SW Kansas Storm at Washington Wolfpack: Game Recap

Week 1 in Arena Football One came to a close with the night cap. Sunday's evening matchup saw the SW Kansas Storm head up north to take on the Washington Wolfpack in the Angel Of The Winds Arena. For the Storm, the game was about keeping the momentum going after picking up a win over Nashville in week 0. On the other side of things, the newly constructed Wolfpack roster looked to show off the fruits of JR Wells' offseason labors. 

For the second week in a row, it was the defensive work from SW Kansas that wound up taking over the game. They forced turnovers at an alarming rate and stalled out a lot of the early efforts from the Wolfpack. The defense even got in on the scoring themselves, putting Washington in an early hole. While a quarterback change wound up sparking the Washington offense, it wasn't enough to claw back from the hole they had dug. Ultimately, the Storm would prevail by a score of 63-33.

A Quick Start

It didn't take the Storm long to get on the board. Apart from a couple of odd incomplete passes, the first possession was largely flawless. Quarterback Jalen Morton completed two passes each for first downs before eventually running the ball in himself for the first six of the game. The whole drive took just a couple minutes off the clock and lasted just five total plays. 

Their second possession wasn't all that different. While they saw some hiccups with a blown up run attempt and a touchdown that went through Shiloh Flanagan's hands, they got back on the board shortly thereafter. This time Flanagan would make up for it with a third down catch to bring them to 12. 

The quickness on the other side wasn't nearly as fruitful for the Wolfpack. They did bring a brand of quick football with a lot of short slants, quick screens and quarterback sneaks. Determined to get the ball out of Joseph Hess' hands as quickly as they could, they just couldn't get the chunk plays that they needed to make it work. Ultimately the drive would stall out though with a fourth down fumble just short of the 15-yard line. 

The second go-round for the Wolfpack was perhaps a touch worse and much quicker. Joseph Hess, playing under center for the entirety, just couldn't get the reads that he wanted. A fumble on the snap left them with a fourth down look from their own goal line. A longshot kick attempt ended their possession and the second quarter - trailing by 12 points. 

Settling In

The second quarter would see the Wolfpack begin to settle in a bit on defense. First, their defense started to find it's groove, finally getting some pressure on Morton. That forced some scrambling and slew of incompletions. After a pair of turnover on downs, including a goalline stand, the Wolfpack appeared to be poised to put some pressure on the Storm. Unfortunately their first pass after the aforementioned stand went the other way. Dontra Matthews picked the ball off and returned it five yards to put the Storm up 18. 

It was that pick-six that lead the Wolfpack to make a switch at quarterback. Adam Kruse subbed in for Joseph Hess on the next possession and really helped the Wolfpack settle in on offense. On his very first toss of the game, he threw a 22-yard dart to get Washington on the board for the first time. 

Takeaways

While Washington managed to get on the board and seemed to be finding their footing, the suffocating defense for SW Kansas was the story again. After dominating on that side of the ball against Nashville last week, their defensive backs were at it again. They nabbed four interceptions, which includes two that were taken to the house. They paired that with a couple of fumbles in key moments that took the wind out of Washington's sail. One came on the first long drive of the game from the home squad. The second came after a long catch and run from Deshon Williams, who gave it away after picking up nearly 20 yards. 

Big Games

The Storm defense was obviously the biggest story of the game yet again. Six takeaways in any Arena One Football game is going to make them hard to beat. However, they had a number of notable performances on offense as well. 

Quarterback Jalen Morton protected the ball on offense, going 16-for-28 through the air and managed to not turn the ball over once. He finished with three touchdowns through the air as well as three with his feet. His work on the ground also helped him lead his team in rushing yards with 29. 

On the other end of those passes, Morton spread the love out fairly well. Shiloh Flanagan led the team in receptions with six, turning them into 60 yards. Demarius Washington added four receptions for 42 yards, with half of those catches going for touchdowns. Daquan Bailey-Brown was good for four catches himself, although he didn't find the end zone. 

For Washington, the bright spot was really Adam Kruse, who went 13-for-26 for 159 yards. He ran for a touchdown on the ground and tossed four touchdowns. Each of those touchdowns went to a different receiver, but clearly found good chemistry with Deshon Williams. Williams nabbed nine catches for 137 yards and snagged one of the touchdowns as well. It'll be interesting to see if Kruse gets the nod in week two or if they give Joseph Hess another go. 

After week 1, SW Kansas moves to 2-0, while Washington moves to 0-1. Both teams will be in action again during week 2. SW Kansas will remain on the road and head out East to face the Albany Firebirds on Friday. Meanwhile, the Wolfpack will look to build some home momentum as they welcome the Oregon Lightning to the Angel Of The Winds Arena on Saturday. All AF1 games can be caught on EVERGREENNOW each week.