Storm Sweep Orlando, Still In It
(May 3, 2004)

A trilling 63-58 victory at Orlando yesterday gave the Tampa Bay Storm a season sweep of the Predators. The Storm are still battling for a playoff spot and most likely will have to win its last three games to make the postseason. Hopefully, the sweep over Orlando will not be the season highlight for the defending Arena Football League champions.

Yesterday's game was another wild one in the series. After the teams alternated scores in the first half, the Storm out-scored Orlando 20-0 in the third quarter. A 51-28 lead looked secure heading towards the final fifteen minutes. To their credit, the Predators did not give up and scored 23 unanswered points to tie things up. To the Storm's credit, they scored the next two touchdowns and held on for a 63-58 victory. It was Tampa Bay's third straight win and kept alive their hopes of making the playoffs.

Storm-Predators, the War on I-4, is the league's best rivalry. The teams have met 35 times with Tampa Bay winning 18 games. The Storm have won the last four meetings, which is one short of the five straight wins posted from 1994 to 1996. Orlando won four consecutive games in the series from 1992 to 1993. The teams have also spilt two Arena Bowls played between the two.

The Storm have made the playoffs in each of its thirteen seasons. With just eight teams making the postseason this year, they will probably need victories in the final three games of the season to keep that streak going. At 6-7, the Storm are currently tied for the eleventh best record and are two games down in the loss column to the number eight seed. The advantage is that all three teams remaining on the schedule are ahead of Tampa Bay.

This Sunday the Storm hosts Los Angles (7-5), which is one of the teams tied for the last playoff spot. After a bye week, they host Southern Division leading New Orleans (9-3). The regular season finale is at Dallas (6-6). Three wins and the Storm would be 9-7 and likely in the playoffs. One stumble and they will miss the postseason for the first time.

Defeating Orlando twice is the current highlight of the season, but hopefully not the last.