Chicago, IL - 05/14/2008 - The defending ArenaCup Champion Tulsa Talons have maintained the No. 1 ranking in the Week 8 Coaches Poll, the arenafootball2 (af2) league office announced today.

Tulsa collected 437 of a possible 448 points and 20-of-29 first place votes in securing the top spot for the eighth consecutive week. The Talons (7-0) continued their perfect start to the 2008 season after holding off Rio Grande Valley, 45-40, Saturday night at the Tulsa Convention Center. The victory over the Dorados was Tulsa’s 15th straight, counting eight in a row from last season. The Talons recent run of 15 consecutive victories is the longest active win steak and the third longest win streak in af2 history. The Talons have also won 11 straight home games dating back to 2007 and need one more victory at home to set a new Tulsa record.

The Spokane Shock (6-0, 407 points, 4 first place votes) maintained their grip on the No. 2 spot for the seventh straight week after earning a 62-42 home win over West Division rival Boise. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton overtook Florida this week at the No. 3 position on the strength of a convincing 84-26 home victory against Quad City, avenging the Pioneers only loss in 2008 (Week 1). Since their season-opening defeat, the Pioneers (6-1, 384 points, 5 first place votes) have won six straight games by an average of 36.8 points. The No. 4-ranked Firecats (6-0, 383 points), the third undefeated af2 team, passed a Week 7 home test against Manchester, 49-43, and face another challenge this Saturday when they travel to Huntsville, Ala. to take on South Division rival Tennessee Valley. The Vipers have climbed to No. 11 overall thanks to four straight wins. Green Bay rounds out the Top-5 this week. The Blizzard (5-2, 317 points) have run off three consecutive wins, including last week’s thrilling 37-36 road victory at Peoria. The complete Top 16 is listed below. The number in parentheses indicates the number of first place votes the team received.

Each week during the season af2 coaches will vote for the Top 16 teams in the league by ranking them one through 16 on a ballot. Teams ranked first receive 16 points with the point value decreasing by one for each place below first, meaning a team ranked 16th would receive one point. Total points will determine the Top 16 list. In the event of a tie in total points, the team with the greater number of first-place votes will be ranked higher. The af2 Coaches Poll will be announced every Wednesday during the regular season. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team and the poll results have no bearing on postseason qualification.

About af2
In Week 8 of its ninth season with a 29-team membership, af2 serves as a vehicle to bring Arena Football to small-to-midsize cities and as a developmental league with an unmatched history of sending players, coaches and officials to major professional football leagues each year. af2 operates under the same Mission Statement and Fans’ Bill of Rights as the Arena Football League, which is the midst of its 22nd season. Log on to www.af2.com for more information.

- A PROUD MEMBER OF THE ARENA FOOTBALL FAMILY -

Spokane, WA - 05/14/2008 - The Spokane Shock announced today a traffic management plan as laid out by the Spokane Police Department for this Saturday’s game. Earlier this year, the Spokane Shock announced that kick off for their May 17th game has changed to 4 PM in order to accommodate the 70th Annual Lilac Festival Armed Forces Torchlight Parade.

Until 4:30 PM, most streets near the arena will remain open as usual and fans will have access to all Spokane Arena parking lots. However, side street parking will be prohibited along Dean Street, Cataldo Avenue and Mallon Avenue.

At the conclusion of the game, many of the streets south of Boone will remain closed. Fans who have parked in the arena parking lots will be allowed to exit those lots and head west on Boone Avenue to Monroe and will subsequently be able to head north or south. Fans will also be able to exit on Howard and will then be able to head east or west on Maxwell Ave.

“We encourage our fans to stay downtown and enjoy the parade after our game,” General Manager Adam Nebeker said. “But for the fans that need to get home, the Police Department has laid out a safe plan that should help to ease some of the congestion.”

The 70th running of the Torchlight parade will begin at 7:45 PM. Less than 300 tickets remain for this weekend’s match-up against Western-division rival Tri-Cities. Tickets can be purchased by contacting TicketsWest. Click here to download a map of street closures.

About the Spokane Lilac Festival
The Spokane Lilac Festival is proud to host the largest Armed Forces Torchlight Parade in the United States, celebrating 70 years of tradition. This year’s theme is “Salute to Service.” The parade is attended annual by over 150,000 spectators and is broadcast overseas to our troops and locally on KHQ and Comcast. The Festival’s mission is to honor our military, nurture our youth and promote the Spokane region through ambassador outreach. For more information please visit spokanelilacfestival.org or call 509-555-1122.

Spokane, WA - 05/10/2008 - After three long weeks on the road, the Spokane Shock finally returned home for a 62-42 win over the Boise Burn in front of a sold-out crowd on Spokane Tribe Field at the Spokane Arena.

