Written by Adrian Beecher Tampa, FL- Both teams started out in rhythm, as both the Sharks and the Storm scored Touchdowns on their opening drives. Tampa had a 7-6 lead with 9:10 left to play in the 1st quarter, that’s when things started going down hill for the Storm. And it went downhill fast. Jacksonville scored on their next possession to make it 13-7. Then the Storm came on and as Jason Boltus looked to find T.T. Toliver, who was hit as the ball came into his hands and the ball deflected into the air. Sharks nose guard Jordan Miller grabbed the flyball and took it all the way into the endzone to put Jax up 20-7. On the Storm’s ensuing possession, they had a 4th and goal at the 2-yard line and were unable to punch it in, resulting in a turnover on downs. Tommy Grady then led the Sharks on a four play 48-yard drive, capping it off with a 15 yard TD pass to Joe Hills to make it 27-7. Then it was Tampa’s turn again. But on the first play from scrimmage, Boltus was intercepted by Jacksonville’s Greg Reid who took it 21 yards the other way for the score to make it 34-7 with 9:02 left in the 2nd quarter. Tampa was finally able to put together a drive as Boltus found T.T. Toliver in the back of the end zone for the TD reception. The reception gave Toliver 15,143 receiving yards, which made him the All-Time leader in career receiving yards in the Arena Football League, passing AFL Hall of Famer Damian Harrell. However, this was all the excitement that the Storm fans would have in the first half as Jacksonville went into the half leading 47-14. Written By: Shanae Austin Tampa, FL- T.T. Toliver’s final second touchdown leads the Tampa Bay Storm to its first win of the season, defeating the Arizona Rattlers 63-56 at Amalie Arena. Early in the game, Toliver became just the second player in AFL history to score 100 touchdowns with 2 different franchises. Both teams got off to a really good start matching each other touchdown for touchdown, drive after drive until midway through the 2nd quarter when the game was tied at 21 all. Then it was Arizona regaining the lead at 28-21 with 6:58 left in the game. On Tampa Bay’s ensuing possession, their 4th drive of the game, Arizona’s defense forced Storm into a turnover on downs. This was the first change possession of the game resulting from a turnover, and the Rattlers did not waste the opportunity. Nick Davila led them down to just the outside the goal line with two quick pass completions. Then on the next play, FB Mykel Benson capped off the drive with a 2-yard rushing touchdown, which gave Arizona a 14-point lead with just 56 seconds left in the half. With 47 seconds left in the half Jason Boltus got injured and that’s when Adam Kennedy came in and scored a 4-yard rushing touchdown which cut the led to 7. Rattlers turned the ball over on their next possession, as Tampa’s Cortez Stubbs intercepted Davila. But the Storm weren’t able to capitalize on the turnover and actually turned over the ball themselves on a fumble as the half drew near. At the half Arizona was leading 35-28, with Quarterback Nick Davila with leading the team completing 12-16 passes for 196 yards and 4 touchdowns. For the Storm it was Jason Boltus leading the charge of completing 11-18 passes for 169 yards and 1 touchdown. Tampa Storm came out firing on all cylinders, which led to a touchdown on their opening drive of the half to tie the score 35-35. The Rattlers also scored a touchdown, and then capitalized off another Storm turnover on downs. As the 3rd quarter came to a close the Rattlers lead the Storm 48-35. Tampa Bay clawed there was back into the 4th quarter. After scoring a quick touchdown, the Storm defense took over and forced the Rattler’s into a turnover on downs at the Arizona 3 yard line. Two plays later Jason Boltus completed his third touchdown pass to Phillip Barnett, giving Tampa their first lead of the game at 49-48. Arizona was pressured by the Storm defense, whom forced the Rattlers into their 2nd consecutive turnover on downs. Then Boltus lead his team down the field to score another touchdown, this time it was a 9 yard TD pass to T.T. Toliver which put the Storm up at 56-48 with just 48 seconds left on the clock. The score for Toliver was his 100th with the team. “To be honest, I don’t think about records. I just go out there each and every day and try to play my hardest and whatever records I break, I break them. But I don’t worry about that man records are made to be broken. At the end of the day, someone is going