The Airdrie Storm were hoping for a strong showing in their first playoff game of the season, and a strong showing it was. The Storm defeated the Calgary Wildcats 55-17, Oct. 22.
“We’ve been working hard in practice all week,” said Storm head coach Steve Kemp. “We fixed a lot of mistakes from last game.”
The Storm took a quick and early 24-0 lead thanks to Jordan Baldwin who ran for a combined 97 yards to score two touchdowns. Dario Rea ran 22 yards for another touchdown and Bennett Thompson caught a 10-yard catch to give the Storm a commanding 41-0 lead. Quarterback Duncan Little added two touchdowns to extend the Storm’s lead to 55-1.
A late comeback attempt by the Wildcats saw them score two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and cut the Storm lead to 38. The large lead allowed Kemp to get some of his younger players into the game.
“The second half was about giving the second string players a chance to play,” Kemp said. “They responded well and I was happy with their effort.”
Kemp was also happy with how his team dominated early and was able to retain the momentum.
“Our O line and D line really won the battle,” said Kemp. “They worked their butts off and controlled the game. The D were flying around the field.”
The Storm will now play the Okotoks Eagles in the division III final, Oct. 29. Game time is 11 a.m. on Encana Field at Shouldice Park.
“To win, we’re going to need to play solid on both sides of the ball ,” said Kemp. “We need to control the play and run the ball.”
