Shock get revenge
Fox Hole ticket: $40. Cold beer in plastic cup: $5. Likely home-field advantage in the playoffs: thousands in ticket sales.
Revenge: priceless.
The Spokane Shock looked true to form Saturday night, evening the all-time series with Tri-Cities at 1-all and cooling the Fever with a 56-36 win in front of 10,610 fans in arenafootball2 action at the Arena.
In what is sure to develop into one of the top rivalries in the af2, the defending ArenaCup champions avenged the previous 39-34 loss to the Fever (8-6) in Kennewick and secured a second straight af2 playoff appearance.
No home-field advantage yet, though.
The Shock (10-4) did their part to wrap up the Western Division – which was to beat the Fever by more than five points – but Central Valley’s 56-52 win over Lubbock will carry the division-title hunt into next week.
“Our goal now is to win these next two games and get a home-field game,” Shock coach Adam Shackleford said. “With Central Valley winning tonight we weren’t able to clinch the division, but we’re not worried about that right now – we’re worried about Amarillo.”
With the Fever on Spokane’s 6-yard line for the final play of the first half, Shock defensive back Nygel Rogers intercepted Fever quarterback Brian Baker in the end zone and kept things tied at 14 heading into the locker room.
The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter before the Shock came up with the defensive stop of the game. A five-TD fourth quarter for the Shock secured the victory.
“They’re a real physical team, and last game they were on top of us left and right and to stop them the way we did tonight – an interception and two big stops – that’s how you win football games, and that’s why we won by 20 points tonight,” Shock defensive back Rob Keefe said.
Spokane took a 28-21 lead early in the fourth quarter when quarterback Andrico Hines found Antwone Savage in the end zone for a 1-yard score.
Fever receiver J.R. Thomas led Tri-Cities down the field before the Shock stopped four plays inside their 5-yard line to hold onto the lead. Kelvin Dickens caught a 4-yard pass from Hines on the ensuing drive to give the Shock a 14-point lead with 7 minutes remaining.
“I think that (stop) was the turning point of the game,” Shackleford said. “Chico (Mackey) made a great run on first down – caught the ball short and ran up the field to get us in position – and that young man really stepped up.
“We weren’t even going to dress him at one point and we decided to dress (Chico) and Raul and we caught a lucky break there.”
Hines completed 21 of 27 passes, a significant improvement from the first meeting when he connected just 8 of 33 passes. He was just happy, though, for the team to get the win.
“It was a nice change of pace for the whole team – it’s not about one player, it’s about this family. We came together today and we stuck it out,” Hines said. “I’m just glad we got the win.”
Savage led the Shock receivers with four TDs, and Mackey caught seven passes for a team-high 50 yards.
Notes
Wide receiver Raul Vijil came off the field in the first quarter after re-injuring his right ankle and did not return to action. Shackleford said he is doubtful for next week’s game at Amarillo. … Defensive lineman Devon Parks added two sacks to his franchise-record six on the season. The previous record was set in 2006 by Neil Purvis (3.5).