Shock Prepare For West Division Rival

June 18, 2012 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Spokane Shock News Release


SPOKANE, WA (June 18th, 2012) - This week, the Spokane Shock (7-6) will travel to California to face another West Division rival for the second week in a row against in the San Jose SaberCats (9-5) at HP Pavilion with a 7:30pm PST kickoff on Saturday, June 23rd, 2012.

The Shock enter week 16 in the fourth spot of the West Division after suffering a last second defeat at the hands of the Utah Blaze (9-5) last week in Spokane, WA. Due to their tough loss, the Shock must defeat the SaberCats this weekend in order to keep their playoff hopes alive within the talented West Division; it remains the only division in the AFL whose teams all have winning records. In the Central Division of the National Conference, the San Antonio Talons (10-3) still hold a firm grasp on the first place position with the Chicago Rush (8-5) holding the second place spot.

National Conference Standings (as of Week 16)

Central Division

San Antonio Talons (10-3 Overall) (3-0 Division)

Chicago Rush (8-5 Overall) (3-1 Division)

Iowa Barnstormers (5-9 Overall) (1-3 Division)

Kansas City Command (3-10 Overall) (0-3 Division)

West Division

Arizona Rattlers (10-3 Overall) (2-2 Division)

San Jose SaberCats (9-5 Overall) (4-1 Division)

Utah Blaze (9-5 Overall) (3-2 Division)

Spokane Shock (7-6 Overall) (0-4 Division)

The Playoff Qualification allows eight teams to qualify for the playoffs: four from each conference (American and National) which consists of the two division champions and two Wild Cards that are determined by overall record. Due to both Wild Card spots being able to come out of the same division based off the standings of the overall records, there are still a few scenarios that leave Spokane with an opportunity for post-season play.

In one scenario break down of potential finishes to the season in which the Shock could obtain a Wild Card spot in the National Conference:

- Shock go 4-1 in remaining five games (SPO finishes 11-7, gets Wild Card) - Chicago loses to San Antonio and San Jose (CHI finishes 10-8, SA takes #1 seed) - Arizona wins only one of their remaining four games (AZ finishes 12-6, takes #2 seed) - San Jose goes .500 in their remaining contests (SJ finishes 11-7, gets Wild Card) - Utah wins only one more game (UTAH finishes 10-8)

In another scenario breakdown:

- Shock go 5-0 in remaining five games (SPO finishes 12-6, gets Wild Card) - Chicago loses out for the remainder of the season (CHI finishes 8-10) - San Antonio beats Arizona to beat Arizona (SA finishes 15-3, gets #1 seed) - San Jose beats Utah and loses their other three contests (SJ finishes 10-8, gets Wild Card) - Utah loses all of their remaining games (UTAH finishes 9-9)

Watch the Spokane Shock as they take on the San Jose SaberCats this Saturday, June 23rd at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA with a 7:30pm kickoff.

This week's game against San Jose will be broadcasted live on SWX and online via the Shock's Ustream page (www.ustream.tv/spokaneshock). Radio coverage for the game will also be available on 700ESPN with regular updates coming through on the Shock's Facebook and Twitter (@thespokaneshock) pages.



Arena Football League Stories from June 18, 2012


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