The Tampa Bay Storm (13-6) fell short in their attempt to claim its sixth ArenaBowl title on Friday night, falling in a hard-fought loss to the Spokane Shock (16-3) in ArenaBowl XXIII by a score of 69-57. Spokane’s victory marked the franchise’s very first ArenaBowl championship after winning two titles in af2.

Tampa Bay was plagued by turnovers on the night, as quarterback Brett Dietz threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. Despite the offensive mistakes, Dietz still concluded a record-breaking season by out-throwing his passing counterpart in terms of yards with 306, while also adding seven touchdowns in the championship game. He was countered by Spokane signal caller Kyle Rowley, who set a new ArenaBowl record by tossing nine touchdowns and 237 yards. Shock receivers Huey Whittaker and Markee White also turned in big games for Spokane, both collecting four touchdowns apiece. The duo was contested by the Storm’s Eric Ortiz, who led Tampa Bay’s offense with three scores, and Hank Edwards who caught a pair of touchdowns and led the team with 132 receiving yards.

Both teams came out with a sputtering offense from the start of the contest, causing Spokane to use its defense to put points on the board. After Shock quarterback Kyle Rowley found Huey Whittaker in the endzone to counter the game’s opening score by Tampa Bay’s Eric Ortiz, Spokane’s defense consistently harassed Storm passer Brett Dietz, forcing a pair of turnovers that its offense converted into touchdowns.

Spokane wasted no time in taking advantage of Tampa Bay’s miscues, recovering a forced fumble and punching it in for the score after Dietz was sacked in the pocket. The Storm signal caller then threw an errant pass that was picked off by Mervin Brookins on Tampa Bay’s next offensive series, leading to a 20-7 lead in favor of the Shock following a touchdown by receiver Markee White. Dietz, however, recovered from the pair of mistakes to rally the Storm down from two touchdowns, re-gaining the lead within the half’s final minute. After an additional score by White, Dietz hooked up with DeAndrew Rubin to bring Tampa Bay within six points before Terrence Royal cashed one in to make it 28-27 in the Storm’s favor. However, Spokane found the endzone once more before the buzzer, at which Garret Rivas’ field goal try was blocked, allowing the Shock to re-take its six point lead into the intermission.

Spokane’s defense continued to dictate the pace of play, forcing yet another Dietz turnover after the Shock padded its lead on the first offensive possession of the second half. With the Storm offense nearing the endzone, Dietz had receiver Hank Edwards open downfield as the pass left his hand, but Spokane defensive back Travis Williams jumped the route to intercept the ball, leading to an additional touchdown for the National Conference champs. Tampa Bay, despite the turnover, re-grouped to gain seven points back as Eric Ortiz rushed in a touchdown to cap the third quarter’s scoring.

Spokane shifted the momentum in its favor in the fourth quarter, scoring three times in the final period and maintaining a relentless presence on defense. Rowley found Huey Whittaker in the paint on two separate occasions, despite Hank Edwards matching the Shock receiver touchdown for touchdown in the quarter. Tyrone Timmons also reeled in a touchdown pass from Dietz, closing the scoring gap, but it was not enough as the American Conference champions could not overcome the deficit.