Defense carries Shock

This wasn’t a typical arenafootball2 game.

Points were scarce. Defensive stops and turnovers were abundant. There was a safety, a couple of field goals and spot-on postgame analysis by Spokane Shock coach Adam Shackleford.

“Who pitched?” cracked Shackleford after watching the defense carry the top-ranked Shock to a 43-22 victory over Central Valley in front of 10,223 Saturday at the Spokane Arena.

How strange was it? At halftime, Spokane led 13-9, one of the lowest-scoring halves in franchise history. The Shock led Arkansas 14-7 at halftime before going on to a 42-14 win in the opening round of the 2008 playoffs.

“That’s an outdoor game,” Shock quarterback Nick Davila said of the halftime score.

Davila, though, missed most of the first half after absorbing a huge hit on Spokane’s first play from scrimmage. He was drilled by linebacker Jajuan Huddleston as he released the ball and it floated into the arms defensive back Ruschard Dodd-Masters at the goal line. Davila left the field holding his left (throwing) arm and didn’t return until late in the second quarter.

“I got hit on the nerve and it just made the tendon swell up, and I have a big, deep contusion in my forearm,” Davila said. “It kind of went numb. Just to move it hurts.”