CHAMPIONS!!

June 16, 2007 Lacey, WA 

The Capital City has a new Champion!  The South Sound Shockers brought home it's first Pacific Northwest Football Conference championship on Saturday with a 66-0 destruction of the Valley Mustangs of Auburn, Washington.  The Mustangs had been riding high on a 5 game winning streak averaging 50 points per game until they met the juggernaut of South Sound.

Only three plays into Saturday's matchup, QB John Stewart found Bobby Poeltl all alone down the center of the field for a 79-yard touchdown.  The score was Poeltl's 20th of the season.  After the Shocker defense forced a Mustang punt, Bobby was off to the races again this time taking the return all the way to the Mustang 4 yard line, but a penalty brought it back to the 45.   Three plays later Stewart fired a strike to Ryan Reis for a 14-0 lead.  On the ensuing Mustang possession, Micah Tanaka picked off a pass and raced untouched 28 yards for his fourth defensive TD of the season and the rout was on.

Leading 21-0 to start the second quarter the Shockers mounted a 14-play drive capped by a 24-yard Pat Hutnik field goal.  The Mustangs would trade interceptions on the next two possessions before a Mustang fumble was scooped up by defensive end Jackie Triplett who raced in from 39 yards out, another of four defensive TD's scored by South Sound.

Early in the third quarter Triplett pounced on another Mustang fumble at the three yard line and on the next play fullback Terrell Smith bulled in for a 38-0 lead.  Micah Tanaka scooped yet another Mustang fumble and took off on a 69-yard scoring jaunt, his second of the day and fifth of the season.  Stewart would be intercepted at the Mustang 1-yard line, but two plays later Valley returned the favor as Eric Goodman took an interception to the house for a 52-0 Shocker lead.

On the Shockers first possession of the fourth quarter, Stewart tossed a lazy ball to Poeltl on a screen play and Bobby did the rest slicing the Mustang defense for a 59-yard touchdown his 21st score of the season.  The very next possession saw powerhouse tight end Brian Mickens catch a crossing route over the middle and broke through the defense for the final score of the day.

On the day the Shocker offense rolled up over 450 yards while the defense gave up less than 170 yards, 40 coming on the Mustangs final drive of the game against mainly reserves.  That drive ended with a Randy Alderman interception at the Shockers 4.

South Sound now takes on the Oregon Football League High Desert Lightning on Saturday June 23rd.  The Lightning, runners up in the OFL come after the OFL champion Oregon Outlaws wanted out of the matchup versus the undefeated Shockers. The game will be played at Fort Lewis military base near Dupont, WA.  The game is a free admission gate for all fans and soldiers.  Kickoff for the game is 3:00 PM but fans are encouraged to plan ahead for getting on base.  Photo ID, vehicle insurance and registration are required for admittance onto base. 

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