They say the third time is the charm. And for the DC defenders, that certainly was the case, taking a 28-22 victory over the Orlando Storm in the third straight contest between the two. While not the typical storm you would see in Daytona this time of year, they had to relocate their first playoff game to the “386” following a few scheduling conflicts with other venues. A sea of orange covered the grandstands in Daytona Municipal Stadium, adding to the big game feel even when in a much smaller venue.”Our league grows because of the coverage and all these people that are in here now. So, thank you for Daytona, for the fans that came out for the first time,” Orlando Storm head coach Anthony Becht said postgame. “It’s been a blessing.”DC got to work quickly, and all eyes were on Jason Bean. The quarterback turned back-to-back third-down conversions, including a 26-yard catch-and-run from Keke Coutee. The offense found itself stuck in the red zone, but an Orlando penalty kept the play alive and gave DC an open lane for a 3-yard touchdown. It was not all bad news for the Storm; they were able to find some life thanks to quarterback Jack Plummer. The agile Plummer was able to weave around traffic in the pocket and escape a sack, connecting with KJ Hamler for a 45-yard pass that sent the crowd into a frenzy. The play would later be squashed by the DC’s MVP finalist Derick Roberson, who tackled Plummer on fourth and goal to turn the ball over. The pendulum would swing, and the Storm would spin up to get on the board with a tremendous pick-six by Kana’i Mauga. The cinematic leap was followed by a 60-yard dash to the end zone and resulted in the first touchdown for the Storm. The game churned on with DC having an answer for everything Orlando put on the table. He was able to evade pressure from the Storm and work his way out of jams. DC would go on to score their last points of the game, a 61-yard field goal to put the lead to 28-16. The Storm would answer with a Chris Rowland touchdown that spanned 40 yards, but the Storm could not make the three-point conversion and remained down 6. “At the end of the day it’s about 11 guys, and all of us have to go out there and be our best,” Becht said.The Defenders had won it. On their third try, they weathered the Storm and moved on to the next round of the playoffs, one win away from the United Bowl. “I sit up here and make no excuses for this loss; we were prepared, and give credit where credit is due, they came out, and they beat us,” Becht said.The Storm closed out a historic season, earning the No. 1 seed in their inaugural season, five selections to the All-UFL team, and an MVP nomination in the form of Plummer. They brought the community together and added to the deep resume Orlando sports have written throughout history. “We are going to fight. You are going to get exciting players, exciting games, just truly blessed,” Becht said. “But you know, my time is here in Orlando, and I want to build it{the Storm} up. I want to double that fan base from this year to next year.”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. —
They say the third time is the charm. And for the DC defenders, that certainly was the case, taking a 28-22 victory over the Orlando Storm in the third straight contest between the two.
While not the typical storm you would see in Daytona this time of year, they had to relocate their first playoff game to the “386” following a few scheduling conflicts with other venues.
A sea of orange covered the grandstands in Daytona Municipal Stadium, adding to the big game feel even when in a much smaller venue.
“Our league grows because of the coverage and all these people that are in here now. So, thank you for Daytona, for the fans that came out for the first time,” Orlando Storm head coach Anthony Becht said postgame. “It’s been a blessing.”
DC got to work quickly, and all eyes were on Jason Bean. The quarterback turned back-to-back third-down conversions, including a 26-yard catch-and-run from Keke Coutee. The offense found itself stuck in the red zone, but an Orlando penalty kept the play alive and gave DC an open lane for a 3-yard touchdown.
It was not all bad news for the Storm; they were able to find some life thanks to quarterback Jack Plummer. The agile Plummer was able to weave around traffic in the pocket and escape a sack, connecting with KJ Hamler for a 45-yard pass that sent the crowd into a frenzy. The play would later be squashed by the DC’s MVP finalist Derick Roberson, who tackled Plummer on fourth and goal to turn the ball over.
The pendulum would swing, and the Storm would spin up to get on the board with a tremendous pick-six by Kana’i Mauga. The cinematic leap was followed by a 60-yard dash to the end zone and resulted in the first touchdown for the Storm.
The game churned on with DC having an answer for everything Orlando put on the table. He was able to evade pressure from the Storm and work his way out of jams. DC would go on to score their last points of the game, a 61-yard field goal to put the lead to 28-16. The Storm would answer with a Chris Rowland touchdown that spanned 40 yards, but the Storm could not make the three-point conversion and remained down 6.
“At the end of the day it’s about 11 guys, and all of us have to go out there and be our best,” Becht said.
Dustin Markland/UFL
Orlando coach Anthony Becht and DC coach Shannon Harris shake hands after the game on June 7th.
The Defenders had won it. On their third try, they weathered the Storm and moved on to the next round of the playoffs, one win away from the United Bowl.
“I sit up here and make no excuses for this loss; we were prepared, and give credit where credit is due, they came out, and they beat us,” Becht said.
Dustin Markland/UFL
Storm Fans celebrate in Daytona
The Storm closed out a historic season, earning the No. 1 seed in their inaugural season, five selections to the All-UFL team, and an MVP nomination in the form of Plummer. They brought the community together and added to the deep resume Orlando sports have written throughout history.
“We are going to fight. You are going to get exciting players, exciting games, just truly blessed,” Becht said. “But you know, my time is here in Orlando, and I want to build it{the Storm} up. I want to double that fan base from this year to next year.”