The Blitz are proud to be associated with our partner clubs around the world. We recommend to any of our players who are travelling and would like to keep playing the sport they love that they get in touch with one of our partner clubs. We are committed to developing relationships with other clubs around the world to assist our travelling players and to expand our experience of the sport globally. We encourage overseas and interstate players to visit the beautiful city of Perth and while here, play some ball with the Blitz!!
Who Are The South Sound Shockers
September 2004-The South Sound Shockers Are Born
Steve Matychowiak, Jeff Cole, and Mark Meadows pondered what it would be like to have a “real” football team in the Olympia area. Matychowiak, a long-time member of the football community had finally left for good, the team he had one day hoped to rebuild to greatness, as had Cole and Meadows who tried to bring change to the teams they were involved with but met heavy resistance. Meadows, a Nebraska native was raised on football and the ideals of the legendary Tom Osborne, and had seen enough and suggested building a new team. Why not? He’d done it before taking the Nebraska Trail Blazers to #4 nationally in their first season of operation. With the right people, it could be done…AND DONE RIGHT.
With that, Meadows and Cole began building a team from the ground up while “Maty” put the word out in the coaching and player circles that he was coming back to the semi pro circuit.
The Shockers were born and the semi pro world was about to be turned upside down. Never afraid to call on others for advice, Meadows began contacting other league commissioners and calling in some favors he’d developed over the years and in 2005, they were ready to put a team on the field. Just six months before the Shockers were nothing but a dream with no name. Little did they know they were on the path to building a dream team and a name the region would never forget.
Originally slated for 8 games, two opponents backed out so the Shockers went on to play and finish 3-3. The season was an up and down roller coaster as the Shockers started out 3-0 before injuries and growing pains caught up. (The Shockers have always taken a stance that they would dismiss a good player before corrupting the ideals the team was built on…and so it was, six players were dismissed in mid-season). Many of the Shockers stars of 2005 were forced to play ironman football and some paid a heavy price. RB/DB Ronnie Knighton, arguably the best athlete on the field that year was battered and forced to miss the final game. LB Kelly Time, the teams’ best backer in ’05 was out with a severe shoulder injury following game 2, and OL/DL Justin Shumate held together a make-shift offensive line week in and week out. It was a situation not even former Seattle Seahawk and head coach Terry Dion could do much with towards the end. But still, 3-3 was a good start.
Matychowiak took over as head coach, and by kickoff of 2006, the Shockers had nearly 45% of their roster filled with college men. A swift run to 10-0 by the end of the season put the Shockers in the first-ever PNFC championship against the Seattle Stallions. The Stallions were a spring-time all star team of all of the best players from the summer Northwest Football League. The championship game was one for the ages as the Stallions squeaked out a 12-7 victory with the Shockers in scoring position as time expired.
In 2007 the Shockers quest to become better with each passing season was coming true. The addition of award winners Travis Brock, Bobby Poeltl, Jackie Triplett and others would catapult the Shockers into near-legendary status. After decimating the PNFC culminated in a 66-0 rout of the Valley Mustangs the Shockers looked unstoppable. However a shaky offensive performance in the GNFA qualifier against the High Desert Lightning of the OFL (with some additions from the Outlaws, Monarchs and other OFL teams) seemed to foreshadow what was to come. And that was a season finale loss to the undefeated Blue Mountain Stars in the high grass of Burbank which would keep the dream of an undefeated season at bay…for now. But the 775 points scored, the 7 shut out victories and numerous accolades earned on the field by the South Sound athletes both regionally and nationally, were nothing to snub your nose at. The Shockers were already PNFC champions, something the team leaders had hoped would happen sometime in the first five years when first building the team, but never expected to happen in only year 3.
In 2008 the Shockers and head coach Lonnie Meredith were hit by numerous military deployments and injuries, however the Shockers still managed to finish 8-4 and make their first EFL playoff appearance. The regular season was highlighted by a 4th consecutive season opening victory and concluded with a Capital City Challenge victory over the Washington Cavaliers marking the 9th consecutive regular season victory over a non-league opponent. A mid-season spark included an upset of #3 ranked Tri City 34-14 in Shelton, while a low spot included a loss against top ranked Blue Mountain after leading the Stars 17-0 in Burbank. The teams’ four losses came by a total of 20 points, the largest margin being 7 points. Defensive end Ron Strozyk and middle linebacker Nate Enciso tied for the most defensive points at the end of the season (197), while the duo of Rory Lee and David Minnis combined for the most 100-yard rushing games in a season (5). Bobby Poeltl was off to another tremendous start with 3 TD’s in his first game in Tacoma before broken ribs kept him out for four games. Upon his return, he looked to be back in form before a severe leg injury ended his season.
The 2009 season was marred again by injury when Bobby Poeltl broke his wrist in game 2. However, the offensive power shifted from the passing game to the rush as David Minnis averaged 99 yards per game on his way to setting a team rushing record, while defensively Ron Strozyk again dominated with 16.5 sacks. The Shockers just missed the championship game as the eventual champion Wenatchee Rams stole a 41-34 victory in the WFL playoffs leaving the Shockers at 6-3 for the season. The Shockers became the first semi pro team in the Northwest to have their games played On Demand on Comcast Cable Television.
With a five-year record of 40-12 the Shockers became the winningest semi-pro team in the history of the South Sound region climbing over the Olympia Senators, Thurston County Vikings and Washington Cavaliers. The Shockers also averaged 9 wins per season over the past 4 years.
The South Sound is the area between Tacoma, Washington and Centralia, Washington encompassing the Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater cities along with the Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force bases.
