During halftime of the Orlando-Tampa Bay game a donation of more than $24,000 was made to the Curtis-Kocab Memorial Fund. (Photo: Mitchell Davis)

The Tampa Bay Storm (11-4, 3-3) wrapped up the second and final meeting in the storied “War on I-4” rivalry, as well as the 2010 regular season in front of an energetic crowd of 17, 302 at the St. Pete Times Forum on Saturday, falling to the in-state division rival Orlando Predators (8-8, 4-2) 75-60. The loss resulted in a season series split between the two clubs, which last met on May 28 in Orlando with the Storm earning a 62-50 victory.

Despite the losing effort, Tampa Bay received record-breaking performances from quarterback Brett Dietz and receiver DeAndrew Rubin. Dietz completed the performance with six touchdowns good for 398 yards, and as a result, broke Shane Stafford’s franchise record for most passing yards in a single season, concluding his 2010 campaign with 5,054. Much of Dietz’s success in the game was aided by Rubin, who in catching 17 receptions for 245 yards, set two single-game Tampa Bay Storm records, while also hauling in a team-leading three scores. Hank Edwards also caught two touchdowns and finished the night with 85 yards.

Orlando quarterback Nick Hill served as the driving force behind Orlando’s offense, throwing for 284 yards and eight touchdowns. Receiver T.T. Toliver cashed in a big game as the Predators’ signal caller’s primary target, catching six touchdowns and amassing 123 receiving yards.

The game’s first quarter resembled that of last week in the Storm’s 53-29 rout of the Alabama Vipers, as Tampa Bay struggled to find the endzone, while its opponent scored early and often. Hill opened the contest with a touchdown pass to Toliver, which was the receiver’s first of three scores in the quarter. With Orlando leading 7-0, Storm quarterback Brett Dietz evened the score on the ensuing drive, completing a 42-yard pass to DeAndrew Rubin. The strike would be Dietz’s only score of the period, however, as he was then intercepted twice after Orlando’s Bobby Sippio scored an additional touchdown to help the Predators take a 28-7 lead into the second quarter.

Orlando continued to put points on the board in the second period, finding the paint twice more, but Tampa Bay countered, matching the Predators touchdown for touchdown. The Storm’s Terence Royal got things started by cutting the deficit to two scores after marching in a rushing touchdown. Hill maintained his poise in the pocket much like he did to open the game, striking twice on passes to receivers Bobby Sippio and T. T. Toliver. Predators kicker Carlos Martinez capped the quarter’s scoring by nailing a 23-yard field goal shortly after Dietz found DeAndrew Rubin from 28 yards out to make it 45-20 going into the intermission.

The back-and-forth scoring trend continued throughout the second half, despite Orlando consistently maintaining a comfortable lead. Predators quarterback Nick Hill continued to utilize his favorite target in T.T. Toliver, who caught two additional throws for touchdowns. Hill also rushed in a score before Tampa Bay’s Erick Ortiz countered to open the fourth quarter, bringing the score to 59-34 in Orlando’s favor. Despite being down, Dietz succeeded in spreading the ball around to keep Tampa Bay in the contest. The Storm signal caller first found Tyrone Timmons from 11 yards out before tossing a pair of scores to Hank Edwards and DeAndrew Rubin, which closed the gap to 17 points. James Bryant sealed the win for Orlando after recovering an onside kick and returning it for a touchdown, although Tampa Bay did score once more with 14 seconds left on a Dietz strike to Edwards, capping the game’s scoring at 75-60.