SIOUX FALLS, SD – The Sioux Falls Storm Indoor Football Team wrap up their early-May homestand tonight at 7:05 PM CT when they host their Eastern Conference rivals, the Quad City Steamwheelers.
 
Tonight's game will be "I Heart Sioux Falls Night", present by the American Heart Association. It will also be the first "Red-Out" game of the year with fans encouraged to wear their favorite RED Storm apparel to help create a sea of red inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.
 
Doors open at 6:00 PM CT with pre-game festivities getting underway at 6:45 PM and kickoff scheduled for 7:05 PM.
 
LAST TIME OUT – STORM SECURE FIRST WIN OF 2024 AFTER HOME WIN OVER GREEN BAY BLIZZARD
The Sioux Falls Storm secured their first win of the 2024 season on Friday, May 3rd after picking up a home win over the Green Bay Blizzard 46-38.
 
Billy Hall started the game at QB and played for the first three drives for the Storm, using his legs to run for 43 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Hall has been fantastic on the ground this year, leading the entire IFL in rushing yards (309) to start the season. Unfortunately for Hall, his arm led him astray as he threw a costly interception that led the Sioux Falls coaching staff to call on Lorenzo Brown Jr. to come in to start the next drive.
 
Brown Jr. came in in the second quarter and didn't look back as he led the Storm to four more Touchdown drives on only six offensive possessions. The former two-time IFL champion and future Hall-of-Fame QB ended the game 5-for-8 with 92 passing yards. Brown also had 28 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
 
Draysean Hudson was the team's leading receiver, with 34 yards on three receptions. Lorenzo Thompson and Carlos Thompson each had one big 20+ yard reception of 22 and 21 yards, respectively. Bryson Denley was the Storm's biggest offensive weapon, running for 58 rushing yards and one TD on 12 attempts on the ground and 30 receiving yards on two receptions through the air.
 
The Storm totaled six touchdowns and one field goal on offense, but the difference came down to what Sioux Falls did on the defensive side of the ball.
 
After allowing the third most points scored in the league over their first five games, the Storm gave up just 38 points to the Blizzard, far less than their 46.8 points allowed average over their previous five games.
 
The Storm also generated three timely sacks, two by Claude Davis and one by Undraez Lilly, who is playing just his second game of the year for the Storm after starting 2024 on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list.
 
THE REMATCH - STORM LOSS OVERTIME THIRLLER AGAINST QUAD CITY STEAMWHEELERS (3/22/24)
The Sioux Falls Storm Indoor Football team launched the 2024 Indoor Football League season from Moline, IL, on Friday night, taking on the Quad City Steamwheelers to begin their 24th season as an organization.
 
The Storm would fall in overtime 38-32, but there were plenty of big moments and plenty to be excited about for Storm fans.
 
Fumbled snaps were a theme in this wild Indoor Football League thriller. The Sioux Falls Storm finished the night with six botched snaps offensively. The Quad City Steamwheelers delt with a pair of botched snaps on special teams in crucial late game situations.
 
Hall finished the night going 8-of-15 for 88 yards and a touchdown in his Storm debut. He also ran the ball 14 times for 59 yards (26 net yards) and a score in the loss.
 
Steamwheelers rookie QB Judd Erickson outdueled Hall, finishing his night 13-for-26 for 169 yards and two passing touchdowns.
 
Harrington finished the night with two catches for 65 yards for Quad City in the overtime win.
 
Vander added a pair of rushing touchdowns to lead the Steamwheelers ground attack.
 
Defensively, the Sioux Falls Storm were led by Laronji Vason-McCoy and Kendricks Gladney Jr. Both defensive backs finished the night with seven tackles in the loss.
 
Defensive Linemen Dajon Emory and Claude Davis each had two TFL and Cam Harrell had the lone pick of the night for the Sioux Falls Storm.
 
SCOUTING THE STEAMWHEELERS
The Quad City Steamwheelers finished the 2023 Indoor Football League season with a 9-7 record and 4th place finish in the Eastern Conference Standings.
 
The Steamwheelers offense ranked 5th in the IFL last season, averaging 48.4 points per game.
 
QB EJ Hilliard finished the year tied for the IFL lead in TD passes (49) and 3rd in the league in passing yards (2,334). Hilliard finished 6th in the league in rushing yards (678) and tied for 4th in the IFL in rushing TD (28).
 
