Southwest Kansas Storm Playbook: Training Camp
The Southwest Kansas Storm of Arena Football One has officially reported for training camp. The Storm kick off the season in two weeks as they host the league's inaugural game against the Orlando Predators at the United Wireless Arena in Dodge City, Kansas: Saturday, March 8th at 7:00 p.m. ET, streaming on EvergreenNOW.
Storm camp has been hampered by the weather (how fitting for the team named Storm). When I spoke with Head Coach Gary Thomas on Wednesday, the air temperature was -3, with a wind chill of -25. The cold spell across the United States, along with heavy amounts of snowfall, has delayed travel for a few of the Storm’s players as they make their way to Dodge City.
CAMP REPORT AND INITIAL PRACTICE
The Storm had their initial camp practice on Tuesday evening. The Storm elected to not bring in the full 35 players allowed to camp, Coach Thomas believes every player the Storm brought into camp can be an immediate contributor to the team. “I think we’ve upgraded in almost every capacity, now that’s all got to come together as we work through camp.” The Storm will have to trim their roster from 31 down to 24 by February 28th.
STORM QUARTERBACK BATTLE
One of the biggest competitions in Storm camp will be the Quarterback position. The Storm have three quarterbacks on the roster. With only a single day of practice in the books, it’s way too early to tell who will be the starter for the Storm come March 8th. Coach Thomas said Jalen Morton “looked really good yesterday, he’s supremely talented. He’s big, he’s fast, he throws the ball exceptionally well.”
Jarius Grissom was brought in to be a “Swiss Army Knife.” “I like his demeanor, his character, I think he’ll be a great fit here.” Montell Cozart is one of the players who has issues getting to camp due to the weather, but Coach Thomas is very excited for Cozart to join the team, “he’s an extremely talented Quarterback,” and Coach Thomas is excited to see the competition in the Quarterback room.
DEFENSE REVAMPS AND RELOADS FOR 2025
Coach Thomas said the Defensive Line is “much stronger than last year.” He has big expectations for the guys on his defensive front. When it comes to the defensive backfield, Coach Thomas said, “On paper, the group is as good as any in the league.” Now, they just need to prove it. The Storm played Dontra Matthews twice last year, and Coach Thomas is glad he doesn’t have to play against him this year. He “is as good as anyone in this league anywhere.” Michael Lawson was on the first team in the league last year, and Brian Hughes comes from the CFL.
Watch for the revamped Storm to make a push for the playoffs in 2025.