The Simpson football team fell to Waldorf in their season opener Saturday 54-21 in a game heard live on 94.3 KNIA, after a strong first half fizzled away with special teams mistakes in the third quarter.

Waldorf jumped out early to take a 13-0 lead, but the Storm came flying back on a connection from quarterback J Jensen III to running back Desmond Alexander in the endzone after the Storm defense forced a turnover, then after another forced turnover Jensen connected with wide receiver Reed Worth for an 80 yard score to take a 14-13 advantage. The Warriors would score again before half, and the Storm had a chance to take a lead going into halftime but a dropped pass in the endzone put them down 20-13 at the break.

The third quarter however was all Waldorf. They opened with a field goal, then blocked a punt for a touchdown, then after Simpson drove the ball down the field to the 20 and turned it over on downs they connected on an 80-yard pass play to put the game out of reach, but not before another blocked punt for a touchdown ended any hope Simpson had.

Head coach Matt Jeter said he saw plenty of things to be positive about in their first contest of the season, and they have to maintain a positive attitude and build on the success of parts of the game and get ready for the next one.

Worth was the player of the day for the Storm, hauling in two touchdowns and earning 147 yards through the air. Simpson falls to 0-1, and will travel to Wisconsin-Stevens Point next Saturday.