Spokane Empire can’t keep up in loss to defending IFL champ Sioux Falls

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Lorenzo Brown rushed for 70 yards and three touchdowns and passed for another score, as the Sioux Falls Storm handled the Spokane Empire 62-32 in a rematch of last season’s Indoor Football League championship game.

Sioux Falls rebounded in a big way from its first loss of the season, a 44-36 decision to Wichita Falls last week.

Brown completed 4 of 8 passes for 49 yards and a scoring strike to Drew Powell.

Spokane’s Charles Dowdell went 8 of 19 for 84 yards with two touchdown passes. The Empire’s Aaron Wilmer went 3 of 5 for 30 yards and a touchdown.

Samuel Charles caught all three TD passes among four catches for 63 yards.

Spokane (7-3) struck first on a 6-yard run by Dowdell. It was pretty much all Sioux Falls (9-1) after that.

The Storm scored three consecutive touchdowns, two on rushes by Brown.

The Empire responded with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Dowdell to Charles with 47 seconds left in the second quarter and Spokane trailed 21-14 at intermission.

Sioux Falls started the second half with four-play drive resulting in Eric Shufford’s 5-yard scoring plunge. Rolandan Finch’s 9-yard touchdown run with 3:52 left in the third made it 35-20.

Shufford scored his second rushing TD of the day at the start of the fourth quarter to make it 42-26. Tyler Knight’s 5-yard interception return a little later put the defending champions up by 30.

Sioux Falls generated 20 first downs to 10 for Spokane and outgained the Empire 173-114. Spokane committed seven penalties for 48 yards.

Spokane hosts the Arizona Rattlers at 7 p.m. Friday at the Arena.