SPOKANE — While high school football has yet to get started in Lewis County, just across the Cascade Mountains former W.F. West standout Andy Olson is leading his team to a conference championship game. While it may not be on a 100-yard field, you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference in intensity from the NFL when Olson is calling the shots in front of packed crowd as head coach of the Arena Football League’s Spokane Shock.
“We’ve got a huge support system here in Spokane,” Olson said of his team’s fan’s support, which drew over 9,000 fans per game at the Spokane Arena this season. “We definitely have the most rowdy crowd in the league.”
The Spokane fans will have plenty more to cheer about this weekend, as they’ll face the Arizona Rattlers in the AFL’s National Conference Championship Game. They can thank Olson, who since taking the reins of the team in 2012 has turned the Shock into an offensive juggernaut. Spokane was fifth in the league in scoring (59.1 points) in his first year as head coach but missed the playoffs despite a 10-8 record.
This season, Olson — who is also the team’s offensive coordinator — has dialed the offense in to the tune of 66.6 points per game, second best in the AFL. Spokane finished second in the National Conference West Division behind Arizona with a 14-4 record, and was ranked second in the coaches poll behind the Rattlers as well.
The Shock won their first round playoff game against Chicago 69-47 and are just one win away from playing in the Arena Bowl. Asked what has been the key to success this year for his team, Olson was quick to deflect the credit to the players.
“We have a lot of chemistry and a very selfless group of players,” Olson said. “These guys are a talented young group of players. They listen to me and expect to work hard. I’m feeling more comfortable with the offense and most the guys understand our system.”
It wasn’t long ago that Olson was one of those young players in the Shock’s system. The Chehalis native was an All-League wide receiver for the Bearcats and graduated in 2001, moving on to Western Washington
University to play college ball. There Olson became Western Washington’s all-time leader in touchdown catches, receptions and receiving yardage.
Olson went on to play in the af2 — the Arena Football League’s farm system — and was a key part of Spokane’s National Conference championship teams in 2008 and 2009. The team also won an ArenaCup title in 2009. The AFL suspended play in 2009, and when they restructured the league, Spokane moved up to play in the top tier of arena football.
Olson was working construction in 2011 before getting a phone call to replace the Shock’s recently fired offensive coordinator. Then in 2012, the team dismissed their coach Rob Keefe and promoted Olson to the head position.
Things have been going smoothly so far. Olson has found his groove as the playcaller for the Shock and he’s found the perfect quarterback to play under center. Former Eastern Washington University quarterback Erik Meyer has turned the Shock into a contender, leading the league with a 123.6 quarterback rating. Meyer has thrown for 4,661 yards and 112 touchdown passes and just 11 interceptions and most importantly — has stayed on the field.
“Erik has been able to stay healthy all season and that means everything,” Olson said. “In this league, where you have to throw basically every play, having consistency and talent at quarterback is a very good thing.”
Now Olson will trot his quarterback out in front of the top-ranked Rattlers this Saturday at at the U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix. The two teams split during the season, with the Shock defeating the Rattlers 66-49 at the Spokane Arena in week 5 and Arizona winning on their home field 59-52 in week 12.
This matchup, however, has the most on the line — a trip to the AFL’s championship game.
“You’ve got to step your game up every time you take the field in the playoffs,” Olson said. “Everything gets bigger, everything is do-or-die and the games matter more.”
Olson, who makes it back to his family’s 200 acre dairy farm in the Twin Cities about twice a year, says he still keeps in contact with people around the area.
“There’s definitely friends, coaches and family I’m always in contact with,” Olson said. “Everyone has been really supportive of me and have been to a few games.”
And with the way Olson has his team lighting up the scoreboard, there’s sure to be plenty more Arena Football games where people can watch the Lewis County product light up the scoreboard.
Olson and the Shock will take on Arizona at 5 p.m. Saturday night in a game that will be televised on the CBS Sports Network.
