Sioux Falls, SD -The Sioux Falls Storm faced off against the Green Bay Blizzard on Friday night inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center for "Operation Hope and Caring" night. The Storm unveiled Star Wars themed jerseys for the special night and to celebrate the weekend of May Fourth.
 
The Storm looked to capture their first win in 279 days as they have gotten off to a rough 0-5 start to the 2024 season. Injuries and penalties had been the main trend line for the Storm early this year with a roster that had been hammered with lingering injuries and a tendency to draw flags to start this season.
 
It was clear things were different in this game as the Storm took an early lead in the first quarter, scoring a touchdown on the first drive of the game, a feat they weren't able to accomplish in any of their previous five games. The Storm offense was much more effective in this game than they had been in prior games, totaling 243 yards on Friday night compared to the 197.4 yards that they averaged per game before this matchup.
 
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.
 
This dominant performance on defense, along with a revitalized offense led by the re-emergence of Lorenzo Brown Jr. at the helm, gave the Storm a narrow one-point lead going into halftime.
 
The Blizzard got off to a hot start in the second half, with Max Meylor leading the team to a quick touchdown drive on their first third-quarter possession. Meylor was a key piece for the Blizzard in the Storm's April 19th in Green Bay but struggled to find that spark against the Storm Defense on the road on Friday night. Meylor finished 18-for-30 on 165 yards passing and one TD through the air. He also ran for 19 yards, and three rushing TDs.
 
Both teams had their fair share of special teams issues on Friday night, but Storm Kicker Dean Sarris made a clutch field goal early in the fourth quarter to take a 34 to 30 lead.
 
On the following kickoff, Blizzard returner Kenyon Skinner met Storm defender Elijah Reed at the 15-yard line as Reed skillfully ripped the ball out of Skinner's arms and scampered into the endzone.
 
Fittingly, it was Elijah Reed again who made the final defensive stop, coming away with a late game interception that killed the final Blizzard drive.
 
Reed ended the game with one interception, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one touchdown, as well as a TFL and eight total tackles. He was second on the team in tackles behind Cam Harrell with nine.
 
Finally, there's reason to celebrate for the Sioux Falls Storm as they get their first win of the season, snapping a six-game skid that goes back to the championship game last year.  It was also the first career victory for Storm head coach Andre Fields.
 
The Storm will continue their early May homestand next Friday night (May 10) when they battle the Quad City Steamwheelers in "I Heart Sioux Falls" night, presented by the American Heart Association. It will also be the first "Red Out" game of the 2024 season. Storm fans are encouraged to wear their favorite red storm apparel to the game and help fill a sea of red inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.
 
Fans can purchase tickets to the May 10^th home game at the KELOLAND Box Office located inside the main lobby of the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center or by visiting Ticketmaster.com.