Thunder Fall to Shock, 55-27

Sunday April 13, 2014

 Thunder Rally From 20-0 Deficit, But Remain Winless After Penalties, Tough Breaks

SPOKANE, Wash. – After three quarters, the Thunder looked primed for their first win of the season in a rowdy Spokane Veterans Memorial Coliseum. They’d battled back from a 20-0 deficit to take a lead at 21-20. They’d forced the Shock, at that point leading 27-21, into fourth down to start the fourth quarter.

Shortly after that, the balls began bouncing Spokane’s way. After the Thunder forced the turnover on downs, Spokane scored on defense as Terrance Sanders picked off a pass and took it into the end zone for six. After a turnover on downs, Meyer connected with Adron Tennell on the side of the end zone on a pass that was tipped by defensive back Varmah Sonie and bounced off the wall. Then the extra point hit the upright and bounced through.

On the ensuing kickoff, the ball bounced awkwardly off the net through the front of end zone and the Shock recovered it for another touchdown. Armed with a 48-21 lead, the Shock held the Thunder off the rest of the way.

Earlier, it looked as though the Thunder were going to leave the Lilac City happy. After going down 20-0, the team rallied with a couple of Jeffrey Solomon touchdowns and stout defensive play that frustrated one of the league’s top offenses all night. Donte Paige-Moss had two sacks of Erik Meyer and the rest of the line forced Meyer to look incredibly uncomfortable while throwing the ball away time and time again.

Jack linebacker Bryce Peila recorded his third interception of the season in the comeback. The defense held Spokane’s offense to just 152 yards for the game; unfortunately for the Thunder, the team was penalized 21 times for 180 yards, including a couple of penalties that wiped out some third- and fourth-and-longs.

Danny Southwick got the start at quarterback and completed 20 of 31 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns. Darron Thomas got in the game late and completed one of his three passes for a 45-yard touchdown. Each quarterback threw an interception.

Jeffrey Solomon led all receivers with seven catches for 132 yards and three touchdowns.

The Thunder will face another division rival this Friday, April 18, at the Moda Center. They’ll try to avenge their Week 1 loss against a San Jose team that has now dropped three in a row themselves. The game will be televised on CSNNW, can be streamed via ESPN3, and broadcast via radio on 750 The Game.

About the Portland Thunder

The Portland Thunder are a professional arena football team of the Arena Football League from Portland, Oregon, USA. They play their home games at the Moda Center. 2014 marks the franchise’s first season. Tickets and Sponsorships are available for the 2014 season. For more information, email us at info@portlandthunder.com or call 503-773-4235. To keep up to date on everything happening with the Thunder, become a fan on Facebook (www.facebook.com/pdxthunder), or follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@pdxthunder).