games, Bell has hauled in 14 catches for 201 yards and three touchdowns.
Bell leads the team in both receptions and receiving yards, and is currently tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns with running back Xavier Jackson (3).
Bell was the IFL's leading receiver during the 2023 season. The Kansas City, MO native was the only IFL wideout to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards during the regular season and finished the year with 24 touchdowns.
Bell also finished the season with a league-best 72.8 receiving yards per game.
The Kansas City, MO native recorded at least one touchdown in 13 of 15 games last season with the San Diego Strikeforce and posted seven games with multiple touchdowns scored.
Bell is currently in his fourth IFL season, previously playing two years with the Iowa Barnstormers (2021-2022).
UNDRAEZ LILLY MAKES SEASON DEBUT TONIGHT
Sioux Falls Storm defensive lineman Undraez Lilly will make his 2024 season debut tonight 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.
PENALTIES PILE UP EARLY FOR SIOUX FALLS STORM
The Sioux Falls Storm enter tonight's game in Fargo, ND leading the the IFL in total penalties.
The Storm's 42 penalties in four games are the most by any team this season.
The Storm also enter toinght's game ranking 4th in penalty yards (309). The Tulsa Oilers (318), The San Antonio Gunslingers (337), and the Massachussetts Pirates (361) all have more penalty yards this season.
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).
273 DAYS
For the first time in franchise history, the Sioux Falls Storm find themselves at a winless 0-4 start, a stark departure from their storied legacy of success.
The Storm's last win came July 29th, 2023, against the Frisco Fighters in the IFL's Eastern Conference Championship, the weight of their 273-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 five-game losing skid.
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 Horsemen.
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.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Rookie defensive back Cam Harrell has been a pleasant surprise for the Storm so far this season. He made a name for himself during the Storm's season opening road game against the Quad City Steamwheelers. Harrell intercepted a pass on the goal line and took it the length of the field for a pick-six. It was the first touchdown of the season for the Storm.
Harrell is currently 5th on the team in total tackles (18) and has recently gotten involved in the kick return game and now leads the team with 8 kick returns for 159 yards, including the longest return of the season at 47 yards.
