Sioux Falls Storm open IFL playoff run Sunday vs. Tucson
It’s been forever since the Sioux Falls Storm won an indoor football championship. Almost three whole years.
Seriously, when you’re 10-time champions, going consecutive seasons without winning it all feels like a drought, and with the Storm entering this year’s IFL playoffs as the third seed, they’re an underdog to avoid their third straight ringless season. Former Arena Football League members Arizona and Iowa are the top two seeds, and, not coincidentally, the two teams that beat Sioux Falls in the championship game each of the last two seasons.
For the Storm (11-3) to hoist the trophy again this year they’ll likely have to go through those teams on the road, but first they must take care of their first-round business. That comes in the form of the expansion Tucson Sugar Skulls, whom Sioux Falls hosts Sunday afternoon at the Denny Sanford Premier Center, 3 p.m. kickoff.
The 7-7 Sugar Skulls (seriously, how fun is it to say that name out loud) edged Quad City 55-50 last week in a win-and-in regular season finale to snag the final playoff spot and earn a trip to Sioux Falls. Green Bay (9-5) hosts Nebraska (7-7) in the other first round game. Arizona (14-0) and Iowa (12-2) earned first round byes.
The third seed isn’t what Storm fans have become accustomed to over the past decade-plus, but Sioux Falls is 11-3, at home, and coming off a win in the regular season finale. That has to have coach Kurtiss Riggs feeling good about where his team is at, right?
“No,” the coach said bluntly. “I don’t feel great about it. We just gave up 50-something points to the second worst team in the league (a 65-54 win over Bismarck). At times we can beat anybody. But at times it feels like we could get beat by anybody.”
Riggs said that on Monday, and added that he expected his team to make some last-minute before the league’s transaction deadline, on Tuesday. Then across the wire came news the Storm had signed veteran defensive back Jermaine Robinson, who played for Sioux Falls in 2013 and 2017. Oh, and they also signed quarterback Chris Dixon. Yes, that Chris Dixon, the now 38-year-old IFL Hall-of-Famer who retired after the 2014 season.
Riggs said Dixon is merely insurance and that incumbent Lorenzo Brown remains the starter, but it will be interesting to see if Dixon dresses and Riggs has any surprises up his sleeve. Brown spent some time at wide receiver with the Storm when Dixon was still the team’s No. 1 quarterback.
Brown has been one of the league’s most productive players this season, ranking third in the league in passing yards (2,197) and touchdowns (46), fourth in rushing touchdowns (21) and fifth in rushing yards (544).
Tucson brings with them the league’s top rushing threat in Mike Jones (711 yards, 21 touchdowns), while Jake Medlock and Matt Behrendt have split time admirably at quarterback, combining for 53 touchdowns with only eight interceptions. Zach Allen leads their team with 88 tackles and four sacks.
Sioux Falls didn’t face the Sugar Skulls during the regular season, so this will be their first-ever look at them.
“Their head coach (Marcus Coleman) used to be Iowa’s defensive coordinator so we have a good idea of what they’ll do defensively,” Riggs said. “Offensively they have two veteran quarterbacks we’re familiar with, but the receivers, running backs and offensive line – we don’t know those guys very well or what their strengths and weaknesses are.”