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Spokane Shock

Sioux Falls’ offensive line presents major challenge for Spokane Empire

Spokane Empire defensive linemen Toby Jackson and Benjamin Perry, rear, said discipline and limiting mistakes will be big factors toward defeating Sioux Falls. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)
Spokane Empire defensive linemen Toby Jackson and Benjamin Perry, rear, said discipline and limiting mistakes will be big factors toward defeating Sioux Falls. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)Buy a print of this photo
By Jim Meehan jimm@spokesman.com(509) 459-5585

When All-Indoor Football League ballots come out each year, Adam Shackleford keeps Myniya Smith in mind.

There may be some in Spokane who remember Smith because he spent some time with the Shock. Smith now toils in relative anonymity on Sioux Falls’ offensive line, not a position where most fans’ eyes are focused.

Shackleford played offensive line at Anderson University, but that’s not why Smith stands out.

“I vote for him as league MVP every year,” said Shackleford, the Spokane Empire coach who was at Tri-Cities the previous six seasons. “He’s the best player in the league. Just like Orlando Pace should have won the Heisman his senior year. He was the best player in the country.”

Shackleford probably wouldn’t get much argument from Sioux Falls coach Kurtiss Riggs – except maybe this season.

“I nominated Charlie (Sanders, center) for MVP,” Riggs said. “I don’t think a lineman is ever going to get it, but we also have a lot of good guys around those guys. They’re definitely two top guys.”

And potentially one big headache for Spokane, which visits five-time defending champion Sioux Falls on Saturday in the United Bowl.

Smith and Sanders have been first-team All-IFL in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. There are only three first-team linemen each year. They came to Sioux Falls, along with standout quarterback Chris Dixon and others, after helping Billings win the 2010 United Bowl over the Storm. Dixon and Smith were on Billings’ 2009 title team.

“They’ve been in this league for a while and they know the ins and outs,” said Empire defensive end Benjamin Perry, fourth in the league with 9.5 sacks. “The quarterback (Lorenzo Brown) helps them out. He’s a very mobile guy and they work together to give the receivers more time so we have to disrupt that. We have to be active, violent hands. We have to dominate.

“We can’t look for them to make mistakes. We have to make plays.”

Beyond Smith and Sanders, Riggs said Rashaud Mungro and Kyle Bryant “could easily be first-team linemen. They’ve had outstanding years. We played without Sanders against the best defense in the league (Cedar Rapids in the United Conference title game). That says a lot about the other guys.”

Sioux Falls’ line has cleared the way for the IFL’s top rushing attack: 2,022 yards, 5.2 per carry, 126.4 yards per game, 64 touchdowns. Second in those categories: 1,405 yards, 4.1 per carry, 87.8 yards per game, 53 touchdowns.

The Storm employ a variety of ball carriers and play calls, including a jet sweep that stung Spokane in the first meeting. Brown edged Trevor Kennedy, who missed the final three games of the regular season with a broken leg, for the rushing title 724-720. Four other Storm players had at least 200 yards and at least six touchdowns.

“You have to stay disciplined,” Empire defensive lineman Toby Jackson said. “If you get one guy out of position, it can be a touchdown. They have so many different things going on with the jet sweep, you really have to do your job.”

Spokane’s defense had mixed results in two losses to the Storm. Sioux Falls scored 59 and 63 points, but a portion of those points were related to nine Empire turnovers. The Storm had 10 rushing TDs in the two games and 248 ground yards.

Spokane sacked Brown three times. Brown completed 10 of 23 passes in the initial meeting.

“The defense has done well (against Sioux Falls), but we have to do better,” Perry said. “Obviously, it wasn’t enough to get the (wins). There were times we had a few great plays, but then we’d make one mistake. That’s what we can’t let happen. We can’t have those mistakes and they gash us with big runs.”

The Storm were pass-happy with Dixon at the controls but have evolved to a balanced approach after the quarterback retired.

“We were pretty wide open, 70 points a game, let’s throw the ball all over the field,” Riggs said. “We knew we couldn’t do that because we had two quarterbacks that couldn’t be Chris. We had a great tailback in Tory Harrison and great skill guys so it was, ‘How can we get the ball in their hands?’ That’s how we started building the offense.

“As it evolved, we can score just as easily running the ball instead of throwing it every down.”