to break the records I set.” Said Toliver of his accomplishment. After 4 defensive penalties on Tampa, Arizona found there way into the end zone, which led to a touchdown and tied the game at 56-56 with 21 seconds left. Then the magic happened. Facing a 2nd and 10 from their own 22-yard line and just 8 seconds left to play, Jason Boltus dropped back to pass. As he looked downfield, he saw T.T. Toliver streaking down the left sideline and threw it up to him. The ball looked as if it was headed out of bound, but Toliver was able to coral the reception from over the wall in the end zone and give the Storm a 63-56 lead with just 3 seconds left to play. Arizona was unable to score in the 3 seconds allotted, despite another defensive penalty giving them an untimed down. The victory marks Tampa Bay’s 1st winning victory of the season, improving to 1-7 on the year. With the loss, Arizona falls to 6-3 on the year. Tampa look’s to build off this victory as they head on the road next week to play the Portland Steel on Friday June 3rd, 2016. Kickoff is set for 10:30pm ET at the Moda Center. Tampa Bay Storm Received Their First Victory of the Season 63-56 Against Arizona Rattlers- Gallery5/29/2016 Written by Elijah Rosario Orlando, FL- Tampa Bay quarterback Jason Boltus completed 30-46 passes for 351 yards and 8 touchdowns, but his 2 interceptions would be the catalyst in the game; as the Storm fell short to the Cleveland Gladiators in overtime 70-63. The Storm and Gladiators opened up the first quarter going back and forth matching each other touchdown for touchdown. The only difference early on was a missed extra point that put the Storm up 14-13 with 13:18 left to go in the second quarter. Then a Cleveland turnover on downs created an opportunity for Tampa to take full control of the game. However, on the Storm's ensuing possession Boltus threw two incomplete passes to start the drive. Then on 3rd & 10 from the 20 yard line he was staring down his receiver and the ball was intercepted for a pick 6 by Gladiators DB Jamie Bender giving the Gladiators a 20-14 lead with 5:40 left in the first half. Tampa Bay was able to answer back while the two teams battled back & forth in a seesaw affair throughout the first half. As both teams entered the locker room at the half the game was tied 35-35. Phillip Barnett was leading the charge for the Storm receiving core with 8 catches for 81 yards and 1 touchdown. Despite the tie Cleveland's offense struggled with only 83 yards of totaled offense. Getting into the second half both teams continued to answer each other score for score. With 13:11 left to play in the 4th quarter both teams were tied 49-49; thats when a major momentum shift in the game occurred. It was 3rd&10 for Cleveland from their own 24 yard line when quarterback Arvell Nelson pass was intercepted by Storm DB Cortez Stubbs. Giving Tampa Bay possession of the ball with a chance to take the lead back since the 2nd quarter. The Storm took advantage of their opportunity and scored quickly on the next drive making it 56-49 with 5:10 left in the 4th quarter. As time winded down the Storm was clinging onto a 63-56 lead with less than 20 seconds left to play in regulation, but the Storm defense could not hold and Cleveland’s Nelson found Taylor Collin for a 12 yard game tying score to send it into OT. Entering into OT the Gladiators started out with possession and were able to take the lead with a 24 yard touchdown pass from Nelson to Larry Beavers giving them the 70-63 lead. With the opportunity to tie the game it was now up to Jason Boltus to lead his team down the field, but after picking up a quick 1st down the Storm were faced with 1st&10 at their own 15 yard line. Thats when Jason Boltus threw a deep pass into the end zone intended for receiver Julius Gregory, but the pass was cut off and intercepted by Gladiators DB Marvin Ross and ended the game. Storm wideout Julius Gregory talked postgame about head coach Lawrence Samuels message to the team after the loss, " After the game he just told us, stay strong, keep your head up and games like that we cant let slip away. Thats the third game we let slip away when we had a chance to win it. Now we got to find a way to finish it.” Gregory finished the game with 7 receptions for 99 yards and 3 TD catches. The loss puts Tampa Bay at 0-7 on the season, while Cleveland improves to 4-4 with the win. The Storm look to regroup fast as their next game approaches on Sunday May 29th vs Arizona Rattlers with a 2pm