Southwest Kansas Storm Playbook: Training Camp Check-in

The Southwest Kansas Storm of Arena Football One are over a week into 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. 

Checking in with coach thomas 

I spoke with Head Coach of the Storm Gary Thomas on Wednesday to get an update on how things are going for the team in camp. Thomas is thankful for a healthy camp thus far, as the team heads toward roster cutdowns on Friday before they head into game week already next week. 

I asked Coach what he thought the strength of the team had been thus far through camp. “The strength has just been their focus, the group seems eager to learn locked in for meetings, playing hard on the field and they’ve gelled really well for a new group of individuals.” The team has been willing to adapt and do whatever is asked of them. 

Position Battles 

The Running Back battle has been a tough one. The Storm currently have two running backs on the roster, Darius Morrison and Logan Wright. “They're both mentally locked in, they are really smart, and both are good people. They both really want it. They do everything we ask them to do.” 

If you’d have asked Coach before camp about the offensive line, he was “deathly scared of that situation." That’s no longer the case. Coach is more than pleased with the players they’ve been able to bring in and their progress throughout camp. 

At Quarterback, it’s Jalen Morton who projects to be the Week 1 starter for the Storm when they take on the Predators next week in Dodge City. “Jalen Morton is a fantastic football player," said Coach Thomas. “He's been around, and he’s handled everything about this opportunity fantastically. He communicates, he comes to work every day, and is a professional on the field.” Jarius Grissom will serve as the backup, but plan to see plenty of their “Swiss army knife.”