SIOUX FALLS, SD – The Sioux Falls Storm Indoor Football Team returns to action in Week 14 of the Indoor Football League season with a road battle against the Tulsa Oilers inside the BOK Center in Tulsa, OK tonight at 7:05 PM CT.

Storm Fans are encouraged to join the Watch Party tonight at Golf Addiction and help cheer on the Storm.

Fans are also encouraged to register their Watch Party Passport, presented by Acendas Travel and get entered for a chance to win a Trip to Las Vegas for the IFL National Championship in August.

LAST TIME OUT

The Storm are riding high after a 46-40 overtime win over the Vegas Knight Hawks in non-conference action last week. The home win was the third victory over the last five games for the Storm. The turnaround has been particularly impressive, considering the Storm started the season with a 0-5 record and found themselves in the basement of the IFL Eastern Conference.

The Tulsa Oilers got off to a red-hot start in the 2024 season, winning three of their first five games, but have since gone on a six-game losing streak and have fallen out of the playoff picture. Tulsa returns home tonight after a tough road lost (45-42) last week against the Jacksonville Sharks.

OVERTIME WINS/LOSSES

The Storm have played in two overtime games this season. The Storm are 1-1 in overtime matchups this season. Sioux Falls won their week 12 battle with the Vegas Knight Hawks (46-40) at home. The Storm lost their season opening road contest (38-32) against the Quad City Steamwheelers back in late March in Moline, Illinois.

SERIES MATCHUP

The Tulsa Oilers handed the Sioux Falls Storm a 56-40 loss on April 14th during the Storm's 2024 Home Opener.  It was the first win over the Storm in franchise history for the Tulsa Oilers, who were an expansion team in the IFL during the 2023 season. Sioux Falls picked up a home & road win over Tulsa last season.
 
The 16-point loss to the Oilers on April 14th was the only double-digit loss of the season for the Storm. In fact, six of the Storm's seven losses this season have been by eight points or less.

The Sioux Falls Storm hold a 2-1 record all-time against the Oilers and are 1-0 in their only other meeting inside the BOK Center in Tulsa, OK.

STORM ENTER THE PLAYOFF PICTURE

A win today for the Storm would give the Storm back-to-back wins for the first time this season and would put them within a game of a playoff spot in the jam-packed IFL East.
 
The Green Bay Blizzard have been the surprise team in the IFL's Eastern Conference so far this season. The Blizzard secured their 10^th win of the season last night at home (63-35) over the Jacksonville Sharks. With the win, the Blizzard clinched a playoff spot for the first time since the 2019 IFL season. That leaves three playoff spots for the rest of the East with only six weeks remaining in the regular season.


LOOKING AHEAD
 
Entering tonight's week 14 matchup, the Sioux Falls Storm have six games left on the schedule. Four of the final six games will be against Eastern Conference teams who are below or at a .500 record for the season.
 
The Storm will spend four of the final six weeks on the road against Tulsa (3-8), Frisco (8-3), Quad City (5-5), and Iowa (3-7).

Sioux Falls will host two more regular season home games during the 2024 season, with the Jacksonville Sharks (2-9) and Green Bay Blizzard (10-2) both scheduled to make appearances inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.

The Sharks will visit Sioux Falls for the first time in franchise history on Saturday, June 29^th for Military Appreciation Night, presented by the South Dakota Army National Guard.
 
The 1^st place Green Bay Blizzard will come back to Sioux Falls for the final game of the regular season on Saturday, July 20^th for Alumni Night, presented by Orthopedic Institute and Sioux Falls Specialty Hospital.

CARLOS SPARKS OFFENSIVE TURNAROUND DURING BELL'S INJURY

Veteran wide receiver Carlos Thompson Jr. is no stranger to the Indoor Football League. he played for the Sioux Falls Storm during the 2022 season before taking his talents to San Diego Strike Force during the 2023 season. Carlos returned to Sioux Falls this season along with former San Diego teammate Kentrez Bell to solidify a Sioux Falls wide receiver core that had a total overhaul during the off-season.

Bell was the featured receiver, and for good reason. Kentrez Bell was the only IFL wideout to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards during the regular season and finished the 2023 year with 24 touchdowns for San Diego. He also finished the season with a league-best 72.8 receiving yards per game.

