Shock go on the road to face divisional rival Portland Thunder
April 7, 2015 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Spokane Shock News Release
SPOKANE, Washington (April 7, 2015) - The Shock (0-2, 0-0) will go on the road in Week 3 to take on the Portland Thunder (1-1, 0-0) for the first of three Pacific Division games between the teams during the 2015 AFL regular season. Kickoff is set for Thursday, April 9 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon with a 7:00 p.m. PT kickoff. This week's game will be available on the Shock-VPI Radio Network on AM 700 ESPN Spokane and for viewing via the WatchESPN app or WatchESPN.com.
The Shock and Thunder met three times during the 2014 regular season, Portland's inaugural season in the Arena Football League. The Shock came out victorious in all three of those match-ups, hosting two of the three contests in Spokane.
The first ever meeting came on Saturday, April 12, 2014 at Spokane Veteran's Memorial Arena in front of 8,652 fans. Spokane opened the game with three unanswered touchdowns to take the first quarter lead at 20-0. Portland would respond with their own streak to take the lead in the third quarter at 21-20, but the Shock would rally with 35 points in the second half to seal the 55-27 win. The Shock offense only recorded 166 passing yards, but a smothering Shock defense would record six sacks, two fumble recoveries, and two interceptions on the night.
Over the final two matchups of the season, Portland would significantly decrease Spokane's margin of victory, coming within ten points on May 30, 2014 (Shock 58-48) and a mere five during the final game of the regular season on July 26 in Portland (Shock 50-45). Both teams would go on to post-season play and each would be defeated in the first round. The Shock falling to San Jose and Portland being defeated by the ArenaBowl champion Arizona Rattlers.
Portland made a coaching change during the off-season as former Head Coach Matt Sauk has taken on a new role within the L.A. Kiss organization. Mike Hohensee begins his first season as head coach of the Thunder in 2015 and his 21st season as a Head Coach in the AFL. Hohensee holds a 166-160 overall record and spent the last three AFL seasons (2012-2014) with Iowa where he led the Barnstormers to a 19-35 record. Hohensee retained Thunder Line Coach Clay Harrell from the existing 2014 staff, while adding Ernesto Purnsley as the Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator who was a part of Hohensee's staff in Iowa as well. Lee Johnson also joins the Thunder coaching staff in 2015 as the assistant defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator. Johnson was the head coach for the San Antonio Talons from 2012-2014.
The Thunder (1-1, 0-0) started the 2015 AFL season off against fellow second-year AFL franchise member L.A. Kiss, closing out a 42-37 win at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. The teams would exchange scoring throughout the game with six total lead changes, but three failed fourth down attempts by the Kiss would be the difference maker. Kiss quarterback Adrian McPherson completed 24 of 46 attempts for 241 yards and four touchdowns as receiver Donovan Morgan would haul in three of the four passing scores. Thunder quarterback Kyle Rowley completed 19 of 28 attempts for 209 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. Receiver Jamar Howard led the Thunder receiving effort with eight receptions for 114 yards and three scores.
Last week the Thunder hosted their second home game of the season, falling to the Tampa Bay Storm (1-1, 0-0) by a final score of 48-54. Portland quarterback Kyle Rowley continued feeding receiver Jamar Howard the ball, hooking up for 15 receptions with 221 yards and four touchdowns. Rowley completed 21 of 29 pass attempts on the night for 280 total passing yards and five touchdowns, but his sole interception of the game would come late in the fourth quarter during a potential game winning drive and allow Tampa to run out the clock and seal the Storm's Week 2 road victory.
The Shock find themselves in a 0-2 hole to start the 2015 season. The Week 1 43-60 loss in Arizona also resulted in starting quarterback Carson Coffman leaving the game at half-time with a minor knee injury, he is expected to miss another 2-3 weeks. With rookie back-up quarterback Warren Smith on the mend from a similar injury to Coffman that he sustained during the team's final scrimmage of training camp, Jarrett Brown took over in the second half against Arizona and started last weekend for Spokane against Philadelphia.
In the Week 2 match-up between the Shock and Philadelphia, the Spokane quarterback combo of Jarrett Brown and newly acquired AFL veteran Matt Bassuener would complete only 10 of 25 pass attempts for 138 yards and three touchdowns. Brown completed 7 of 14 attempts for two passing touchdowns and two picks, while adding two rushing touchdowns. Bassuener completed only 3 of 11 of his pass attempts for 49 yards and one touchdown with one rushing score. The Spokane defense kept the score within reach, intercepting Philadelphia quarterback Dan Raudabaugh twice (Dace, Dodd-Masters) off tipped balls near the line of scrimmage. They also held the Soul to two four-and-outs on the night, but it was the lackluster offensive performance of the Shock that would fall short of a comeback late in the game and lose by a final score of 43-54.
This week's game will feature the fourth different quarterback to attempt a pass for the Shock through Week 3 of the AFL regular season, as Danny Southwick was recently assigned to the Spokane roster and will be the anticipated starter this week against the Thunder.
Southwick (6-2, 205, Occidental) enters his fifth season in the AFL after playing for the Portland Thunder in 2014 where he competed in eight games and completed 165 of 263 pass attempts (62.7%) for 2,040 yards, 38 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Prior to joining the Thunder for their inaugural season, Southwick spent time with the Chicago Rush and Cleveland Gladiators in 2013, the San Jose SaberCats in 2012, and was with the Tampa Bay Storm for his rookie season in 2011.
The Shock also activated rookie quarterback Warren Smith from inactive reserve this week, who has recovered from a minor knee injury sustained in the Shock's final training camp scrimmage. The Shock have also placed quarterback Matt Bassuener on reassignment.
Following Spokane's Week 3 game in Portland, the team will have their first Bye Week of the 2015 AFL regular season. They will return to action in Week 5 as they travel to New Orleans, Louisiana to take on the VooDoo on Saturday, May 2 at the Smoothie King Center for a 5:00 p.m. PT kickoff. That game will be available for viewing on the WatchESPN app or WatchESPN.com, as well as for your listening pleasure on the Shock-VPI Radio Network on AM 700 ESPN Spokane.
The next Shock home game will be "Kid's Night" presented by Northwest Orthopaedic Specialists and Hot 96.9 FM radio on Saturday, April 25 at Spokane Veteran's Memorial Arena with a 7:00 p.m. PT kickoff. Fans will receive thunderstix courtesy of NWOS. Kids receive $3 OFF tickets purchased via TicketsWest. Umpqua bank will be hosting a Shox the Fox Photo Booth on the main concourse and will be handing out free Shock Kid's Autograph Books. Visit the Allsport booth on the main concourse and enter to win for a chance to take home an off-road vehicle. The post-game party will be held at The Black Diamond in Spokane Valley (9614 E Sprague Ave). The game will be broadcast live on SWX-TV, on radio via the Shock-VPI Radio Network on AM 700 ESPN Spokane, and online via the WatchESPN app or WatchESPN.com.
Tickets are on sale at all TicketsWest box office locations, the Spokane Arena box office, online at www.ticketswest.com, and by phone at 800-325-SEAT.
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