Southwest Kansas Storm Playbook - Halfway Break

The AF1 has reached the halfway point of the season and the Southwest Kansas Storm have the second best record in the league at 5-3. The team who has played the most games of any in the league gets a well deserved break with the Week 9 bye. We did our weekly check in with Head Coach Gary Thomas ahead of the team's much needed break. 

Big Win Over Billings

The Storm beat the Billings Outlaws 49-31 in Week 8 in a game that wasn’t really that close after being tied 13-13. I asked the coach for his thoughts on the big win. “Any win is a good win,” Coach Thomas said. “I tell our guys all the time I don’t care if  we win by 100 or we win by 1, they all count the same,” “we’re going to appreciate and celebrate every opportunity we get and every win we get.” “That was a good one to get. They’ve got a good reputation as a solid, stable franchise, and coming off a championship last year, that carries weight when you knock off the defending champs.” “We played pretty well in most phases of the game. Defensively, we were outstanding.” 

A Week Off

The Storm players and coaches have earned a week to rest up, heal up and recoup before their run to the playoffs. Coach Gary Thomas gave the team the week off, allowing players to travel back home and spend time with their families or just hang around and take advantage of the time off. When the Storm return Monday for film study, they’ll prepare for a rematch with the Billings Outlaws, this time on their turf. While it’s back-to-back matchups with the Outlaws for the Storm, the Outlaws still have a Week 9 game to focus on as they host the Washington Wolfpack. 

Note: After our conversation with Coach Thomas, it was announced that quarterback Jalen Morton had signed with the UFL. Stay tuned next week for more details on the Storm quarterback situation.