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Coverage tightened as Spokane Shock quarterback Charles McCullum scanned the fresh, blue and orange turf looking for a receiver and a cushion.

Spokane Shock quarterback Charles McCullum won't believe he's playing until a referee's coin bounces off the Spokane Arena turf.

Shortly after absorbing some after-the-whistle contact, Spokane Shock running back Davonte Sapp-Lynch made it a point to dole out some punishment of his own.

Most had a wandering path to the Lilac City and the indoor brand of football, with detours from the NFL and Canadian Football League chopping blocks or other professional leagues that fizzled.

Home games begin April 10 at the Spokane Arena against the Green Bay Blizzard before facing the Tucson Sugar Skulls on April 17.

An older brother - ex-Seahawks great Marshawn Lynch - has aided Sapp-Spokane Shock running back Davonte Sapp-Lynch's confidence.

This wasn't the path Dehonta Hayes envisioned when he concluded a solid Eastern Washington football career, but he's taking it with gratitude.

After a two-year absence, it appears arena football is returning to Spokane, along with the popular Shock name. Spokane is expected to return to the Indoor Football League for the 2020 season, a league source confirmed.

When the Spokane Empire ceased operations after the 2017 season, head coach Adam Shackleford thought his 35-year streak of involvement in football was coming to an end. He had held nearly every title – player, assistant coach, personnel director, offensive coordinator, head coach – but he wondered if it was time to stay on the sideline with his family firmly settled in Spokane.

The season is winding down in arena football leagues across the country but not in Spokane. The franchise – known as the Shock for the first 10 seasons in arenafootball2 and the Arena Football League and the Empire for two seasons in the Indoor Football League – shuttered last July for financial reasons. The organization’s 12-year run was long by most arena franchise standards, but not long enough for its diehard fans.

Terrance Sanders experienced numerous ups and downs during his lengthy arena football career. That’s continued in his post-football life.