The domination of the Sharks started early. Spokane scored a touchdown on their first drive, and never relinquished the lead. Jacksonville would answer on their first drive, but a missed PAT would keep them from tying. The Sharks would have an opportunity to take the lead after recovering a fumble, but the Shock defense would answer right back with their own fumble recovery. Jacksonville would sorely miss this chance later, as things were about to fall apart for them at Sea Best Field.

Spokane and Jacksonville would trade touchdowns, bringing the score to 21-13. Then, former Shock quarterback Kyle Rowley would start making critical errors. Trying to bring the score within one, Rowley was picked off by LB Terrance Moore, who would rumble his way back for a touchdown. In an attempt to stop the bleeding, Rowley’s efforts were for naught. His next pass would be intercepted and returned for six, this time by Paul Stephens. Back to back interceptions returned for touchdowns put Jacksonville in a 35-13 hole that was too deep to climb out of.

The Spokane defense has seen marked improvement from earlier in the season. During the three game losing streak, Shock DBs had a difficult time stopping opposing wide receivers. The deep ball defense was ineffective, 40 yard touchdown bombs were commonplace. But the defense has cracked down on opposing passers. Spokane has given up more than fifty points in only one of their last seven games. A tough defense will be essential in the post season.

Perhaps the Shock’s most versatile and fascinating players stepped up big in Jacksonville. After Brandon Thompkins was ejected, Arvell Nelson was thrust into the third wide receiver spot. He’s listed as a quarterback on the roster, but has been Andy Olson’s Swiss Army knife throughout the 2013 campaign. He caught five passes for 38 yards and four touchdowns in an unexpected appearance. His 6’5”, 230 pound frame creates a perfect red zone target. Nelson has also shown that he can effectively run the offense from his natural position at quarterback, tossing four touchdowns in various relief appearances. He’s even had work on the defensive side, playing linebacker due to injuries. With only 20 players on a game day roster, having a player with that kind of versatility helps Andy Olson rest easy.

The juggernaut Shock offense was quiet on the stat sheet, but big on the scoreboard. Erik Meyer threw for only 182 yards, but managed six touchdown passes. Meyer’s ball security has taken a small hit in recent weeks. Meyer has now thrown an interception in four of his last five starts, after going his first five games without one. Against the cannon fodder of the AFL, this can be overcome. But if Spokane ends up meeting the Rattlers in the post season, that could become more of an issue. Against Arizona, committing more than one turnover will likely result in a loss. Meyer needs to take extreme care of the ball as the season comes to a close.

Déjà vu. Just like the week before, Spokane won in a blowout. And right on their tail, the pesky San Jose Sabercats won too. The pressure is still on Spokane, with both teams at 12-4. The Shock’s next opponent will be the San Antonio Talons. On paper, this looks to be another slam dunk win: A 9-7 team that Spokane has already defeated, coming to the Spokane Arena. But this has trap game written all over it. The Talons have gutted out nine tough wins, despite trotting out six different signal callers this season. Their defense is one of the AFL’s best, and their backs are against the wall in a dogfight with Chicago for the last National Conference playoff spot. Spokane can’t take this team lightly. Kickoff in Spokane is scheduled for July 19^th at 7:00 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.