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Week 12: Friday Night Matchup

June 11, 2009 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


SPOKANE SHOCK (9-0) AT STOCKTON LIGHTNING (4-6)

FRIDAY, June 12, 2009 - Stockton Arena (9,737) 10:30 P.M. ET

The undefeated Spokane Shock travel to Stockton, Calif. for the second time in 2009 to take on the Lightning in a West Division matchup at Stockton Arena. This is the third and final meeting of the year between the two clubs. Spokane and Stockton both came into the af2 in 2006 and since then the teams have had distinctly different histories. The Shock are in the midst of their fourth consecutive winning season and have had two ArenaCup appearances and one league title while the Lightning have had three straight losing campaigns. Spokane is also a perfect 9-0 against Stockton in the all-time, head-to-head series. Coming off a bye in Week 11, the top-ranked Shock's most recent result was a 61-20 road victory against Tri-Cities two weeks ago. The Spokane defense forced five Tri-Cities' turnovers and held the Fever scoreless for the final two quarters of play. Shock QB Nick Davila accounted for five total touchdowns, three passing (19-of-25 passing) and two rushing. Raul Vijil led the Spokane receiving corps with eight catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns. DB Sergio Gilliam paced the defense with 2.0 tackles, one interception, one pass breakup and a 44-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Overall, the Shock are ranked No. 1 in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 37.9 points per contest. DB STANLEY FRANKS is tied for second overall in tackles with 66.5 on the season. On the offensive side, the team ranks ninth in scoring at 57.9 points per game. Davila is the second-highest rated passer in the af2 at 125.8. Spokane is also tied for league lead in turnover margin (+16) and in fewest turnovers lost (12). A week after the Shock defeated Tri-Cities, the Fever played at Stockton and lost to the Lightning, 53-37. The victory was the second straight and third in the last four contests for the Lightning. Defense was the difference again as Stockton limited Tri-Cities to just nine points over the final two quarters. The team forced three interceptions on the night. LB JASON HUNT opened the third quarter scoring by tipping a pass by Tri-Cities QB TOMOTSUNA INOUE to himself and returning it 45 yards for a touchdown. On offense, QB Chad Cavender had five touchdown passes and 204 yards on 19-of-35 attempts. His frequent target, WR Justin Taplin, caught seven passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns. He also played on defense and recorded his first interception of the year. Taplin ranks fifth in the league in touchdown receptions (27) and receiving yards (1,132). If the Lightning want to continue their winning ways of late, they'll need another strong defensive effort. Stockton, however, will likely need to play a near perfect game if the club hopes to shock Spokane for the first time.

SHOCK LIGHTNING SERIES LEADER Spokane leads 9-0

LAST MEETING Spokane won 71-50 on 4/29/09

LAST FIVE GAMES 5-0 3-2

LAST GAME Won at Tri-Cities 61-20 on 5/30/09 Won vs. Tri-Cities 53-37 on 6/6/09

LEADERS SHOCK LIGHTNING PASSING Davila: 186-271-4; 2154; 47 TDs Cavender: 149-256-6; 1819; 37 TDs

RECEIVING Vijil: 66-756; 17 TDs Taplin: 85-1132; 27 TDs

RUSHING Nikolao: 39-118; 5 TDs Collins: 25-155; 7 TDs

TACKLES Franks: 66.5 Kenion:36.5

SACKS McCombs: 10.5 Robinson: 2

INTERCEPTIONS Gilliam: 5 Four players tied: 2

KICKING Jackson: 62-68 PAT; 7-9 FG; 83 PTs Irvine: 21-27 PAT; 3-5 FG; 30 PTs

TEAM OFFENSE 57.9 PPG; 277.9 YPG 51.5 PPG; 296.4 YPG

TEAM DEFENSE 37.9 PPG; 273.4 YPG 56.8 PPG; 294.2 YPG



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