Shock Ready for Familiar Foe and Faces
June 12, 2012 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Spokane Shock News Release
SPOKANE, WA (June 12th, 2012) - This week, the Spokane Shock (7-5) host their West Division rival, the Utah Blaze (8-5) at Spokane Arena with a 7:00pm PST kickoff on Saturday, June 16th, 2012.
As the Shock prepare to embark on what many would label as the most difficult four-week schedule in the AFL this entire season, they will meet their West Division Rival the Utah Blaze in a must win situation to keep their playoff hopes alive . They will not only face a familiar opponent in their division rival Utah this Saturday but will see a few familiar faces with two former Shock Coaches on the Blaze staff, Offensive Coordinator Matt Sauk and Defensive Coordinator Rob Keefe.
2008 - Matt Sauk (Shock QB/WR Coach), Andy Olson (Shock WR), Rob Keefe (Soul DB)
2009 - Rob Keefe (Def. Coord.), Andy Olson (Shock WR)
2010 - Rob Keefe (Shock H.C.), Matt Sauk (Asst. HC / Off. Coord.)
2011 - Rob Keefe (Shock H.C.), Andy Olson (Shock Off. Coord.), Matt Sauk (Utah Off. Coord.)
2012 - Andy Olson (Shock H.C.), Matt Sauk (Utah Off. Coord.), Rob Keefe (Utah Def. Coord.)
Shock QB Kyle Rowley enters this week's match-up with one of the deepest and most healthy Wide Receiver cores he has had in the past two seasons. With Brandon Thompkins, Adron Tennell, and Steven Black taking their turns hitting their marks the past few weeks, the late season addition of Rod Harper and Jeffrey Solomon offer a number of weapons at his disposal. In the nine (9) games Kyle has played this season, he has completed 219 of 335 attempts (65%) for 2,462 yards and 54 TDs. This week will offer a unique match-up against Utah as former Shock Coach Rob Keefe will be making the defensive calls for the Blaze.
Utah Blaze QB Tommy Grady is on pace for a record setting season in 2012. Through the first 14 weeks of the season, Grady completed 380 of 559 attempts (67.9%) for 4,425 yards, 101 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. With four games remaining after the Blaze face off with the Shock this weekend, Grady has the opportunity to shatter nearly every passing record in the book. If he can continue on this pace, he will likely break the single season records for: Passes Completed (466), Passes Attempted (700), Passing Yards (5,312), and TD Passes (117).
As Spokane gets set to take on their division rival, there will be a number of familiar faces both on the Coaching Staff of Utah as well as the player roster. Shaun Kauleinamoku, a former Shock WR, joined the Blaze roster after starting the season with the San Antonio Talons and in his eight (8) games with Utah has been a key attribute to QB Tommy Grady's success this season. In his six (6) games playing for the Blaze, Shaun has caught 57 passes for 741 yards and 16 TDs, averaging 123 yards per game.
Head Coach Andy Olson looks forward to the opportunity to Coach against a division rival, including one with so many familiar faces. In terms of former Shock Head Coach Rob Keefe's contribution to Utah's defense, Coach Olson looks forward to the challenge. "Rob brings a great amount of energy and excitement to his players and fans, energy that Utah hasn't had on the defensive side of the ball in the past," described Olson. In terms of the two having coached alongside each other just one year ago, Coach Olson is confident in his offense and the progress they continue to make each week: "Rob is a great Coach, but there really isn't anything that he can do that we haven't seen before."
Join the Spokane Shock as they take on the Utah Blaze this Saturday, June 16th at the Spokane Arena with a 7pm kickoff. Kids will receive a limited Terrance Sanders poster courtesy of Outback Steakhouse.
This week's game against Utah 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.
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