Storm Set to Rekindle Old Rivalries on 3/28

The Storm head into their first National Arena League home opener, set to play the Omaha Beef, a team they know well from their time together in the Champions Indoor Football League. While neither of the current coaching staffs have crossed paths, the same can not be said for the ownership groups.

The Storm launched in the CIF opposite the Beef, where they played for two seasons before the CIF split in 2024. The Beef went to the NAL, and well, we know the rest for the Storm. In 2026, the Storm owners decided to move to the National Arena League, rekindling rivalries with the Omaha Beef, and Sioux City Bandits. This move also meant playing against another former CIF market in Amarillo, and sticking with the one team the Storm have played against every season of their existence; the Salina Liberty. 

Heading into this match-up, there is even more intrigue as the Beef are 0-2 following losses to the Pueblo Punishers and Salina Liberty, and the Storm brought home a tight win against the Louisiana Rouxgaroux in the first NAL game in franchise history. 

For Storm fans the move to the National Arena League will mean a return to the roots of the team. Not only will it bring back familiar opponents, it will bring back familiar rules from the Champions Indoor Football League. The CIF used "Indoor Football" rules, versus "Arena Football" rules. What this means for fans is a lot more creativity and flexibility on offense on defense. It means 2 men in motion prior to the snap, and more importantly it means the Coaching Staff got to dust off playbooks they had initially prepared to join the CIF in 2024. 

1-0, With Work to Be Done

The Storm might be 1-0, but Coach Thomas would tell you there is always work to be done, win or lose. A road win to open the season is never a bad thing, even if this win was less than picture-perfect for the Storm, who were playing their first football of the 2026 season. Given the scheduling, the Storm actually began their season in week 2. By that point, some teams, including their week 2 opponent, were already playing their third game due to preseason games being played in "week 0". 

While health-wise, this did not hurt the team, it did leave them at a little bit of a disadvantage, given they had not yet played a game to iron out some of the wrinkles. With this in mind, along with the fact that one of the players expected to be a starter on the offensive line was not with the team in week 2, coming home with a win on the road suddenly sounds like a lot bigger feat than it looks like on the surface.

While there were certainly some things to like; Jaden Sutton's 27-yard run late in the game, the defense producing 4 sacks, or how about Jalen Knox  intercepting 3 passes and bringing home Defensive Player of the Week? There were also areas that need to be cleaned up; Jamel Winn pushing a referee, the defense also allowed a few big plays they and rookie kicker Emanuel Aquilar-Medrano had growing pains that led to zero points produced on 4 attempts. 

With that being said, the Storm now head into week 4 with a bye week to prepare for their home opener against Omaha. Meanwhile Omaha has now played 3 games, including a preseason game in week zero, and 2 regular season games. As mentioned before Omaha comes into this game in a near "must win" scenario and will be more motivated than ever to hand the Storm a loss at home. 

That's why we need our fans to pack United Wireless Arena this weekend, and GET LOUD our defense is on the field. Grab your family and friends, and get your tickets today!

https://www.swkstormfootball.com/tickets

Beef Could be a Completely Different Team by March 28th 

The Beef have played two regular-season games to this point, beginning on March 14th. By March 22nd, the Beef had released 5 players and signed 4. After their loss to Salina, one can only assume more changes are to come. With that in mind, we wanted to ask Head Coach Gary Thomas how he is preparing for this team. 

“We gather information as the week progresses to come to the closest conclusion of what we may face, or what they may feel gives them the best chance to be competitive. The funny part is, this is the 6th QB we’ve prepared for in 2 games! We then build our game plan around that data, while also building a couple of adaptations and adjustments should they not present us with what we expected on game day. Generally speaking, most teams have an identity. The further the season progresses, the more data points you can collect on a team, and it’s difficult for most teams to deviate from who they are and their comfort zone. Sometimes you just have to put yourself in their shoes, ask the question, if I were them, what would I do and how would I attack this situation.”

Regardless of who starts at quarterback for the Beef, they will have a group of veteran playmakers on offense. Whether it's at running back or receiver, they have players that will create interesting match-ups. 

Match-Ups That Could Make or Break this Game

Looking at the Beef roster, one thing becomes blatantly obvious: they have a lot of size in their pass catchers, and recently signed James Summers to play quarterback. 

Top Offensive Weapons

James Jones III 6’3 255 lbs 

William Langford 6’5 225 lbs 

David Ross 6’2 235 lbs 

This will certainly put the Storm's secondary to the test. With only one player standing over 6’0 tall, this group will certainly be put to the test this week. However, with veterans like Kyle Meyers and Shaquez Bond leading the way in the secondary, this should quell some concerns about any size mismatches. 

While this may not be as apparent in the passing game, this size run game could prove difficult to deal with. Last week, Omaha utilized Tabyus Taylor, a career running back, at quarterback. When doing so, they would often use David Ross as a lead blocker with Taylor hitting the hole right behind him. Expect more of that with Summers, who has often played running back, likely to start right away given his experience in Coach Negron’s system in years past. The point of attack could prove to be the key to winning or losing this game on both sides of the ball. 

Point of Attack 

Through two weeks, the Beef have allowed a total of 164 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground in 2 games. An argument could be made that the Beef have yet to face one of the top rushing attacks in the NAL. The Storm offense features a player who could be the most talented running back in the league, Jaden Sutton. 

Sutton produced 45 yards on 6 carries against Louisiana, including a 27-yard burst down the sideline late in the game. All said and done, he had 51 yards on 7 touches. Mason Pierce added an element of speed with 3 carries for 20 yards and 1 touchdown, while Matt Struck does what Matt Struck does, adding 27 yards and 1 touchdown as well. 

Pick Your Poison 

The dangerous part of the Storm offense is that opponents cannot simply sell out to stop the run. Matt Struck and the receiver group would quickly make a defense pay for even attempting this, and the same could be said for teams trying to drop extra help in coverage. Soften up the front, and Jaden Sutton will rack up 4-5 yards per carry and wear out a defense. 

The big question heading into this week for our Storm is, can they shake off some of the early-season rust they experienced in the season opener? If the Storm offense only produces 24 points once again, this game could prove to be a battle. Even with a career running back playing quarterback last week, Omaha scored 22 points. This could be a hallmark game for the defense, similar to the week 0 win over Nashville in 2025.