The Sioux Falls Storm Indoor Football Team is proud to announce Military Appreciation Night this Saturday, June 29th, at 7:05 PM CT. This special event, presented by the South Dakota Army National Guard, will honor and celebrate the brave men and women of our military.
The evening will kick off with a Military-themed pre-game show starting at 6:45 PM. Highlights include a unique rendition of the national anthem and special starting lineups. In a thrilling moment, a National Guard member will rappel down from the ceiling before the ceremonial coin toss, adding to the excitement of the night.
A special thanks goes to Dakotaland Auto Glass for their generous donation of a large American flag, which will be prominently displayed.
Fans are encouraged to stay during halftime for a special swearing-in ceremony for new recruits, showcasing the commitment and dedication of our future service members.
Adding to the festivities, the Storm are auctioning off their specialized Military Night uniforms. The auction is live NOW on the DASH App. Fans can place their bids from now until the end of the 3rd quarter on Saturday night. For those eager to secure their favorite jersey, a "Buy it Now" price of $400 is available.
Additionally, the #24 Storm Military jersey and a one-of-a-kind Storm Military Helmet will be auctioned off, with 100% of the proceeds going to a military-based charity. This is a wonderful opportunity for fans to own a piece of Storm history while supporting a great cause.
Tickets for any Storm home game can be purchased at the KELOLAND Box Office inside the main lobby of the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center or online at TicketMaster.com.
THE MATCHUP
The Sioux Falls Storm will host the Jacksonville Sharks for the first time in franchise history on Saturday night. The Storm hold a 1-0 record all-time against the Sharks after picking up a 52-42 road win in Jacksonville earlier this season.
Lorenzo Brown Jr. looked good in his 2nd start of the season and first road start of the season for Sioux Falls. The veteran QB finished the night 13-for-26 passing for 171 yards and six passing touchdowns.
Keshawn Williams continues to emerge as a go-to player for the Storm, finishing the night with 43 yards to go along with one receiving touchdown and a rushing score.
Bryson Denley played well in the win, finishing with 64 all purpose yards and two receiving touchdowns.
Wide receiver Lorenzo Thompson finished the night as the teams top receiver, pulling in two catches for 41 yards.
Carlos Thompson finished the night with 37 yards and a receiving touchdown while fellow wideout Draysean Hudson wrapped up the night with 4 catches for 35 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win.
The Storm were led defensively by Laronji Vason-McCoy who finished the night with seven total tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble. Teammate Elijah Reed had another strong performance finishing the night with a team-best 10 total tackels (4 solo).
The Storm also had a season-low in penalties finishing the game with just 4 total penalties for 46 yards, a marked improvement for a team that came into the contest averaging 10 penalties per game over the first seven games of the season.
SCOUTING THE JACKSONVILLE SHARKS
The Jacksonville Sharks are one of the newest franchises in the Indoor Football League. The Sharks joined the league prior to the 2024 season after winning an NAL championship during the 2023 season. Jacksonville finished their final NAL season with a 12-3 record and their 4th championship in franchise history.
This season, has been a humbling season for the Sharks who currently hold a 2-10 record and a last place spot in the IFL's Eastern Conference.
Jacksonville has used four different quarterbacks this season. Fred Payton has played in 8 games for the Sharks throwing for 1,189 yards and 23 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.
Payton is no longer on the roster. Conor Blount has seen action in 4 games for the Sharks throwing 6 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Quarterbacks Aaron Aiken and Kaleb Barker are both listed on the Jacksonville roster, but have not logged any playing time for the team.
Running back Boom Williams is the teams currently leading rusher. Williams has 166 rushing yards and 5 rushing scores over 6 games this season.
Wide receivers Kamrin Solomon and Jeremiah Payton lead the Sharks with 8 touchdowns a piece.
Former Storm player Jabari Gorman leads the Sharks with 63 tackles in 2024.
SCOUTING THE SIOUX FALLS STORM
The Storm finished the 2023 IFL season with a 11-7 record and an Eastern Conference Championship. Sioux Falls lost to the Bay Area in the IFL National Championship Game. The Storm have a 3-9 record this season under 1st year head coach Andre Fields.
QB Lorenzo Brown Jr. retired at the end of 2023, but reversed that decision before week 2 of the 2024 season, joining the Arizona Rattlers after QB Dalton Sneed went down with a week 1 injury. Brown appeared in 3 games for Arizona, throwing for 479 yards and 9 TD's.
The Storm began the season with an 0-5 record with Billy Hall at QB. Sioux Falls has gone 3-4 since Brown's return, but have lost 3 of their last 4 games Over the last 7 games Lorenzo have thrown for 960 yds and 16 pass TD's while tossing 9 INT's.
Starting RB Xavier Jackson was lost for the season after suffering a broken anke in late April. Bryson Denley and KeShaun Williams have split time at the RB position, combining for 282 rushing yards and 13 rushing TD's
Former USD Coyote Elijah Reed leads the Storm with 73.5 tackles and is 2nd on the team in INT's (3). Linebacker Amin Black is 2nd on the team in tackles with 73. Black leads the team with two sacks this season and is 2nd on the team in tackles for loss (8). Claude Davis leads all Storm defenders with 9 TFL in 2024.
RUNNING BACKS STEP UP AFTER EARLY SEASON INJURIES
The Sioux Falls Storm were hit by the injury bug in late April, sending 2nd year starting running back Xavier Jackson to the injured list.
Jackson had appeared in five games for the Storm, totaling 148 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns before the injury in Fargo.
That left third year running back, Bryson Denley as the only available RB on the roster during the Storm's May 3rd home game agianst 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 777 all-purpose yards (rushing, receiving, return yards) so far this season and 7 total touchdowns.
First year running back Keshawn Williams has emerged as powerful force in the backfield.
Williams missed four games early this season, but has now appeared in 8 games with the Storm. The rookie has carried the ball 45 times for 139 yards and 9 touchdowns.
He has also caught the ball 15 times for 143 yards and a score.
Williams enters week 16 of the IFL season with 282 all-purpose yards and 10 total touchdowns.
KING CLAUDE CLIMBS THE RECORD BOOKS
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 the 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 25 tackles and three sacks to go along with his nine tackles for loss.
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 29th home game against the Jacksonville Sharks.
TACKLES – (238.5 total tackles) - Needs 11.5 tackles over the final four games of the season to pass Nate Fluit and move into the top-10 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 – (68)- Davis entered last weeks road game against Frisco tied for 2nd all-time in Storm history. He recorded 1.5 tackles for loss on June 22nd and moved ahead of his current defensive line coach, and Storm Hall of Famer Cory Johnsen and fellow hall of famer Nate Fluit.
Davis Needs 6 TFL over the last 4 games to pass Rachman Crable and become the all-time leader in Storm Franchise history.
1. Rachman Crable (73)
2. Claude Davis (68.0)
3. Cory Johnsen (66.5)
3. Nate Fluit (66.5)
SACKS – (28 total sacks) – Davis recently passed IFL Hall of Famer Tyler Knight for 6th 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 records 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. Claude currently sits in 8th 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 5th place all-time.
1. Tyler Knight (24)
2. Nate Fluit (23)
3. Rachman Crable (14)
4. Cory Johnsen (7)
5. Claude Davis (6)
