Getting back at it
Jerome Stevens shouldn’t have a hard time remembering his wedding anniversary.
It was just last August – the 26th to be exact – that he tied the knot.
That also happened to be the day that the expansion Spokane Shock finished off their Cinderella arenafootball2 season by thwarting Green Bay and bringing home the Arena Cup.
When training camp opened Saturday morning, the trophy was sitting front and center in the new Shock Center, serving as a reminder of the team’s road to arena football glory last year.
But it’s a new season, which in the af2 means many new faces.
Now in their second year, the Shock have a permanent practice facility, a fresh coaching staff and some promising athletes who are looking to keep the Cup in Spokane.
Especially Stevens, who missed the championship game for his wedding.
“It’s always the goal,” the 6-foot-3, 300-pound lineman said. “Everybody wants to make it to the big game, so, hopefully, we can get there again this year and I can be a part of that.”
Stevens, one of six returning players on the incomplete 20-man active roster, said the first step toward another impact season is getting to know one another before their March 31 season opener against the Stockton Lightning.
“Getting to know the guys on the team is the first and foremost important thing right now,” he said. “You’ve got to have that camaraderie off the field so it will translate on the field.”
Second-team all-leaguer DS Rob Keefe (6-0, 190); WR/DB Raul Vijil (5-10, 185); OL/DL Rico Ochoa (6-3, 315); OL/DL Katon Bethay (6-2, 310); and PK Jon Koker are also returning for the Shock.
Perhaps the most promising new player is last season’s af2 Rookie of the Year – quarterback Brett Dietz.
Dietz (6-4, 220) played last season for the Louisville Fire – one of two teams that beat Spokane – where new Spokane head coach Adam Shackleford was Dietz’s offensive coordinator. Dietz was signed by the Arena Bowl champion Chicago Rush but was released just before the start of their season.
“Brett is an outstanding quarterback and person,” Shackleford said. “He’s not going to walk in and start – he’ll have to earn it, and we have two other guys (Andrico Hines and Matt Gutierrez) who are competing for the job, but we’re very excited for him to come and play for us.”
Dietz, who led the league in passing efficiency (126.7) last season, is expected to report to training camp Monday or Tuesday.
The Shock’s new practice facility, the former Planet Ice, is an addition that will undoubtedly be advantageous.
The team is practicing on the game-day field, but is in the process of buying another one from the Tri-Cities Fever that will not have to be transported back and forth from the Arena – a process that can easily take an entire day.
After bouncing last season among Albi Stadium, the Arena and whatever else was available to them, the team seems thrilled to have a home of their own.
“It’s going to be so nice,” general manager Adam Nebeker said. “Without a doubt it’s going to save time, and it should make things run even smoother.”
After the success the Shock saw last year, it’s no surprise a lengthy line of people was waiting as early as 8 a.m. to pick up their season tickets.
The fans were unanimous that they expect another winning season, and, with fortune, another title.
But the 29-year-old Shackleford isn’t looking that far ahead – yet.
“The pressure to win and to have success, I put most of that on myself,” Shackleford said. “They had a great year last year, and we are just going to take it one game at a time.
“The overall goal hasn’t changed, but for right now it’s one play, one game at a time.”