Shock Look to Build on Hot Start in Arizona
March 20, 2014 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Spokane Shock News Release
SPOKANE, WA (March 20, 2014) - In a rematch of the 2013 National Conference Championship, the Spokane Shock (1-0) will take to the road to face off against rival Arizona Rattlers (1-0) this Sunday, March 23 at 3:30 p.m. PDT.
The Shock started off their 2014 campaign with an impressive 64-35 victory over the Iowa Barnstormers (0-1) last weekend. After a slow start, Shock quarterback Erik Meyer came to life, providing the sellout Spokane crowd with five touchdowns through the air and two more touchdowns on the ground.
Meyer leads a Shock offense that features reigning Wide Receiver of the year Adron Tennell and the electric pair of Brandon Thompkins and Mike Washington. The trio combined for 21 catches for 183 yards and five touchdowns in week one.
The most impressive part of the Shock's week one victory, however, was their defense and special teams. On the final play of the first half, Shock defensive back and return man Terrance Sanders returned a missed Iowa field goal attempt 56 yards for a touchdown, putting the Shock up by two possessions.
Impressing in the secondary for Spokane was rookie Bryant Nnabuife, who finished the night with three tackles and three passes defensed, a couple of which came on crucial downs.
Spokane held Iowa to 35 points in their opening night victory, marking only the sixth time in the Shock's AFL history they have held an opposing offense to 35 or fewer points.
The Rattlers are coming off a win of their own to start the season, taking down the Philadelphia Soul (0-1) in overtime by a score of 62-55. Arizona quarterback Nick Davila put together a huge night through the air, throwing 25 completions for 338 yards and seven touchdowns.
On the first drive of overtime, it was Davila's seventh touchdown of the night, and the fourth to Tyson Poots, that sealed the deal for the Rattlers over the Soul.
These two high-flying offenses will matchup for the 12th time this Sunday, with Arizona leading the all-time series 6-5. This will mark the second consecutive season in which both clubs are undefeated heading into their first matchup.
The last time these two clubs faced off was in the 2013 National Conference Championship, in which Arizona won and would eventually go on to capture ArenaBowl XXVI. The Shock found themselves with a 21-7 lead after the first quarter and a 35-31 lead at halftime before being outscored by the Rattlers 34-22 in the second half en route to a 65-57 Arizona win.
The game will be nationally broadcast can be found on CBS Sports Network with Ari Wolfe (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (analyst), and Sherdrick Bonner (sideline reporter) on the call.
• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League message board...
Arena Football League Stories from March 20, 2014
- Shock Look to Build on Hot Start in Arizona - Spokane Shock
- Week 2 Preview: Predators vs. KISS - Orlando Predators
- Philadelphia Adds Robert Redd to Receiving Corps - Philadelphia Soul
- Dieker Voted Week 1 AFL MVP - Cleveland Gladiators
- Storm Partners with Zumba Fitness - Tampa Bay Storm
- Former UCF Star Blake Bortles to Participate in Ceremonial Coin Toss Friday - Orlando Predators
- Rattlers Top First Coaches' Poll of 2014 - Tampa Bay Storm
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
