Philadelphia Soul Defeat Tampa Bay Storm to Win ArenaBowl XXX

The Philadelphia Soul hosted the Tampa Bay Storm in ArenaBowl XXX at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia was looking to win their second consecutive ArenaBowl title and the Storm were looking to win their record sixth title.

James Romain intercepted a Randy Hippeard pass on fourth down and the Soul took over. They would attempt to capitalize with a field goal, but the kick was no good. Kendrick Ings would return it all the way for a touchdown to give Tampa a 6-0 lead after the extra point was missed.

Following two wide open dropped passes by Darius Reynolds, Philadelphia turned the ball over on downs and Tampa took over. Both teams turned the ball over in the first quarter, which ended with the Storm holding their 6-0 lead.

Philadelphia finally got on the board when Dan Raudabaugh found former Lehigh Valley Steelhawks receiver Darius Prince for a two-yard touchdown. The extra point gave them a 7-6 lead. Hippeard finds Hills for a deep touchdown to give Tampa Bay the lead back at 13-7.

Alvin Ray Jackson intercepted a Raudabaugh pass and returned it for a touchdown to give Tampa a 20-7 lead. Nearing the end of the first half, Mykel Benson rushed for a one-yard touchdown to make it a 20-14 game. Tampa wouldn’t score and they took their 20-14 lead into the locker room.

On the first drive of the second half, Raudabaugh and Reynolds connected on a long touchdown to give the Soul a 21-20 lead. Tampa took the league back with a touchdown from Hippeard to Ings. Benson scored on another one yard touchdown to give Philadelphia the lead right back. That would prove to be the score at the end of three.

After Tampa turned the ball over on downs, Raudabaugh found Prince for a one yard touchdown to make the score 35-27. A sack on Hippeard in the end zone gave the Soul a 37-27 lead. The Storm would recover their own onside kick, then Hippeard would throw a bomb to Justin Hilton for a touchdown to make it a three point game.

Philadelphia would re-take their 10 point lead after recovering Tampa’s second onside kick attempt. Raudabaugh found Shaun Kauleinamoku for a touchdown. Dwayne Hollis intercepted a long Hippeard pass with 2:40 left.

Philadelphia would run out the clock and win ArenaBowl XXX by a final score of 44-40. The title is their second consecutive and their third in franchise history.

Soul Dominate Storm in 2017 Regular Season Finale

The Philadelphia Soul hosted the Tampa Bay Storm at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Saturday night. This game was the last one of the 2017 regular season.

Philadelphia scored first when quarterback Dan Raudabaugh handed off to running back Mykel Benson, who took it in for a touchdown. That would prove to be the lone score of the first quarter.

Raudabaugh found Shaun Kauleinamoku for a deep touchdown to make the score 14-0 Soul early in the second quarter. That would be the end of the night for Randy Hippeard as Chris Bonner took over. On his first throw, he threw a long touchdown pass to Justin Hilton to make the score 14-7.

Benson scored his second of the night to make it 20-7. Joe Hills‘ 81st consecutive game with a touchdown closed the gap to 20-14. The Soul would score as the half expired when Raudabaugh would run in for a one yard touchdown. That would would make it a 27-14 lead at halftime for Philadelphia.

Following a Kent Richardson interception on a tipped pass from Kendrick Ings, Soul backup quarterback Luke Collis‘ first pass of the night went to Darius Reynolds for a touchdown to give Philadelphia a 34-14 lead.

For a brief period of time, the Storm looked as if they could be making a comeback. After another Hilton touchdown, the Soul turned the ball over on downs. Unfortunately, Tampa turned the ball right back over to Philadelphia.

Trying to ice the game, a Ryan McDaniel fumble at the goal line was recovered by Tampa in the end zone and they were back in it. Once again, however, the Storm turned the ball over.

The icing on the cake would be when Collis threw a 40 yard touchdown to  Reynolds. Philadelphia would go on to win by a final score of 41-28.

They finish their season with a 13-1 record and Tampa finishes at 10-4. The Soul will host the Baltimore Brigade in the first semifinal next Saturday. The Storm will host the Cleveland Gladiators in the second semifinal on Monday, Aug. 14.

Tampa Bay Storm Sign OL Raymond McNeil, WR Justin Hilton

On Thursday, the Tampa Bay Storm announced two more signings, Raymond McNeil and Justin Hilton. McNeil, a seven-year veteran, now starts a second stint in the blue and gold.

McNeil (6’2″, 315 lbs.) returns after spending 2015 and 2016 with the Jacksonville Sharks. During those two seasons, McNeil anchored one of the best offensive lines in the entire league, allowing a mere 18 sacks, including an Arena Football League low of eight during the 2015 run to ArenaBowl XXVIII.

“Raymond is one of the top centers in the League,” said Storm vice president of football operations Jeff Gooch.  “He adds consistency and stability to our offensive line.  He has seven years of experience which will be a tremendous asset both on and off the field.”

McNeil has shined at his position throughout his entire indoor career, starting by earning All-af2 honors with the Milwaukee Mustangs in 2008 and 2009. Starting with the Milwaukee Iron in 2010, he spent time with the Utah Blaze, Spokane Shock, and San Jose SaberCats before joining the Storm in 2014. Throughout his career, he’s only missed four games, starting 109.

“I’m happy to be back with the Storm,” said McNeil.  “I’ve planted roots here in Tampa and I’m looking forward to giving back to not just the fans in the stands, but also the community as a whole.”

The team also added depth at wide receiver by acquiring wide receiver Justin Hilton.

Hilton (6-foot-2, 195 lbs.) joins the team where his AFL career began in 2013. He spent parts of the 2014 season with the Storm before crossing I-4 to play for the Orlando Predators for part of the 2015 season. In his three-year career, Hilton’s caught 45 passes for 694 yards and 15 scores.

The Kissimmee, FL, native began his professional career with the NFL’s Cincinatti Bengals, signing with them in 2012 as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Indiana State. He went to the CFL in 2013, spending part of that season with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats before coming indoors and signing with Tampa Bay.