Storm Stay Undefeated with 3 Games Remaining

The Southwest Kansas Storm continue to rewrite the franchise record books, remaining undefeated after 7 games. With the last-minute shake-up in the schedule, Dallas was replaced by Amarillo, and the Warbirds came prepared to do battle. 

Admirable Performance by Amarillo 

Coming out of the first quarter, a missed extra point was all that separated the two teams, with the Storm on top 14-13. In the second quarter, the Storm widened the gap, scoring 13 points while missing an extra point and allowing a field goal. Coming out of halftime, the score was 27-16, and it looked like the Storm were firmly in control. 

By the end of the third quarter, that lead was not so secure after Amarillo outscored the Storm 16-7. At this point, the Storm still held the lead, but by just 2 points, with Amarillo closing the gap by 9. The 4th quarter saw each team score a touchdown. Another failed point after attempt led to a 3-point difference with the scoreboard reading 41-38 as the clock hit 00:00. 

This was not the game most expected from Amarillo. They had just made a change at Head Coach, bringing in someone outside the organization midseason. They then released or lost multiple starters and had to make corresponding transactions just to field a team in a week. Their performance against the first-place team in the league is admirable, given the circumstances. After this game, no one should be counting the Warbirds out of the playoffs yet. 

Playoff Picture Shaping Up 

With this game now behind the Storm, we have officially clinched a playoff spot with three games remaining in the regular season, two of which come at home. The Pueblo Punishers also secured a playoff spot this week. With only 8 teams remaining and 6 set to make the playoffs, even with two teams clinching their spot in the dance, the seeding is not yet set in stone. 

The Storm sit in an enviable position; at 7-0, they have three opponents who have a chance to hit 8 wins, giving them hope for the first seed. Pueblo would need to win out and hope for the Storm to drop two of their three remaining games to overtake them for the first seed. 

Currently, the Sioux City Bandits and Salina Liberty sit 4-2, with the inside track at the 3 and 4 seed. Both of these teams likely make the playoffs, and either could shake up the current seeding down the stretch if they go on a late run, as Salina is known to do. Technically, if either one of these teams won out and the Storm failed to win another game, we could see them in the first seed. 

Sitting in the 5th seed is Colorado at 3-4. Having played 7 games and sitting just under .500, the Spartans are not out of the woods yet. They could, in theory, be surpassed by any combination of the three 1-win teams: Louisiana (6), Omaha (7), and Amarillo (8), if they lose out. Playing Pueblo, Omaha, and Salina this could be a realistic possibility. 

Of these three teams, only Amarillo has played 7 games, yet even they are not out of the hunt for the 5th seed if they win out. Louisiana has a distinct advantage over the other two teams: with Dallas folding, they are the only team in the league that will play 9 league games. If you are looking for parity, the National Arena League offers as much as possible. 

Is Week 10 the Most Important Week of Games in NAL Yet? 

With all that being said, week 10 is poised to be the most important slate of games to this point: 

Salina (4) at SWK (1)

Louisiana (6) at Omaha (7)

Amarillo (8) at Sioux City (3)

Pueblo (2) at Colorado (5)

A win this week would go a long way toward clinching the first seed, and even make it impossible for Salina to surpass the Storm’s win total. If Sioux City or Pueblo loses, that would spell the end of their bid for the first seed. If somehow this week ends with a Storm win and losses for Pueblo and Sioux City, Southwest Kansas would clinch the first seed. Regardless of what happens at this point, the magic number right now for the Storm is 9. 

9 wins would guarantee them the first seed, no matter what happened with any other team in the league. No other team at this point can hit 9 wins, while the Storm could lose to Salina and still manage to finish 9-1. However, if the Storm drops this game, it would leave the door propped open until all ten games are played to determine the first seed. 

Keys to Victory 

The Storm is in the process of finishing out one of the oddest four-game stretches. In week 7, the Storm played the Warbirds in Amarillo. In week 8, it was the Liberty in Salina. Due to the Dallas situation, they then went back to Amarillo to play the Warbirds again, this time with a new Head Coach, and nearly a quarter of their starting lineup turned over. Finally, in week 10, they play Salina again, this time at home. The Storm have not played at United Wireless Arena since April 11th. 