kickoff at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. Written by Adrian Beecher Tampa, FL- The Storm got things underway early on in the first quarter, as Jason Boltus connected with T.T. Toliver on the 2nd play from scrimmage for a 31 yard TD pass. Cleveland answered right back as the Gladiators went on a 4 play 40 yard drive, that was capped off by a 5 yard Larry Beavers to Quentin Simms TD connection. The Gladiator’s defense followed up the offenses performance, by forcing the Storm into a turnover on downs. This gave Cleveland the ball back on their own 19 yard line. They were able to put together a 6 play 31 yard drive that gave the Gladiators a 13-7 lead after a 6 yard pass from Arvell Nelson to Collin Taylor. In the second quarter, the Storm got things rolling again, with their second score of the game. This time it was a 20 yard rocket from Boltus to Phillip Barnett in the endzone to give them the lead back at 14-13 with 13:18 left in the half. After that, it was the Storm defense coming up big to force a turnover on downs with an arrant pass from Nelson on 4th and 15 from the 20 yard line. This gave Tampa possession ad a chance to take charge for the game. But Boltus showed a lack of going through his progressions, stared down his receiver on 3rd and 10. Cleveland DB Jamie Bender read the pass and picked it off without hesitation and returned it all the way to the house for the 32 yard TD score. This turned the momentum and gave the Gladiators a 20-14 lead over Tampa with 6:41 left to play in the half. But it didn’t last long as Tampa was able to regain the lead on their ensuing possession with a 6 play drive that was capped off with an 11 yard TD pass from Boltus to Anthony Parker with 1 minute left in the half. Looking to regains momentum, Tampa attempted an onside kick, but it was rallied up by Joe Powell and returned for a TD. On the extra point, the Gladiators faked the kick and went for two and were able to convert it to take a 28-21 lead. The Gladiators attempted an onside of their own on the ensuing kickoff, but it was recovered by Tampa. The Storm wasted no time as Boltus found Julius Gregory in the endzone for the 13 yard TD score to make it a tie game at 28 with 42 seconds left in the 1st half. Then it was again Cleveland’s turn as the Storm did another onside that was unabe to be recovered as it went out of bounds. Then one play later, it was Philip Manley for Cleveland rushing it in from 4 yards out to give the Gladiators a 35-28 lead with 38 seconds left in the half. On their final drive of the Half, Tampa was able to strike one final time to even the game up at 35. Tampa Bay Storm Communications TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Storm is pleased to announce that mac linebacker Jimmy Gordon, has earned the J. Lewis Small Playmaker of the Week award for his performance in the Storm’s 42-40 loss to the Orlando Predators. J. Lewis Small Playmaker of the Week: Gordon (6-foot-2, 275 lbs., Buffalo) gave the fans a glimpse of ironman football, playing in all phases of the game including offense and defense. The Patchogue, NY native made an immediate impact with 2.0 sacks on the night at the mac linebacker position. He also saw action at fullback, punching it in from the one-yard line for the first rushing touchdown of his career. This season, Gordon has started at the mac linebacker position in all six games played, recording 10.5 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and a pass breakup. He has also seen time on offense at fullback. Gordon began his career with the Jacksonville Sharks in 2015. This is Gordon’s first weekly AFL award this season. Written by Adrian Beecher Tampa, FL- Tommy Grady completed 28 of 37 passes for 308 yards and 4 TD ‘s to lead the Jacksonville Sharks to a nail biting 33-27 win over the Tampa Bay Storm on Sunday afternoon at Amalie Arena in front of a crowd of 8,438. The Storm wasted no time getting things underway, with Mike Washington returning the opening kickoff coast to coast, to give Tampa a 7-0 lead! But it took Jacksonville just one play to get on the board themselves, as Tommy Grady connected with Joe Hill’s for a 48 yard TD strike. The pat was blocked and the Storm retained the lead at 7-6. On Tampa’s ensuing possession, they were able to get the ball inside the 2 yard line, but unable to get into the end zone and turned the ball over on downs. The Sharks were able to capitalize on the turnover, going 49 yards in 6 plays, capping off their drive