For almost any team in any sport at any level, winning a championship three years ago would be enough to buy some equity and tide over a fan base thirsty for success.

That’s not the reality in which the Sioux Falls Storm exist.

The 10-time indoor football champions will play in their 10th consecutive United Bowl Saturday in Glendale, Ariz., when they take on the undefeated Arizona Rattlers, but the Storm will go into that game riding a two-year losing streak in the IFL title game. And that’s just not acceptable for a franchise that considers itself the gold standard in the indoor game. It’s not OK for the fans, and it’s not OK for the players, so there’s definitely a sense of duty going into Saturday’s championship, which kicks off at 8 p.m..

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“It’s been a long two years,” said soon-to-be 32-year-old Storm quarterback Lorenzo Brown, who spearheaded the Storm’s championship seasons in 2015 and 2016. “I recently was looking at my rings, just kind of as motivation, and I was like, damn, I want another one for my collection. We’ve been missing that.”

It’s an expectation the Storm have been dealing with since they won four straight championships between 2005-2008, and numerous players have admitted over the years it can be a heavy burden. But it’s also what brings players to Sioux Falls and has sustained the dynasty over the years, even as the various leagues the franchise has played in have implemented rules and regulations that were either obvious or subtle attempts to make it harder for the Storm to keep winning.

“There’s definitely pressure,” said All-IFL offensive lineman Forrestal Hickman. “But we put that on ourselves every year. That’s the goal. That’s the culture here. It’s what we set out to do and we’re all very much looking forward to that on Saturday.”

It’s not just about bringing the trophy back to Sioux Falls, though. It’s also about proving the Storm haven’t lost their grip on the IFL with the influx of former AFL members Arizona and Iowa. Those two teams beat the Storm in each of the last two United Bowls, though the Storm beat each of them in the last two semifinals, both on the road. They knocked off the Rattlers 69-68 last year in Phoenix, and beat the Barnstormers last week in Des Moines.

While the goal is a championship, not revenge, don’t think for a minute it wouldn’t be extra special for Sioux Falls to get back atop the IFL by beating both recent champions in their home arenas.

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“It definitely would,” Brown said. “Because a lot of people talk, and they always say the Storm is over and they’re not as good as they were. Well, the hell with all that. At the end of the day, you look at the history and we’re the team that’s there year after year.”

That’s not to say the Storm don’t recognize what the Rattlers have done this year. They’re 15-0, which includes two wins over Sioux Falls, each by double digits. They’re quarterbacked by last year’s IFL MVP, Drew Powell, who briefly served as Brown’s backup for the Storm in 2017. Coach Kurtiss Riggs said he encouraged Powell to find work elsewhere because Brown had just led Sioux Falls to consecutive championships, and credits the big left-hander for turning himself into a player who’s been a nightmare for the Storm to try to contain.

“We obviously know him very well but we haven’t figured out how to stop him,” Riggs said of Powell. “He really uses his size to his advantage when he runs the ball, because he’s more explosive than you think and he’s bigger than you expect. He’s a great player. We’re all really happy for him, but we want to beat him.”

Riggs said the Rattlers are similar to some of the better Storm teams, not necessarily because of how Powell compares to Brown, Chris Dixon or Terrance Bryant, but because of their dominance in the trenches.

“They’re really deep and they can beat you in a lot of different ways,” Riggs said. “They really remind me of some of the teams we had when we had Minaya Smith, Charlie Sanders and Gerald Davis on the O-line and guys like Cory Johnsen and Rachman Crable on defense. You just knew you were going to win in the trenches. They’re a lot like that.”

Still, Brown is confident. He respects the Rattlers but remembers how good it felt to knock them off in Arizona last year and wants to do it again.

“Their record speaks for itself,” Brown said of Arizona. “They’ve had our number this year, but we know we have what it takes to beat them there because we’ve done it. I’ll never concede anything to anyone, but I’ll give props. They’ve had a great season, but I still think we have the best 21 guys. It’s a matter of playing well and executing. If we keep mistakes to a minimum we can win.”

When the Storm beat the Rattlers last year it was in Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix. That facility is unavailable due to renovations, so the Rattlers have played this entire postseason at Gila River Arena in Glendale, the home of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes. That could lessen the impact of the ‘Snake Pit’ section of Rattler fans, but a crowd of almost 14,000 was on hand last week for Arizona’s semifinal win over the Nebraska Danger.

Going against an undefeated team in front of an unusually loud and raucous crowd? It’s almost role reversal for the Storm.

“They’re 15-0 and they’ve beaten us twice – by double digits both times,” Riggs said. “There’s no doubt who the favorite is going into this game.”