September 2004-The South Sound Shockers Are Born

After observing a dismal state of affairs in the local semi-pro scene, Steve Matychowiak, Jeff Cole, and Mark Meadows pondered what it would be like to have a "real" football team in the 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, and recent transplant from California was raised on football and the ideals of the legendary Tom Osborne, and had also seen enough and suggested building a new team. Meadows had already succesfully salvaged the Omaha Panthers and built the Nebraska Trail Blazers to a #4 AFA National Ranking.  He had played with the San Jose Jaguars in California and with the New Zealand Haka and Team USA as well and drew on the do's and don'ts of those previous experiences.

 
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.  This team would be run as close to a junior college or NAIA program as possible without the financial backing, but the practice and buy-in expectations.  It worked as South Sound grew into a team loaded with active duty military who respected organization, and former college stars who were used to the high expectations of practice time and fine tuning each week.

The 2005 season was 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 took a stance from day one that they would dismiss a good player before corrupting the ideals the team was being 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.  "Maty" put an emphasis on defense and special teams which was evident by the 5 shutouts and 6 points given up in the first six games.  That defense, led by Hall of Famer Nate Enciso, and teammates from the University of Puget Sound, set a hard-nosed tone from the initial snap.  A swift run to 10-0, with an offense led by QB John Stewart put the Shockers in the first-ever PNFC championship against a familiar face; Alex Lewis. Lewis, a Shocker the year before and Pierce County Bengal with Maty in the past, formed the Seattle Stallions following the 2005 season to be closer to home.  The Stallions were a spring-time all-star team of all of the best players from the summer-run 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.

South Sound defense led by Nate Enciso forced 76 turnovers in 2007, while Pat Hutnik (3) holds the regional kicking record for 97 PATs in a season.

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 regular seaon, the quest culminated in a 66-0 rout of the Valley Mustangs in the championship game finishing 13-0. The fledgling GNFA, having put together a regional championship the year before pitting the PNFC champion Stallions versus the eastern Washington Evergreen League champion Tri City Knights, was back with the addition of the Oregon Football League champion.

The Shockers looked a bit shaky with the 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 after posting a 47-2 victory in rain dominated by defense.  The GNFA championship would be 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 and a GNFA title just that, a dream.  But the 775 points scored, the 7 shut out victories and numerous awards 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 by year five when first building the team, but never expected to happen in only year 3.

Jackie Triplett (90) led the region with 23 sacks in 2007 and holds the Greater Northwest career sack record with 188.5

In 2008 the Shockers, with Maty stepping away for family matters, and new head coach Lonnie Meredith were hit by numerous military deployments and injuries, however the Shockers still managed to finish 8-4 and make their lone Evergreen Football League playoff appearance following a merger with the PNFC.  The four losses were by a total of 20-points in the balanced and tough Evergreen League.  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. 

Matychowiak returned from his one-year hiatus in 2009 and looked to return to form with victories over Wenatchee and Spokane to start the season.  The season derailed in Yakima when injuries and depth issues in the defensive backfield became problematic all season long.  The Shockers battled to a 6-3 record in the stout Washington League, the rebranded EFL, it's last 2 loses by a total of 8 points.

Retirements of key defensive starters and many new faces on offense, the Shockers of 2010 were young and inexperienced but not without the talent to compete in the WFL.  With the most difficult schedule ever put together through the first 6 weeks that included 3 league champions from 2009, a runner up and 2-time defending GNFA champion Portland, Maty had his hands full.  A bright spot in the back and forth season was the rushing of David Minnis who eclipsed 200 yards twice on the season which finished in a repeat of 2009 at the hands of Wenatchee.

2011 was a season of change as new owners Kelly Time and David Combs led the team to Lakewood as it's new home base.  Matychowiak retired and Meadows had relocated to South Dakota prior to the 2010 season but had kept in constant contact with Maty, reviewing film and compiling stats 1,500 miles away.  But the teams' website, once packed with stats, history and up-to-the-minute information was changed for a simpler less informative format with no current roster information or game scores.  This foreshadowed that change was not going to be good for what the team fathers' had put together.  Gone as well was offensive leader and all-everything running back David Minnis as military duty sent him to Arizona.  A roller coaster season ensued as the team won two of three before skidding for four games.  All four of the losses could have been turned into victories, but a lack of leadership cost South Sound.  Rebounding the final part of the season South Sound won it's final four games to finish 6-5 leading to hopes of a new beginning after a rough transition. 
 
2012 got off to an inauspicious start as a scheduled game with the Tacoma Invaders was called off when a field conflict arose and South Sound was left without a location to host the season opener.  South Sound headed to Bellingham for a meeting with the Bulldogs.  The Shockers had never lost a game north of Seattle, but this wasn't the old Shockers and they were blown away.
 
Looking like a team on the rebound, they faced and led at halftime, 2011 PFL South Champion Southern Oregon before falling 17-13.
 
Yakima came to town and what was an even rivalry in years past floated into the night sky as the Mavericks rolled up 34 unanswered 2nd half points, sending the team to it's first ever 0-3 start.
 
Information from PFL leadership indicated that management was seeking extensions on financial obligations as early as April.
 
On Friday night of May 11th, the PFL was informed the Shockers would forfeit the game with Portland on the following Saturday, and thus ending in shame what was once heralded by other owners during the early seasons as the shining example of how to operate a minor league team in the Northwest.  The team lost more than games on the field in it's final season and a half, it lost the high standard of excellence it was built on from 2005-2010 and along with it, it's respect.  This was evident and noticed by former opponents who saw a team that was proud of it's on-field image, uniforms and looking like a unified team during the Matychowiak years, to a team with some helmet decals, some without, mismatched color schemes for socks and accessories, including facemasks.  Little things that were never allowed to happen in years past when pride and respect were paramount.

South Sound and it's owners were proud to have played at Fort Lewis in Cowan Stadium in honor of the military in a special free game each year, and it especially hit close to home when fullback SSG David Gutierrez "Gutie" was killed on deployment Christmas morning 2009 by an IED in Afghanistan.  The team nominated Gutie for the prestigous Black Lion Award which he was posthumously awarded in a ceremony with his wife Patty and his three sons prior to a Shocker game in 2010.  RIP Gutie21.  Never Forgotten.

SSG David Gutierrez (21)  Fullback and Black Lion Award Winner.