Winning formula

If every game is like this, the Spokane Shock might be on to something.

Spokane’s inaugural arenafootball2 game had a little bit of everything – turnovers, numerous penalties, plenty of points and a dramatic defensive stop in the final minute to preserve the Shock’s 41-40 victory over Stockton in front of 9,386 Thursday at the Arena.

“A lot of these (af2) games are like this because there’s so much parity in this league,” Shock coach Chris Siegfried said. “It’s really hard to get an easy win. What a tremendous battle.”

Spokane broke a 34-all tie on Levi Madarieta’s 1-yard touchdown run. Jon Koker’s extra point, which would eventually prove crucial, bumped Spokane’s lead to 41-34 with 10:08 left in the fourth quarter.

Stockton scored from 8 yards out when former Eastern Washington University quarterback Josh Blankenship hit 315-pound Chris Harris on a screen pass. Shock lineman Chuck Jones, however, burst up the middle to block the Geoff Groshelle’s PAT.

“I told Coach I was going to get one,” Jones said. “I just came right up the middle. Let’s expose this man, it was the left guard. He took the play off.”

Leading 41-40, Spokane’s offense sputtered and Stockton took possession at its 15-yard line with 4:14 remaining. The Lightning moved to Spokane’s 14 where it faced fourth-and-1. Blankenship tried a quarterback sneak but was stood up by a swarm of defenders. An official measurement showed that Stockton came up short and Siegfried celebrated by bear-hugging defensive coordinator Troy Biladeau on the field.

“Sometimes it’s a marathon and you just hope you have that defense that can step up and hold them and they did,” said Spokane quarterback Alex Neist, who was 15 of 28 for 173 yards.

The first half, which was bogged down by numerous penalties on both sides, finished in a 27-all draw. Stockton scored first on an 11-play drive – a rarity in af2 for sheer number of plays – that Blankenship capped by hitting Kenyatte Morgan on a crossing route.