Shock post unlikely conquest
As adversity lists go, Spokane’s was lengthy entering Saturday’s arenafootball2 game against Albany and grew longer through the first two-plus quarters.
But the Shock had no shortage of determination and rode clutch contributions from reserve players and relative af2 newcomers in posting a 49-46 comeback victory over the Conquest in front of another loud gathering at the Arena.
Spokane played without standout receiver/linebacker Charles Frederick, who missed practice this week because of a family emergency in Florida, receiver/linebacker Chris Stallworth (torn ACL) and defensive specialist Johnny Lamar (sprained ankle).
On the opening series of the third quarter, Shock receiver Kevin Beard went down after a high-speed collision with the dasherboards. Beard was running laterally when he made a fingertip catch and was pushed lightly by a defender into the wall. He left the field with trainers at his side and was taken to the hospital for additional tests.
The second-ranked Shock (9-2) then trailed 30-14, but they pieced together a rally to overtake Albany (5-7) with two touchdowns in the final 4 minutes and a defensive stand as time ran out.
“I’ll tell you what, that might be one of the greatest wins I’ve ever been associated with,” head coach Chris Siegfried said. “I cannot say enough about what our guys did, with all the adversity this week.”
Siegfried decided a week ago to play backup quarterback Kyle Rowley at the start of the third quarter and he stuck with the plan, despite the Shock trailing by 16 points. Siegfried said he wanted to get a closer look at Rowley, one of three quarterbacks on the roster. Most af2 teams carry just two quarterbacks.
Rowley replaced Alex Neist, who had decent statistics in the first half, and proceeded to pass for 193 yards and four touchdowns.
Rowley’s 6-yard touchdown run pulled Spokane within 46-41 and the Shock were back in business after recovering Jon Koker’s pooch onside kick. On the ensuing play, Rowley connected with Raul Vijil, who saw extended minutes because of the diminishing number of available receivers, for the go-ahead touchdown with 2:47 remaining. Rowley hit Anthony Griffin on the two-point conversion pass and Spokane led 49-46.
“I came here to compete for the job and I’ve been trying to be patient and focused, and when I got the opportunity I wanted to take advantage of it,” Rowley said. “That (win) ranks right up there with the top three I’ve had. That’s the way arena ball goes. You have to keep scoring until the last play.”
Spokane held on when its injury-depleted defense prevented Albany from scoring on the final play. The Conquest marched from their 1-yard line to Spokane’s 3 in the closing seconds. Albany coach Pete Costanza decided against trying a potential game-tying field goal and quarterback Ryan Vena’s pass fell incomplete in the corner of the end zone as time ran out.
“We knew during the week we were short-handed, but we all practiced different positions in case something happened,” said defensive back/receiver Anthony Griffin, one of five Eastern Washington Eagles who contributed. “It was unfortunate that ‘KB’ (Beard) went down, but Raul had to step up and he did.”
Vijil, who scored four touchdowns, wasn’t alone. Ex-Eagles Jesse Hendrix, who joined the Shock earlier this month, and Isaiah Trufant, who signed earlier this week, logged considerable minutes in the secondary and held their own against one of the league’s top-ranked offenses.
“It’s a wild game and it’s totally different than the college game,” Trufant said. “I had to get a good feel for it, and I feel like adjusted a little bit and started making some good plays.”
Antwone Savage, who put up big numbers early on this season, was back in the spotlight and came up with nine catches for 85 yards. Beard had nine receptions before he was injured. Vijil added seven catches for a team-high 93 yards.
“Our bench was thin,” Siegfried said. “I was close to putting Alex (Neist) in at receiver. He did play a little receiver at Minnesota and he’s darn fast, so it was almost coming to that.”
Albany built a 30-14 halftime lead by scoring on all five of its possessions while limiting Spokane to just three series, thanks in part to a controversial onside kick recovery by the Conquest late in the half. It appeared an Albany player made the recovery before the ball traveled the required 10 yards, but the officials didn’t agree.