Shock aim for af2’s 4th perfect road record

As a head coach, Adam Shackleford fully expects to win his home games.

“And you kind of hope to at least split your road games,” the Spokane Shock coach said.

When Spokane (12-1) travels to Stockton, Calif., to take on the Lightning (4-10) Saturday, Shackleford’s hope is his Shock will become the fourth team in the 9-year-old arenafootball2 league to go undefeated on the road during the regular season.

The Quad City Steamwheelers accomplished the feat in 2000 – the league’s first year in existence – and went on to win the ArenaCup championship. (They also won the league title in 2001.)

The Tennessee Valley Vipers put together a perfect road record in 2001 and last season the Rio Grande Valley Dorados became the third team in league history to win all of its games away from home.

“We have an opportunity to go 14-2 on the road in the last two seasons,” Shackleford said. “That’s tough to do. It really says something about the players that have come in here. Our guys take things seriously and don’t mess around when we go on the road.”

If the Shock can take care of business and win their final three games of the regular season – Saturday in Stockton and at home against Quad City and Boise, respectively, in the last two games – it would mean the possibility of playing a championship game in front of their home crowd.

As the only one-loss team left in the league, winning the rest of their games prior to the postseason would ensure that as long as the Shock stay in the playoffs they would play at home, including hosting the ninth ArenaCup championship game.

“It’s really important to keep winning games – one at a time,” defensive back Sergio Gilliam said after Tuesday’s practice at the Arena. “If we could play at home (throughout the playoffs), we’ll get the crowd – our ninth man – behind us, and that would be a great thing to have.”

Shock reunion of sorts

They haven’t had a chance to talk much yet on the phone this week, but former Shock defensive backs Rob Keefe and Alex Teems – who played together in Spokane last season – will have a face-to-face meeting Saturday when Teems and the Cleveland Gladiators (11-7) travel to take on Keefe and the top-seeded Philadelphia Soul (14-3) in the AFL National Conference championship game.

“Honestly, if there was a side bet, I’m betting on Philadelphia all the way,” Keefe said. “I believe in our team – I’ll take the Soul over the Gladiators any day of the week.”

The Gladiators upset the second-seeded Georgia Force 73-70 in the divisional round Monday night, while the Soul won in dramatic fashion last Saturday.

Trailing 48-43 with 7 seconds remaining in the game, Soul receiver Larry Brackins caught a 28-yard pass and dove for the goal line as time expired.

The officials called it a touchdown, provoking a challenge from New York Dragons coach Weylan Harding, who thought Brackins’ knee was down before the ball broke the plane of the goal.

The call was upheld and the Soul won 49-48.

“It was insane,” Keefe said. “It reminded me of a (first-round playoff) game (with Spokane in 2006) against Bakersfield. (Former Shock receiver) Charles Frederick caught a pass from (former Shock quarterback) Kyle Rowley with 7 seconds left, and we won. It was like that.

“Everyone was going nuts.”

Vijil doubtful for Saturday

Shock wide receiver Raul Vijil is “extremely doubtful” for the game at Stockton, Shackleford said.

Vijil, who is fourth in the league in scoring (18.5 points per game) and fifth in the league in all-purpose yards (177.2 yards per game), collided headfirst into the Arena boards late in Spokane’s June 28 division-clinching win over Central Valley and was still nursing a sore back on Tuesday.

Likely to make the trip in Vijil’s place is recently acquired AFL veteran receiver Etu Molden.

Molden played four seasons with the AFL’s Chicago Rush – including their 2006 Arena Bowl championship season – and was the 2005 AFL Ironman Player of the Year.

“He’s just a phenomenal receiver,” Shackleford said. “He fits in great here – the guys like him. We knew he would fit ‘talent-wise,’ and we brought him in to see if ‘character-wise’ he would fit and he’s fit in instantly.

“He has a lot of credentials on his resume and you would never know it – he’s very mellow, very down to earth and doesn’t brag about his past. He just wants to get back up there.”