The Steamwheelers are now led by rookie QB Judd Erickson taking over. Former San Diego Strike Force RB Edward Vander also joins the Steamwheelers this season after finishing the 2023 season with 567 all purpose yards and 20 touchdowns in San Diego.
 
Vander ranks 5th in the IFL in rushing yards (249) and rushing TD's (10).
 
Erickson ranking 5th in pass completions (77) and passing yards (842). Erickson's 16 passing touchdowns ranks 6th in the IFL this season.
 
WR Jarrod Harrington ranks 6th in the IFL in recieving yards (302) and receptions (26).
 
SCOUTING THE 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). Brown Jr. retired after suffering an IFL National Championship loss to the Bay Area Panthers.
 
Former Las Vegas Knight Hawks backup Billy Hall took over as the organization's starting QB this season and currently leads the IFL in rushing yards (352) and rushing attempts (75). His 10 rushing TD's are 4th most in the league this season.
 
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.
 
Brown Jr. came out of retirement early in 2024 and signed with the Arizona Rattlers. Lorenzo came off the bench midway through the 2nd quarter last week to help guide the Storm to their first win of the 2024 season.

CLAUDE DAVIS NAMED IFL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Claude Davis was named the IFL's Defensive Player of the Week (5/9) after recording two sacks and a special teams INT in the May 3rd win over Green Bay.
 
Davis won the IFL championship two times with the Storm, winning titles during the 2016 and 2019 seasons.
 
Davis last played for the Sioux Falls Storm during the 2019 season, spending five total seasons with the organization during the 2015-2019 campaigns.
 
Including the playoffs, Davis has racked up 227.5 total tackles (174 solo) with the Sioux Falls Storm.
 
He currently sits in the top 10 all-time in franchise history in career tackles for loss (6th place- 63), sacks (8th place- 27), forced fumbles (8th place- 5), and blocked kicks (5th place- 6).
 
Davis needs 22 total tackles to move into the top 10 all-time in Sioux Falls Storm history.
 
During his first year with the Storm (2015), Davis recorded 16 tackles for loss, 9th most all-time in Storm single season history. He backed that up with 15.5 tackles for loss the following season, giving him 31.5 TFL over a two-year run.
 
In the history of Storm Indoor Football, only Nate Fluit (39.5 TFL, 2003-04) had more tackles for loss over a two-year period.
 
Davis started the 2023 season with the Sioux City Bandits in the NAL before catching on with the IFL's Duke City Gladiators.
 
 He appeared in five games for Duke City, recording 5.5 sacks and 15 total tackles. His 7.5 tackles for loss were second most on the team last season, trailing Jimmy Thomas, who finished with 10.5 TFL over a 14 game stretch.
 
BRYSON DENLEY STEPS UP BIG FOR STORM
The Sioux Falls Storm were hit by the injury bug in late April, sending both Xavier Jackson and KeShawn Williams to the injured list.
 
That left third year running back, Bryson Denley as the only available RB on the roster last week agaisnt the Green Bay Blizzard.
 
Denley stepped up and had a solid game with 12 carries for 53 yards and a TD. He added 2 catches for 30 yards in the win.
 
Denley has racked up nearly 200 yards and four touchdowns in his career against Green Bay.
 
KeShawn Williams returns for the IR tonight and will join Denley in the backfield for tonight's game against the Steamwheelers.
 
LINEBACKER AMIN BLACK CONTINUES STRONG PLAY 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 five games so far this season for the Sioux Falls Storm, racking up 45 tackles including 5.5 tackles for loss.
 
Black's first career game with the Storm came against the Quad City Steamwheelers on March 22nd. He finished the night with 9 total tackles including four solo tackles and QB hit.
 
CAM HARRELL MAKES NAME FOR HIMSELF IN SIOUX FALLS
Rookie defensive back Cam Harrell made a name for himself in the season opening game gainst the Quad City Steamwheelers on March 22nd.
 
 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 (30) and has recently got involved in the kick return game, leading the team with 16 kick returns for 351 yards, including the longest Storm return of the season at 47 yards.
 
PENALTIES PILE UP EARLY IN 2024 INDOOR FOOTBALL LEAGUE SEASON
The Sioux Falls Storm enter tonight's home game against the Quad City Steamwheelers leading the IFL in penalties
 
The Storm's 422 penalty yards are 4th most in the IFL overall this season.
 
The Quad City Steamwheelers enter the night with the 5th most penalties (41) in the IFL and rank 9th in penalty yards (362).
 
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).