Shock clinch division crown
Four years in league, four division titles
FRESNO, Calif. – Nick Davila threw six touchdown passes in the first half and ran for a score in the second to propel the Spokane Shock to a 74-26 road victory over the Central Valley Coyotes in arenafootball2 play Saturday night.
With the victory Spokane (14-1) clinched its fourth Western Division crown in its four seasons in the league. The Shock also clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs – at least until the af2 championship game in Las Vegas.
Central Valley jumped out to a 7-0 lead, but the Shock answered with nine unanswered scoring drives to bury the Coyotes (3-12).
Davila knotted the score with a 5-yard scoring strike to Markee White at the 8:26 mark of the first quarter.
The Shock took the lead for good on a Davila-to-White 34-yard touchdown pass.
Davila put the Shock up 20-7 on the last play of the first quarter with a 20-yard TD toss to Raul Vijil.
Davila had TD passes of 17 yards to Charles Dillon and a 26-yarder and a 25-yarder to Vijil to put the Shock up 41-7 with 53 seconds remaining in the first half.
Spokane added a safety by Kev McCullough and a 24-yard field goal by Brian Jackson to take a 46-7 halftime lead.
The Shock scored twice in the third quarter on a 5-yard TD run by Dillon and a 2-yard scamper by Davila – sandwiched around a Coyotes TD – to lead 60-13.
White hauled in a 16-yard TD pass from backup Casey Hansen and Virgil Gray added a 58-yard kickoff return in the final period to cap the scoring for Spokane.
Davila finished 19 of 21 for 260 yards with one interception. Hansen was 4 of 4 for 48 yards.
Dillon topped the Shock receivers with eight catches for 85 yards.
Vigil had four catches for 78 yards and White snagged six for 68 yards.
Spokane also defeated CV 43-22 on May 23.