Storm Stuns Falcons 58-28

The turnaround in the long-struggling Creek Valley football program started last season, when the Storm finished with three wins and a playoff berth. Finally earning its first victory since 2010, Creek Valley went on to lose a road playoff game against the Wilcox-Hildreth Falcons 100-to-56, but the seeds were planted and a team that ended the season at 3-and-6 was growing into a force far more dangerous than their 2018 record. The Storm proved that they could score points, they just needed to shore up the defensive side to take their play to a higher level.

In 2019, the Storm's defensive improvement turned a scrappy little team into a dangerous group that could end a game in the first half. And the Storm did that again on Friday night, bullying and bashing the visiting Falcons into a 37-to-6 halftime deficit and delivering a heaping serving of revenge against the team that knocked them out of the playoffs a year ago.

Creek Valley Head Coach Joe Kupper mentioned after the game that he didn't need to fire up or provide any kind of motivation in this game, as his boys had been hoping for this matchup and were eager to settle the score. The Falcons started with the ball after a touchback and the Storm defense forced a turnover on downs, and on their first offensive play, junior Justin Ningen ran 27 yards to pay dirt on a counter play that had the Falcons' defense fooled and scrambling to catch Ningen in vain. The Falcons then tried to benefit on better field position, starting on the 25 yard line after the kickoff sailed out of bounds. The Storm defense again forced a turnover on downs.

Taking over in Falcons' territory, on the second play from scrimmage senior quarterback Patrick Hansen passed for his first of three touchdowns, finding junior Oakley Hodges on play action who then crossed the goal line for another touchdown. It was 15-to-0 with 5:05 left in the first quarter, and the crowd in Chappell could feel that a rout was coming.

But this would not be a glitzy, high-flying offensive display of scoring, but rather a tough, hard hitting exhibition put on by the Storm defense. The Storm's defense played tough and aware, limiting the Falcons output to short runs and passes, while generating sacks, turnovers, and a lot of desperate fourth down tries. With defensive standout Tucker Greaff sidelined with injury, sophomore Kordell Lovitt filled in and made his presence felt, with two sacks, a fumble recovery, and kept constant pressure on the Falcons backfield.

When the Falcons finally generated some momentum and drove down to the 20 yard line, on cue Ningen broke up a pass and the deflection was caught by sophomore Drew Fraass to stop the drive. Even though the Storm were forced to punt, sophomore Lucas Trujillo intercepted a Falcon pass on their first play, and after a short drive, Trujillo ran the ball in for a touchdown to increase the lead to 21-0. The Falcons responded with another turnover on downs on a failed 4th and 12 attempt.

There was a tense moment as junior Oakley Hodges was injured during a play, and he was kept out for the reminder of the game. Coach Kupper gave a lot of his starters, including Hansen, some time off in the second half with the Storm amassing a big lead. The Falcons were able to score a few times long after the contest was settled, ending the game with a final score of 58-to-28. The Storm rushed 30 times for 239 yards and passed for only 79 yards, but were in complete control of the game from the opening gun. Trujillo had a breakout game, gaining 93 yards and scoring two touchdowns, while sophomore backup quarterback Eli Schmid scored two rushing touchdowns in the second half to close out the scoring.

Now the focus moves to the next game, a road matchup agains Sandhills Valley in Stapleton on Friday.

Kupper said, "In scouting Sandhills Valley, I can tell you they are fast. They aren't real big guys, with the exception of Lane Watson, but they can all fly. The closest thing that we have seen speed wise is the Maywood-Hayes Center team. We will all need to be very disciplined on defense, and keep those speedy receivers underneath our coverage. Offensively, we will be able to run and throw, but their speed will limit the big plays. We will need to sustain drives this coming week."

Kupper expects Oakley Hodges and Tucker Greaff to be available for the game, a big plus for the Storm. Due to the quirks of the playoff system, if Creek Valley wins the contest, the then host the next playoff game regardless of seeding.