The Tampa Bay Storm came up just short of winning the franchise’s sixth Arena Football League (AFL) championship by losing to the Spokane Shock 69-57 in Area Bowl XXIII.
A member of that Storm squad is Drew Weatherford, who graduated from Land O’ Lakes High in 2004. Weatherford, 25, was a rookie this season and played both on special teams and was the backup quarterback.
While the ending did not go as Weatherford wanted, he still managed to help get Tampa Bay (13-6) to the title game in his first season of professional football.
“I had a great time playing this season,” Weatherford said. “I have a great bunch of teammates who I loved playing with this year. I just love football. This is the game I grew up loving as a kid.”
Weatherford had a team-leading 20 tackles on special teams this season. He also had his first professional touchdown pass in a win against Bossier-Shreveport. He totaled 64 passing yards on four completions in the regular season.
Weatherford still lives in Odessa and managed to play with the Storm while holding down a full-time job with Imperium Development.
