Arizona controlled Saturday’s matchup from the very beginning. The Rattlers jumped out to a lead early and never looked back. Spokane would match the Rattlers’ scores during the first quarter, but it wasn’t as effortless as Arizona’s touchdown drives.  Spokane had to work hard and get extra chances from Rattler penalties to score, whereas Arizona simply walked all over the Shock defense.

This would eventually catch up with the Shock. Spokane would turn the ball over on downs midway into the second quarter. Adron Tennell showed a rare lapse of concentration, dropping a ball on 4^th down that would have moved the chains. Spokane managed to hold the Rattlers to a field goal, leaving them behind at only ten going into the half. The Shock’s chance to cut into the Rattlers’ lead was blown in one play. On their first offensive snap of the second half, quarterback Erik Meyer was intercepted by Virgil Gray. Arizona would capitalize on Meyer’s blunder, taking a 38-21 lead and control of the football game.

There is no doubt who the best quarterback in the AFL is. Nick Davila surgically picked apart the Shock defense on Saturday evening to the tune of 233 yards and six touchdowns. He took whatever he wanted, effortlessly spreading the ball to his talented wide receiving corps. Four Rattlers had at least five receptions on the night, with Rod Windsor leading the stat sheet with seven receptions for 59 yards and three touchdowns. Arizona’s talented FB Odie Armstrong also had strong performance, scoring two rushing touchdowns and even tallying a thirteen yard reception.

Spokane’s offense sputtered against the Rattlers in their pivotal matchup. Statistically, most Shock players appeared to have good games. Meyer threw six touchdowns and completed 70 percent of his passes. Adron Tennell broke a Shock single game record for 15 receptions, four of which resulted in touchdowns. But four separate Shock drives were stymied by the Rattlers’ defense and ended with turnovers.  The chances of Nick Davila being held scoreless on four drives in a game are pretty slim; Spokane can’t make those kinds of errors against a team of Arizona’s caliber and expect to come out on top.

The much anticipated matchup between the league’s two best teams ended up being a disappointment. Although it was no blowout, it felt as though Arizona maintained firm control of the contest from beginning to end. The Rattlers now hold a comfortable three game lead in the West. The division title doesn’t look to be in the cards for Spokane. Still, Spokane needs to keep winning to stay ahead of the Sabercats for the second spot in the West. The struggling Utah Blaze travel to Spokane this Friday, trying to keep their slim playoff hopes alive with another win against the Shock. Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM PST.

Jeffrey Giuliani is a sports journalist from Renton, Washington. He is a senior at Western Washington Univeristy where he is studying journalism. Giuliani is currently the sports editor for his college paper, The Western Front and hopes to move on to a daily after obtaining his degree. This will be his third season covering the Spokane Shock for ArenaFan.