with an 8-yard TD pass from Grady to Moqut Ruffins. This gave Jacksonville a 13-7 lead. In the 2nd quarter, Tampa’s 2nd consecutive drive stalled out, giving the Sharks ample opportunity to take control of the game. They were able to get to the 15-yard line, setting up a 4th and 3 play. The Storm defense looked like they would be able to stop the Sharks, but a holding penalty in the secondary gave Jacksonville a fresh set of downs and made it 1st and goal. The Storm once again forced a 4th down play, and were able to hold to force a Sharks turnover on downs. This gave the Strom new energy and Jonathan Bane led his troops 43 yards down the field in 5 plays, capping off the drive with a 13 yard TD pass to Xavier Boyce. They were not able to put in the extra point, giving us a 13-13 tie with 2:39 left in the 1st half. Jacksonville answered back on their next possession, this time it was Derrick Ross running it in from 1 yard out. The extra point was again missed, as Jacksonville took a 19-3 lead with just 13 seconds left in the half. This is how the 1st half would end. Grady was leading the way for the Sharks at the half, completing 14 of 20 passes for 149 yards. Joe Hills was their leading receiver with 4 catches for 79 yards and a TD. For the Storm, it was Jonathan Bane completing 12 of 18 passes for 160 yards and 1 TD. T.T. Toliver was Tampa’s leading receiver with 4 catches for 69 yards. The first score of the second half came with 9:03 left in the 3rd quarter, as Grady hit Tiger Jones on a 21-yard strike that made it 26-13 Sharks. Tampa’s first possession of the second half stalled out after picking up a 1st down. On the Shark’s second possession of the 2nd half, Grady was looking deep to the endzone when he was intercepted by Tampa’s Cameron McGlenn. This gave the Storm new life. They wasted no time and Bane found T.T. Toliver on the second play of the drive in the endzone to make it 26-20 as the 3rd quarter came to a close. On the Shark’s 1st possession of the 4th quarter, they would get down to the 1-yard line. But the Storm were able to force a fumble, thus taking over 1st and 10 at the Sharks 17 yard line, looking to take the lead. 2 plays later, Bane threw one on a rope to Toliver, who was able to tap his toes in bounds as he dove for the ball in the endzone. It was initially ruled incomplete, but Storm Head Coach Lawrence Samuels threw the challenge flag and it was overturned. With the TD being ruled as good, Tampa took a 27-26 lead over the Sharks with just 9:50 left to play. The Sharks then went on a methodical 6 play, 47-yard drive, that ate nearly 6 minutes off the clock. Jacksonville finished the drive with an 8 yard TD pass to the right side of the endzone to a wide open Prechae Rodriguez, giving the Sharks the 33-27 lead over Tampa with just 4:35 left in regulation. But the Storm were not going to quit. In fact, on their ensuing possession, they were able to get a 1st and goal with just 1 minute left to play in regulation. However, 4 straight incomplete passes by Jonathan Bane would be the demise of Tampa. They turned the ball over on downs with just 45 seconds left to play. “It comes down to execution. You execute you win, we didn’t execute at the end. We had a guy wide open, we just didn’t get it to him.” Said Storm head coach Lawrence Samuels of the final drive for Tampa. Tampa still had a chance with all three timeouts remaining, if they could just hold the Sharks and force a turnover. But Jacksonville was able to pick up a quick first down, forcing the Storm to call timeout, virtually ending the game. “You’ve got to fight through adversity in Arena Football, those thing's happen.” Said Sharks head coach Les Moss of his team’s ability to overcome the toe-tap TD by T.T. Toliver, “We showed good resilience, we had to fight through that and our defense came up big with the stop there at the end. That’s Arena football.” Tiger Jones and Joe Hills combined for 17 catches for 235 yards to lead the Sharks offense. Hill’s also grabbed his 150th TD of his career on Sunday night. Bane completed 21 of 38 passes for 281 yards and 3 TD’s to lead the Storm. And it was T.T. Toliver leading the storm receiving core, with 9 catches for 148 yards and 2 TD’s. Tampa will look to regroup fast as they head on the road to play the Philadelphia Soul on May 9th. For the Shark’s, they have a quick turn around as they head back on the road on Friday to face the Cleveland Gladiators on May 7th. |
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