The first key to victory is for the fans to show up in force. We just stressed exactly how important this game can be for the Storm. We need every arena football fan, man, woman, or child in the arena this Saturday. Home-field advantage can be a huge factor in this game. The Storm beat Salina on the road by 1 point, but it came thanks to a missed field goal by a kicker no longer on the Liberty. 

We need the crowd to turn up the volume on every offensive possession, even between plays when they are in the huddle. Make it impossible to hear, create confusion, and help the home team force some turnovers. When the Storm are on offense, we need the crowd to minimize the noise and let our offense operate. This alone can create the edge in a game we have to have if Storm Nation wants the path to the NAL Championship to run through Dodge City. 

With that being said, get your tickets today:

https://www.unitedwirelessarena.com/p/events-and-tickets/stormfootball 

Chess Match 

If you are the type of fan who enjoys the "game within the game" or the metaphorical chess match that goes on between coaching staffs. The in-game adjustments and ability to adapt on the fly, is exactly what sets these staffs apart in Indoor Football. Each time they meet, it is a battle of wits that typically results in some of the most competitive football the National Arena League has to offer.

Case in point: in their last six regular-season meetings. The games have been decided by 3 points or less for a total of a 12-point deficit. In fact, the two teams have identical scoring outputs in these six matchups. You couldn't ask for two more evenly matched teams, and this game comes with heavy playoff implications just a week removed from their last match-up. This is must-see TV. 

Vintage Tracy Brooks on Display in 2026

Anytime you face the Salina Liberty, it starts with one task: locate and limit Tracy Brooks. Brooks is a jack of all trades who can be a 3-down back and factor in as a return man as well. For much of this season, it's been a 1-2 race in the running game between Jaden Sutton and Tracy Brooks. 

Where Brooks often sets himself apart is his overall body of work. Brooks has produced 260 yards rushing, 69 yards receiving, and 85 kick return yards through 6 games. He is among the top performers in the league when looking at all-purpose yards from non-quarterbacks. Brooks is a weapon that has to be accounted for on every play. 

Luckily for the Storm, they have two of the top five tacklers in the league with Evan DiMaggio at linebacker and Shaq Bond at safety, who will likely be called upon early and often to keep Brooks contained. The secret is getting penetration and maintaining gap discipline on game day. It should only help the Storm that Lewandowski is not the type of player we typically would call a dual-threat quarterback. He can run, but he is not likely to beat you with his legs if Brooks is bottled up early and often. 

In their last game, Brooks ran 18 times for 48 yards or 3 yards per carry but added 3 receptions for 22 yards, scoring twice. All said and done, this was a solid performance by the defense, although you would love to see a zero in the touchdown column. 

With Brooks, it's typically not if he finds the end zone in every game; the trick is limiting the number of times he ends up on the painted side of the goal line. 

Run the Ball

Last time these two teams played, Jaden Sutton ran for 75 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 9 carries, an average of 8 yards per carry. He also caught 2 passes for 8 yards. Meanwhile, Mason Pierce and Trae Self added 7 carries for 17 yards. Running the ball can help limit Salina's possessions and keep them from taking over the game at any point. 

Meanwhile, Sutton seems to only get more effective as games wear on, and by then, defenders are already getting sick of trying to tackle a 225-pound running back coming at them full speed. Sutton often does more damage in the second half thanks to this fact. In this game, it would not shock me entirely to see Sutton in the 15-touch range in this game. He should be the focal point of the offense once again. 

Protect the Quarterback 

If there is one thing the Storm have done extremely well this season, it is protect the quarterback, allowing just 3 sacks in 7 games. The Storm can make a case that they have the best offensive line in the league on those numbers alone, but when you consider their ability to open up running lanes for Sutton, there is not much debate who the best collective group in the league is.  

One thing to watch is Dom Moore, who has been rotating in throughout games to keep others fresh, suffered a significant injury last week. He is expected to miss this game. Moore has been an unsung portion of the offensive line coming off the bench, and this loss should not be overlooked. Coach Thomas mentions that a plan is in place to ensure they have plenty of depth on the line in this game. 

Final Thoughts

The Storm head into this game with control of their own destiny. Continue to win, and you lock up the first seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. This game is the first step in that path, with three games to go, but a win in this game also means just a little bit more against a quality opponent like Salina, especially when it comes to spelling the end of their bid to chase the first seed.