Storm hangs on to win a wild one, defeats the Barnstormers 65-62

Saturday June 1, 2013

Des Moines, IA – The Tampa Bay Storm (7-4, 2-1) defeated the Iowa Barnstormers (4-7, 2-1) Saturday evening at Wells Fargo Arena, by a score of 65-62. This was the first time the Storm played in Iowa in 13 years and it’s the team’s first win in Iowa since ArenaBowl X in 1996.

The night saw plenty of action with both teams trading scores. Iowa had the biggest lead of the night with 14 points, but the Storm would claw its way back, and tie it up in the fourth quarter on an Adrian McPherson touchdown rush.

The key play was a Pernell Phillips sack for a safety in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter. The Storm would win on a Joe Hills touchdown in the final second of the game.

The Storm offense was led by the combination of quarterback Adrian McPherson and wide receiver Joe Hills. They hooked eight times for 120 yards and three touchdowns. McPherson rushed nine times for 47 yards and three touchdowns. He also found Michael Lindsey and Chris C. Davis. Lindsey had 8 receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown, while Davis caught 10 passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns.

The Barnstormers offense was led by quarterback J.J. Raterink. He completed 25 passes for 264 yards and seven touchdowns. His go-to receiver was Marco Thomas who caught 11 passes for 149 yards and four touchdowns. Jesse Schmidt also got in on the action with six receptions for 49 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the ball, Iowa was paced by its defensive line and Mike Lewis. Lewis finished the night with 3.5 sacks. The team accounted for a total of six sacks on the night.

The Tampa Bay Storm returns home to take on the Orlando Predators in the latest installment of the “War on I-4” at the Tampa Bay Times Forum this coming Saturday, June 8…Kickoff is set for 7:30 PM ET.