Bell went down with an ankle injury on May 3rd that cost him a month of the 2024 season, giving Carlos Thompson Jr. the chance to take on the #1 WR role. Thompson accepted the responsibility and showed up in big moments for the Storm. Over the last five games, Thompson has hauled in 20 catches for 241 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Overall this season, Thompson has 31 catches for 359 yards and 8 touchdowns.

His last touchdown was potentially his biggest of the season. Thompson pulled in the eventual game-winning touchdown in overtime against the Vegas Knight Hawks last week in Sioux Falls.

STORM EXCITED ABOUT THE RETURN OF KG

The Sioux Falls Storm got some good news this week with the return of defensive back Kendricks Gladney Jr. The team captain was sidelined for six weeks after knee surgery. Gladney joins a Storm defense that has been hitting its stride lately with timely interceptions, fumble recoveries and big hits. The Storm Defense enters tonight's matchup against the Tulsa Oilers ranked 7th in the IFL in points allowed per game (47.3), 6th in the IFL in interceptions (9), and 4th in the league in fumbles recovered (6). 


"KING" CLAUDE DAVIS CLIMBS THE STORM RECORD BOOKS
 
 Sioux Falls Storm Defensive Lineman Claude Davis returned to Sioux Falls in the 2024 season after spending parts of the past three seasons playing for the Sioux City Bandits in the CIF and the Duke City Gladiators in the IFL. Davis won a pair of IFL Championships (2016 & 2019) with teh Sioux Falls Storm and brought a veteran presence to a Storm team that entered the year as the youngest team in the IFL.

Davis is having a respectable season with 20 tackles and three sacks to go along with his seven tackles for loss on the year. 

The veteran from Lakeland, FL has put together a terrific career in a Storm uniform and has moved into the top 10 in several career categories, placing his name with some of the all-time greats in Storm history.

Here is where he ranks entering the Storm's June 15th road game against the Tulsa Oilers.

TACKLES – (233.5 total tackles) - Needs 16.5 tackles to move into the top-10 all-time in Storm history

1. Mark Blackburn (715.5)
2. Tyler Knight (657)
6. Andre Fields (289.5)
7. Donny Hilsenroth (278)
10. Nate Fluit (249.5)
 
TACKLES FOR LOSS – (66.5)- Davis enters the game in Tulsa tied for 2^nd all-time in Storm history. His next tackle for loss will move Davis ahead of his current defensive line coach, and Storm Hall of Famer Cory Johnsen.

1. Rachman Crable (73)
2. Cory Johnsen (66.5)
2. Nate Fluit (66.5)
2. Claude Davis (66.5)


SACKS – (28 total sacks) – Davis recently passed IFL Hall of Famer Tyler Knight for 6^th place on the Storm Single season list. Davis needs one sack to pass current Storm Linebacker coach and Storm Hall of Famer Mark Blackburn for 5th place in franchise history. Cory Johnsen and Nate Fluit are in 1st and 2nd place respectevly, and might never see their record broken.


1. Cory Johnsen (64.5)
2. Nate Fluit (62.5)
3. Rachman Crable (48.5)
4. Leif Muphy (34)
5. Mark Blackburn (28.5)
6. Claude Davis (28)


FORCED FUMBLES – (5) –His next forced fumble would put Claude Davis into a tie for 6th place all-time in franchise history. with Storm Hall of Famers Mark Blackburn and Nate Fluit. Davis has recovered a pair of fumbles this season, including one that he returned 35 yards for a touchdown, but he has not forced a fumble yet in 2024. Claude currently sits in 8^th place all-time in franchise history.

1. Rachman Crable (10)
1. Cory Johnsen (10)
1. Tyler Knight (10)
4. Mark Blackburn (9)
5. Leif Murphy (8)
6. Mark Blackburn (6)
6. Nate Fluit (6)
8. Claude Davis (5)


BLOCKED KICKS – (6) – Davis does not have a blocked kick yet this season. His next block would put him into a tie for 4th place with Corey Johnsen. Davis currently sits in 5^th place all-time.

1. Tyler Knight (24)
2. Nate Fluit (23)
3. Rachman Crable (14)
4. Cory Johnsen (7)
5. Claude Davis (6)