Arena football

Storm's big run propels it to win

Tampa Bay erases an eight-point deficit with 23 consecutive points and defeats Grand Rapids 51-43.

By STEVE VEDDER
Published February 4, 2006

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Storm is not looking down the road, but there's little doubt the path is a lot brighter than six days ago.

Playing its second road game to open the season, the Storm scored 23 consecutive points in the second half to beat Grand Rapids 51-43 on Friday at Van Andel Arena.

Despite Sunday's 52-34 loss to Philadelphia, interim coach Dave Ewart said it was still too early to say the team found itself in a must-win situation.

"You don't look behind or down the road," he said. "But Arena football is like the NBA. You always want momentum. We caught them in a couple of matchup changes. They looked tired. We were fresh, and we turned that into 23 points."

Down 36-28, the Storm's run started with Shane Stafford's 30-yard pass to Lawrence Samuels with 3:00 left in the third. A personal foul on the kickoff meant Grand Rapids started the ensuing drive at its 10. Jose Davis hit Anthony Hines for 8 yards on first down, but two penalties, holding and false start, backed the Rampage to its 5.

Then on the first play of the fourth, Ernest Certain tackled Davis in the end zone for a safety that put Tampa Bay ahead 37-36.

"You've got to make big plays. That's all I was thinking about," he said. "We got a stop after that, and the offense made some plays."

Jonathan Ordway put the Storm in position to score again by returning the free kick 40 yards to the Rampage 14. Stafford's 9-yard completion to Ronney Daniels got it to the 5, and four plays later, Stafford ran it in from the 1 to make it 44-36.

The Storm held on fourth down on Grand Rapids' next possession. And it took only five plays for Jarrod Penright to cap the 23-point surge with a 3-yard run.

Samuels caught 10 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Daniels caught eight for 72. He replaced Freddie Solomon, who missed the game because of undisclosed personal reasons. His two touchdowns, for 10 and 21 yards, put Tampa Bay ahead 14-3 1:22 into the game.

But the Rampage got a 24-yard field goal from Peter Martinez with 21 seconds left in the half. And it took a 22-21 halftime lead when Josh Bush recovered the ensuing kickoff, which went off the net, in the end zone.

Stafford, 26-of-37 for 271 yards and four touchdowns, said the difference between Friday and the loss to Philadelphia was effort.

"We came out a little more upbeat and enthusiastic," he said.

"Our backs were against the wall, and we played with emotion."

Information from arenafootball.com was used in this report.

[Last modified February 4, 2006, 00:33:08]