A win for good measure

Different people – fans, friends and media – approached a worn out Adam Shackleford following the final game of the regular season.

They all had essentially the same thing to say.

“At the end a lot of people will say ‘does it really matter?’ ” the second-year Spokane Shock coach said.

Sure, the Shock’s 63-48 arenafootball2 victory over the Boise Burn on Saturday night at the Arena had no meaning in terms of the postseason – at least not for Spokane. The Shock (15-1) clinched their third straight Western Division title a month ago and more recently earned the right to home-field advantage throughout the af2 playoffs, which begin next week.

But to Shackleford, and his players, the game still mattered.

“If you’re a true football player and you love this game then every time you step on the field it matters,” said Shackleford, whose two-year record as a head coach heading into the opening round of playoffs next week is 27-6.

“As a coach, every time I step on the football field – trust me – it matters,” Shackleford added. “We played like that tonight. It’s a team game, and I think we’re the ultimate team.”

A team that proved it’s not shallow on talent. Against the Burn (8-8), the Shock showed their depth.

Wide receiver Patrick Bugg, who Shackleford didn’t dress for last week’s game against Quad City, finished with five receptions – three of which were for touchdowns – and 82 yards.

Bugg hauled in a 20-yard pass from starting quarterback Nick Davila in the first quarter as Spokane took a 14-6 lead and had his longest catch of the game – a 23-yard reception – late in the third quarter from backup quarterback Jason Murrietta.

In three quarters of work, Davila completed 18 of 27 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns.

After Davila was picked off by Desmond Williams – which led to a Boise touchdown and narrowed the Shock’s lead to 37-35 – Murrietta went in and completed his first two passes. His second was the 23-yard TD pass to Bugg.

“That was our plan – at some point we were going to pull (Nick Davila) because we don’t want him to get hurt,” said Shackleford.

By the end of the game, Murrietta had completed 5 of 6 passes, connected with Bugg for two TDs and reached the end zone on a one-yard keeper. The only blemish for Murrietta was when Boise’s Levi Madarietta – who played for the Shock in 2006 – intercepted a pass late in the fourth quarter.

“Other than that one throw – the interception – I thought Jason Murrietta came in and proved that if anything happens (to Davila) that we can use him in the playoffs – he’s still an effective quarterback,” said Shackleford.

Receivers Andy Olson and Etu Molden also caught one TD pass each and Olson ran for another. Molden, who led all players with 90 receiving yards, caught a 13-yard pass from Davila for the first points of the second half.

“It was just a battle – we didn’t come in and expect to win real big, we just expected to win,” said Molden. “We go in (to the playoffs) with a win now, you get a little momentum and it’s better than going in with a loss.”

“It feels great, getting the win, but now we’re 0-0 again,” added Molden. “Onto the real playoffs now.”

The top-seeded Shock host the No. 8 seed – which will be Amarillo, Austin or Boise – next Saturday at the Arena at 7. All three teams finished 8-8 and are vying for the National Conference’s seventh and eighth seed into the playoffs.

Calls to the league office to confirm tiebreaking procedures were not immediately returned. If the tie is broken by records against common opponents, the Shock will play Austin, Amarillo will be seeded seventh and Boise will be eliminated.