Sabercats Declawed by Shock
Jeffrey Giuliani
Thursday June 6, 2013
The Spokane Shock’s three game losing streak is a thing of the past. Spokane rolled over the San Jose Sabercats by a score of 75-45. With a win over their division rivals, Spokane jumps back into second place in the ultra-competitive West Division. San Jose got behind early and never really got close to catching up, allowing Spokane to coast to an easy victory.
Spokane’s defense, after being shredded during their three game skid, returned to form against San Jose. The Sabercats offensive woes began early. After scoring on their first drive, they turned the ball over on downs on their following possession. This allowed Spokane to score again and take an early 21-7 lead and possessions advantage. On their following possession, San Jose would again turn the ball over. Russ Michna’s pass was intercepted by Terrance Sanders, who ripped the ball out of the intended receiver’s hands. He would end up ducking and weaving his way into the endzone for six. After San Jose blocked the extra point and returned it for a safety, the score was 27-9. San Jose was held to only 16 points in the first half.
Things would get worse for San Jose. Russ Michna would end up leaving the game right before the half. After a poor first half performance, it wasn’t clear whether or not he was benched or injured. He would not return, categorized with an upper body injury. His backup, Mitch Mustain, would finish the half and ultimately finish the game under center for the Sabercats.
Spokane continued to show some real versatility in Saturday evening’s win. Shock WR Jeffrey Solomon began the game on the bench. But after an injury to Shock DB Patrick Stoudamire, Solomon would be called into action on the defensive side of the ball. After the game, Solomon told reporters that he hadn’t played defense since high school, but was prepared by head coach Andy Olson to fill in in case of injury. He would play well in a foreign position, picking off Mitch Mustain’s pass in the closing seconds of the second half. Solomon would also see action at receiver after Adron Tennell left the field with an injury. He would end up catching a touchdown from Erik Meyer. For his contributions on offense and defense, he won the J. Lewis Small Playmaker award on the evening.
The Shock offense operated a little differently than usual. Erik Meyer usually leads the way for Spokane, common in this kind of quarterback driven league. But for the league leader in passing touchdown’s and yards, Meyer was unusually quiet. He completed only nine passes for 145 yards and four touchdowns. Fan favorite Brandom Thompkins was on the receiving end for five of those completions for 86 yards and four touchdowns. There has been little rust in his game since returning to the Spokane Arena. Adron Tennell also had an unusual game. He did not have a receiving touchdown. He did most of his damage running the football. He set a single game team record with three rushing touchdowns against the Sabercats defense, while also catching five passes on the evening.
This figured to be a much closer contest. In the end, Spokane hit the ground running and never looked back, leaving the hapless Sabercats in the dust. But there is not much time to relax. The Jacksonville Sharks, arguably the American Conference’s best team, will visit Spokane this week. Sharks quarterback Bernard Morris figures to give the Shock issues with his mobility, similar to Tampa Bay’s Adrian McPherson. The Shock must continue winning if they have any hope of catching the 10-1 Arizona Rattlers, who still hold a two game lead in the West after barely escaping Philadelphia with a win. Kickoff at the Spokane Arena is set for June 8th at 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.
