by Anaheim, CA—Although the game was tied at halftime, the LA KISS (6-7) outscored the Tampa Bay Storm (1-12) by 27 points in the second half, which allowed them to cruise to a 48-21 victory in front of an electric 6,249-person Honda Center crowd on Monday night.
“It’s arena football and it’s never easy to win a game,” said Coach Smith. “They obviously came here to try and win, so it was close. In the second half, we did some things differently offensively and made stops so I was happy with the results.”
Under Armour Player of the Game Nathan Stanley (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma), in his first start since suffering an injury in Week 7, completed 17-of-32 pass attempts for 186 yards and four touchdowns. DJ Stephens led the LA KISS receiving corps by hauling in eight receptions for 112 yards and three touchdowns. Donovan “Captain” Morgan snagged four receptions for 52 yards and two touchdowns. In his first game in an LA KISS jersey, Fred Williams tallied five catches for 54 yards. Fullback Rory Nixon rumbled his way for 13 yards on the ground and two scores.
For the Storm, quarterback Jason Boltus completed 18-of-38 pass attempts for 251 yards and one touchdown. TT Toliver became the AFL’s all-time leader in all-purpose yards while catching 10 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. Prechae Rodriguez registered five receptions for 52 yards.
Riddell Defensive Player of the Game, Josh Victorian led the LA KISS defense with nine and a half total tackles (nine solo). Terrance Smith tallied four and a half tackles. For Tampa Bay, Cortez Stubbs led the way with five tackles in the game.
After the LA KISS won the coin toss and deferred possession to the second half, Tampa Bay’s opening 11-play drive sputtered and the Storm turned the ball over on downs. The LA KISS struck first on an 11-yard Stanley-to-Morgan touchdown. Chris Gould found the uprights and the LA KISS led 7-0 with 1:04 remaining in the quarter, which was the score at the end of the period.
It was the Storm who scored first in the second quarter. Boltus hooked up with Toliver for a seven-yard touchdown and, after a successful PAT, the score was even at seven. On the next possession, Nixon plowed through the goal line for a two-yard touchdown run. The kick was good and the LA KISS took a 14-7 lead with 5:11 remaining in the quarter. Then John Brown rumbled his way for a two-yard touchdown run to even the score. On fourth down, Stanley connected with Williams for a 21-yard touchdown. Unfortunately for the LA KISS, upon review, the play was reversed and deemed to hit the ground and the LA KISS turned the ball over on downs. The two teams remained tied 14-14 at halftime.
The LA KISS opened the third quarter with a nine-play drive that was capped off with a three-yard Nixon rushing touchdown. The point after was good and the LA KISS regained a seven-point lead. Following a Tampa Bay turnover on downs, Stanley and Stephens were good for six, on a nine-yard touchdown, which extended the LA KISS lead to 13 with 3:16 remaining in the third. At the end of the third quarter, the LA KISS were ahead of the Storm by a score of 27-to-14.
The LA KISS defense continued to shine and opened the final quarter of play with a huge fourth down stop on their 11-yard line. On the ensuing possession, Stanley
tossed an 11-yard touchdown to Morgan. The kick was good and the LA KISS were up by 20 points. Plagued by penalties, the Storm still couldn’t muster anything of offense and turned the ball over on downs for the third straight possession. After Stephens hauled in a 24-yard touchdown from Stanley, Adam Kennedy, who replaced Boltus at quarterback, scored on an eight-yard quarterback keeper and the LA KISS lead remained 20 points. Then Stephens’ hat trick score, a 29-yard bomb from replacement quarterback Pete Thomas, extended the LA KISS lead to 27. The LA KISS ultimately walked out of the Honda Center victorious by a score of 48-21.
Next week the LA KISS will host their final home game of the 2016 regular season as they welcome the Cleveland Gladiators to the Honda Center on Saturday, July 16. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM PST and the game will be broadcast live on the CBS Sports Network.
Media Awards:
Under Armour Offensive Player of the Game – LA KISS QB Nathan Stanley
