Southwest Kansas Storm Playbook - Taking the League by Storm

by Cody Zeeb

The Southwest Kansas Storm improved to 4-2 after a thrilling victory on the road in Corpus Christi Saturday night, where they won the game on a Hail Mary, and after a penalty, did it a second time on a hook and ladder. This week, they’ll host the Nashville Kats Saturday, April 26th at 7:00 p.m. ET for the Game of the Week on VICETV.


 

A Thrilling Victory

I started my weekly conversation with Coach Gary Thomas with a “Well, how about that game?!” He laughed and replied, “That was something.” The bus ride was long, and the team had some issues with their accommodations, but Coach Thomas was happy to see his guys stay focused and ready to go for gametime. 


The Storm have thrived in the underdog role thus far in 2025. The team feels they are constantly being overlooked, especially as they sit 4-2 and a Hail Mary away from 5-1. “We just continue to find ways to win games.” Coach Thomas said. 


When it came to the final plays of the game, Thomas wasn’t surprised by his team’s execution. It’s something they practice every week, going through late-game scenarios to be prepared for this exact situation. After Demarius Washington made the Hail Mary catch for a touchdown that was called back, Coach Thomas called a timeout to allow his guys to catch their breath and set up the play. It’s a play they’ve run every Thursday and Friday for two years to use in the right scenario. This was that scenario. The team executed every level perfectly, and the Storm walked the game off. 

Round 2 With the Kats

This week, the Storm will welcome the Nashville Kats back to town. The teams played the first-ever AF1 game all the way back in Week 0, which feels like a lifetime ago. The Storm won that matchup by a 40-26 final. “I think they’ll be a much better version of themselves, I think they’ve cleaned some things up and found some better answers on offense.” Coach Thomas had to say about the Kats. 


“Handle what we can handle” will be his message to the team. “I feel like their defense is the best one we’ve seen so far this year.” “I think Nashville’s defensive line is the best one out there.” “They are going to be efficient on offense, similar to Albany, similar to Corpus Christi, they play that traditional arena-style.” “It’s a really efficient high percentage offense.” “I think it’s going to be a really good football game.” Tune in Saturday night to watch the Storm take on the Kats.