Lone Star shines for Shock trio
There are no homecoming games in arenafootball2, but Saturday will come close for the Spokane Shock’s three Texas transplants.
Spokane, which won at Lubbock three weeks ago, makes another trip to Texas to face the Austin Wranglers. It’ll be the fifth road trip in eight games for the second-ranked Shock (7-0), but former Texas A&M teammates Jason Jack, Lee Foliaki and Justin Warren don’t mind this one at all.
“It’s always good to go back home, nice weather,” said Jack, who grew up in Houston. “Being from there, it’s like I want to make Texas proud.”
The Texas trio figures to have about 60 friends and relatives in attendance at the Frank Erwin Center.
“It’s going to be special with a lot of our family and friends coming,” Warren said. “Even last time when we got to the airport in Dallas and we were going to Lubbock, it was like something came over me and Lee where we wanted to smile because we knew we were back home.”
Jack, a defensive lineman, was the first to sign with the Shock. That opened a pipeline that eventually brought Foliaki, a linebacker from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and Justin Warren, a defensive lineman from Tyler. One of their Texas A&M teammates was Wranglers standout receiver John Roberson.
“When Jason signed here I was at A&M taking classes and working,” Foliaki said. “Ryan (Rigmaiden) in the front office called and I guess Jason was telling them about me. Ryan asked if I was interested in playing and I said, ‘Yeah, it beats just a regular job.’ Jason said it’s pretty good up here and they took good care of him, so that’s how they got me up here.”
Warren was drafted by Texas of the AAFL, but the league postponed its inaugural season until 2009. At that point, “I called Justin and said, ‘You need to come up here and get back on the field,’ ” Jack said.
Foliaki and Warren often lined up next to each other as linebackers at A&M with Jack a few yards away on the line. The three share an apartment in Spokane.
“It makes the transition of being away from home easier,” Foliaki said. “I’ve made some new friends up here and I still have the guys I know from school.”
The former Aggies have benefited from playing for Spokane.
“I can’t complain,” Warren said. “We’re undefeated. Jason is coming back from his knee injury. Lee and I are starting and we’re all getting good playing time.”
Sauk helps from far away
Matt Sauk left the Shock coaching staff last week to renew his playing career with Arizona in the AFL. He was the No. 2 quarterback as the Rattlers knocked off Dallas, but he’s still helping Spokane in his spare time. Sauk used his computer to watch tape and grade Spokane’s offense against Tri-Cities. He also helped with game-planning sessions Sunday and Monday via conference call.
“He told me it was 108 degrees and they’re practicing outside,” Shock head coach Adam Shackleford said. “He’s having fun, he’s learning and he’s going to bring some things back here when he’s done.”
Notes
The Shock are ranked No. 2 in the af2 coaches’ poll for the eighth consecutive week. Tulsa (8-0) remains at No. 1 with 21 out of 29 first-place votes. … Defensive back Tremaine Tyler (hamstring) is on injured reserve and will be out a minimum of four weeks. Roshawn Marshall, who started Spokane’s first four games, returns to the starting lineup. … Shackleford has talked about giving receiver Raul Vijil, who is battling several injuries, a week off, but it won’t be this week. Kelvin Dickens (bone bruise in his knee) is questionable. If he can’t play, Patrick Bugg probably would start and Mutsumi Takahashi would make his Shock debut. … Spokane has traded Rod Wright (to Tri-Cities) and Anthony Brown (to Amarillo) for future considerations.