Spokane to host Colorado for part 2 of back-to-back home stand
April 6, 2016 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Spokane Empire News Release
SPOKANE, Wash. - The Spokane Empire (3-1, 1-1) will return to Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena for Week 8 IFL action as they will host the Colorado Crush (0-5, 0-2) this Saturday, April 9th with a 7:00 p.m. PT kickoff.
This Saturday is "Family Night" at the Spokane Arena is brought to you by Inland Northwest Blood Center and 92.9 ZZU FM Spokane. The first 3,500 fans will receive hand-clappers courtesy of INBC. During the post-game autograph session, the local musical group The Incandescent will be playing a live set for fans to enjoy on the field. After the game, fans are encouraged to join the Empire at The Black Diamond located at 9614 E Sprague Avenue in Spokane Valley for the post-game party.
The Week 8 match-up will feature the Intense Conference leader in the Empire and a defeated Colorado franchise still in search of their first win of the season.
Last week, Spokane hosted the Iowa Barnstormers for their first game after two consecutive bye weeks and were led by the rushing attack of Trevor Kennedy who racked up 127 yards and four touchdowns on 13 carries.
While Spokane had success early and were able to jump out to a 40-21 lead at the half, Iowa struggled against the Empire defense as they would be intercepted three times on the night. Down the stretch, missed field goals (2) and a missed PAT earlier in the contest would prevent the Barnstormers from mounting an upset as Spokane would hold out for a 54-51 win.
Colorado has struggled through their first five games of the season, but have been in a number of games late with opportunities to win. They will visit Spokane this Saturday at the tail end of a week-long stay in Washington as they spent the week in Kennewick after their Week 7 game against the Fever.
Last weekend the Crush nearly came away with their first win of the year as they led 34-30 with four minutes remaining in the game. The Fever would then go on to mount a scoring drive with just over twenty seconds remaining and take a three-point lead. Colorado had an opportunity to tie the game with a field goal, but three straight incompletions would force a 54-yard attempt as time expired which would not find the uprights resulting in the Crush's fifth straight loss to start the season.
Spokane will enter Week 8 ranked sixth in scoring offense (50.5) after their first four games of the season while giving up 49.2 points per game to their opponents (ranked sixth). Colorado is ranked eighth in both scoring offense (42.8) and scoring defense (52.6). The Crush are ranked last in the IFL in total defense (259.0 yards per game).
Despite Colorado's 0-5 start, the Empire are not taking their opponent lightly and are preparing for a tough game against the Crush.
"This is the best 0-5 team I've ever seen," said Empire Head Coach Adam Shackleford. "They have a championship coach that at some point will get the losing to stop. They are a team that is capable of winning football games."
This Saturday's game will be aired live on SWX-TV and available for your listening pleasure via AM 700 ESPN Spokane. The pre-game show will begin at 6:30 p.m. with Larry Weir on the call. That game will also be available for online viewing on IFLLive.TV.
Indoor Football League Stories from April 6, 2016
- Week 7 Players of the Week Announced - IFL
- Blizzard Trade DB Jamie Bender - Green Bay Blizzard
- Iowa Barnstormers vs. Nebraska Danger Preview - Iowa Barnstormers
- Spokane to host Colorado for part 2 of back-to-back home stand - Spokane Empire
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.
