Lori's Take:

Spokane's Ninth Man was shocked by the start of tonight's game with the 55-yard kick return by Oklahoma City's WR Craig Fulton, Jr.. Although the Shock defense and ninth man rallied hard and stopped the Yard Dawgz for three downs, WR/DB Al Hunt was the first to score with a 1-yard run.

The Shock offense fought the Yard Dawgz and the officials for their hard-earned touchdown, a 4-yard reception by Raul “The Thrill” Vijil. Unfortunately, the extra point by K Brian Jackson was no good and the Shock trailed 6-7. The Yard Dawgz scored again, this time a 4-yard run by QB Robert Kent. The Yard Dawgz led at the end of the first quarter, 14-6.

Shock QB Nick Davila and the offense marched down the field, with Davila connecting with many of his receivers for positive yards. Even 6'4” 300 lb. OL John Booker had his hand in the action with his reception and subsequent acrobatics for a first down. Not an easy feat for a man of his stature, but it sure was fun to watch. This set up nicely for FB Harrison Nikolao's 6-yard touchdown run.

Vijil scored his second touchdown of the night, this time a 12-yard touchdown reception from Davila. Davila then connected with WR Markee White for a 2-point conversion to tie the game at 21. Markee White also thrilled the crowd with his 16-yard touchdown reception late in the second quarter. It was quite apparent that both teams were hungry for a win tonight as both scored on each possession. The game was tied at 28 at the end of the second half.

The Shock took their first lead in the game within the first five minutes of the third quarter, thanks to Davila's 1-yard touchdown run. The defense, led by LB/FB Kevin McCullough with his fumble recovery, provided an opportunity for the offense to score and put an end to the back and forth scoring between the two teams. Davila scored his second touchdown of the night with another 1-yard run. Jackson's extra point kick was good, widening the point margin by 14.

That margin wasn't good enough for Shock DB Sergio Gilliam. His 22-yard interception return for a touchdown did more than put points on the board. It was also put an end to the Yard Dawgz last chance to score in the third quarter. The relentless Shock defense held the Yard Dawgs scoreless and totally changed the momentum of the game. The Shock led 48-28.

Davila found Vijil yet again with a [ ]-yard touchdown reception. Gilliam then came up with his second interception of the night. QB Casey Hasen took the reigns and led the offense back towards the end zone. He connected with White for a [ ]-yard touchdown reception. Jackson's kick was good, increasing the lead to 61-28. The defense continued to wear down the Yard Dawgz and held them completely scoreless in the second half.

Shawn's Take:  

The Shock came into tonight standing at 11 - 0.  Very impressive for any team.

Contrary to what many may believe, this is tough to achieve.  The Shock simply dominate the opposing teams, which would lead you to believe that maybe the Shock are playing against immature teams.

I would beg to differ!

In many circles, arena football is look down upon.  Obviously, they have never really looked at what it takes to succeed in this version of football.

Back in 2006 when the Shock took the arena cup in their inaugural season, Shock DB Isaiah Trufant played for the Shock.  His brother, Marcus Trufant made it to one of the games to watch his brother play.

After that game, I went out to Cheney to interview Marcus Trufant at the Seahawk training camp.

Like many others, I believed that arena football was some how not nearly as professional as outdoor football.

So, I asked Marcus, "If money were the same, would you prefer arena or outdoor football?"  He said with a big smile, "Definitely outdoor!  That arena football is crazy.  Getting slammed into the walls and everything.  It is so fast you don't have time to think!  I love outdoor football. It's big and gives me time to think."

After that short interview, I realized at that moment, that arena football at any level is professional.  Many outdoor players would never willing go into arena, for other reasons besides the pay.

So, I admire these guys working their tails off to get film and hopefully get workouts with other teams in the AFL, CFL or NFL.

That being said, the Shock trailed the Yard Dawgz the whole first half until the end of the half when the Shock tied up the game.

The Yard Dawgz had interesting plays that required the quarterback to play a wide receiver.  This caused confusion in the beginning for the Shock, however, as the game continued, the d-line picked up on this and began stopping the plays behind the line of scrimmage.

Starting the second half, the Shock simply exploded.  The defense swarmed Oklahoma's QB making it impossible for him to achieve any kind of rythem.  The situation escalated quickly and required Oklahoma to pull out their starting QB and put their back up in.

AS the Shock defense heated up, holding the Yard Dawgz scoreless in the second half, the offense continued to capitalize on every situation.  The game was over for the Yard Dawgz.

In the end, the Yard Dawgz went home licking their wounds.