The Shock jumped out to a commanding lead that they held onto until late in the third quarter. Burn receiver George Williams, the af2’s all-time leading scorer, scored on a two-yard swing pass to take a one-point lead, 35-34 for their first lead of the game. Williams also led the Burn receiving core in receptions (10), receiving yards (104) and receiving touchdowns (4).

“When Boise was up by one, our fans re-energized our players and the players fed off of that, “Head Coach Adam Shackleford said.

The Shock used that energy on the ensuing eight-play 45-yard drive that was capitalized by WR/DB Tremaine Tyler. With the ball at the two-yard line, Tyler lined up in the backfield took a direct snap and scampered into the endzone for a two-yard touchdown. Tyler’s touchdown gave the Shock the led once again, 41-35 in the fourth quarter.

Williams and the Burn kept battling and scored once again on a quick drive that took 1:41 seconds off the clock and put the Burn back in business, 47-42, down by only five late in the fourth quarter.

The Shock fired back on a five-play 41-yard drive that was punctuated by a hard fought Andy Olson touchdown. Olson made the catch at the one-yard line where he was stood up by three Burn defenders but his legs continued to move until he final crossed the plane for his first touchdown of the game.

Now it was time for the Shock defense to step up. After misfiring on three straight passes Burn QB Royal Gill fumbled the ball – courtesy of a hard hit by Shock DL Devon Parks – that was recovered by Shock LB Kevin McCullough who scored on a seven-yard touchdown run. McCullough’s recovery turned out to be the final score of the game and ultimately put the nail in the Burn’s coffin.

“This was the best team that we have played so far,” Shackleford said. “I think we fed off of each other. At some points the defense needed the offense and sometimes the offense needed the defense. At the end, we needed a big play out of the defense and they came through. A win is a win – and that was a great team win for us.”

NOTES: The af2’s leading scorer through the first five weeks of the season, WR Raul Vijil, added to his point total with three touchdowns and 75-yards receiving. After his second touchdown of the game, Vijil pulled out a sign that wished his Mother a Happy Mother’s Day…WR Kelvin Dickens had one of his best game of the season leading the team in receiving yards (136) and receptions (9)…DL Devon Parks and Harrison Nikoloa each had a sack. Parks has now tied the Shock’s single season sack record that he set last year with six.

IRL Ironman of the Game: Levi Madarieta - BOISE
ADT Defensive Player of the Game: Sergio Gilliam - SPOKANE
Schutt’s Offensive Player of the Game: QB Nick Davila - Spokane Shock
Cutter’s Catch of the Game: Kelvin Dickens - SPOKANE

Spokane, WA - 04/24/2008 - The Spokane Shock announced today that kickoff for their May 31st game has changed to 8 PM in order to accommodate KHQ’s live coverage of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals.

Earlier this month, the Shock moved kickoff for the May 17th game to 4 PM to reduce traffic congestion during the Lilac Parade. All other home game times will remain at the usual 5:00 PM kickoff time.

A limited number of tickets are still available for the game on May 17th and May 31st. Tickets can be purchased through TicketsWest. The Shock travel to Fresno, CA this weekend to take on the Central Valley Coyotes. 101.1 FM will carry live coverage with Larry Weir and Paul Sorenson starting at 6:30 PM.

The Spokane Shock will return to Spokane Tribe Field on May 10th to take on the Boise Burn. Tickets are available now and can be purchased through TicketsWest.

Spokane, WA - 04/22/2008 - Three words: the Big Zipper. To Spokane residents, this is the Ultimate Burger that can only be found at Zip’s. With three patties – that equates to a half-pound of ground beef – and all the classic fixings, the Big Zipper is strictly for the carnivorous eater with a bottomless stomach.

For the second-year in a row, the Spokane Shock are teaming up with Zip’s to host an eating contest against a member of the Spokane Shock. Each contestant will have 10-minutes to eat as many Big Zipper’s as possible. Last year's winner, Marvin Munson, eat nearly three Big Zipper's in the 10-minutes of allotted time.

This year, a regional competition will be held at four Zip’s locations. Eaters are encouraged to sign up in advance for their opportunity to compete. Here is a list of the regional locations with the dates of each contest:

April 26th at noon at 33204 N. Monroe
May 17th at noon at 2125 E. Sprague
June 14th at noon at 3927 W. Riverbend Ave. in Post Falls
July 5th at noon at 11222 E. Sprague

The winner from each of the regional competitions will qualify for the finals on July 27th at high-noon at Zip’s off of Division. In addition to bragging rights, the winner of the finals will receive $500 in cash along with some great Zip’s and Shock prizes. Can you handle the Big Zipper?