New rivalry is born
It’s a rivalry in the making.
The Eastern Washington enmity that has developed over the years in junior hockey, minor league baseball and high school sports between Spokane and the Tri-Cities is about to expand.
Tonight’s arenafootball2 matchup at Kennewick’s Toyota Center marks the first of two regular-season meetings between the Spokane Shock (7-3) and expansion Tri-Cities Fever (5-4). While the game has geographic relevance, it’s also a matchup of the Western Division’s top two teams.
Still, Shock coach Adam Shackleford wards off the inevitable.
“We’ve heard that this is supposed to be a rivalry, and we’ve talked about it a little this week,” Shackleford said. “But to us, it’s just another football game, an opportunity to extend our lead in the division, and we need to go out and do the right things – hold on to the football, and make the defensive stops. We’re just going to go out and play our game.”
The defending ArenaCup champions and division-leading Shock have the upper hand – they are riding a four-game winning streak, while the Fever have lost two of their last four.
The Shock have a 1 1/2-game lead in the standings, while the Fever share second place with the Central Valley Coyotes (5-4).
The Shock are healthy now, for the most part.
Wide receiver Raul Vijil is a game-time decision after reinjuring his ankle early this week in practice. Defensive back Nygel Rogers is also questionable.
The Fever look good on film, Shackleford said, and they look pretty good on paper, too. They have the fourth-best pass offense (275.7 yards a game) in the league and quarterback Brian Baker leads the league in passing (286) and is ranked second in total offense (285.7) and scoring (18.2 points a game).
Fever receiver J.R. Thomas is ranked second in the league for receiving yards (124.1 a game) and tied for third in the league in receptions (nine per game).
Put that against Spokane receiver Antwone Savage – who is fifth in the league with an average of 180.3 all-purpose yards a game, sixth in scoring (15.6 points a game), seventh in receiving yards (108.4 a game) and eighth in receptions (8.3 a game) – and the Shock’s stingy secondary defense, you have a perfect first matchup.
“I think it’s definitely the beginning of a great rivalry,” Vijil said. “We’ve already got it with the hockey teams and being two hours apart makes it interesting.
“Being one and two (in the standings) is a huge part of it. If they get a win its going to help them catch up with us, and if we get a win we’re going to pull farther away. It’s a huge game in that aspect.”