SPOKANE - Meet the new Shock. Not quite the old Shock. After four seasons of dominating the arenafootball2 league, Spokane stumbled in its debut in the higher-level Arena Football League, losing 74-62 to the Milwaukee Iron on Friday night before an announced crowd of 10,500 at Spokane Tribe Field at Spokane Arena.

SPOKANE - Meet the new Shock.

Not quite the old Shock.

After four seasons of dominating the arenafootball2 league, Spokane stumbled in its debut in the higher-level Arena Football League, losing 74-62 to the Milwaukee Iron on Friday night before an announced crowd of 10,500 at Spokane Tribe Field at Spokane Arena.

Chris Griesen passed for 317 yards and nine touchdowns for Milwaukee, which gained separation late in the first half and early in the second half, and held off a spirited Shock comeback.

"A lot of young mistakes," said Spokane coach Rob Keefe, whose team committed five turnovers. "Young mistakes coaching wise; we should have put the guys in a little bit better positions. What bothered me is we didn't convert; when we get the ball, we need to score. Too many fumbles, too many turnovers."

The first half ended on a bizarre and game-changing play.

With 5.4 seconds left in the half, Spokane's Raul Vijil caught a slant pass over the middle from Kyle Rowley, and raced down the right sideline. Trying to keep the play alive, just inside the Iron 15, Vijil lateraled to lineman Antonio Narcisse. But the ball bounced off his outstretched hands. Milwaukee defensive back Tracy Belton picked it up and dashed down the same sideline 42 yards for a touchdown as time ran out in the half. The play gave the Iron a 34-21 halftime lead, and capped a final minute of the first half that featured four touchdowns, three by Milwaukee.

"Definitely that was a momentum changer," Shock linebacker Kevin McCullough said. "But we still have to find a way to make stops. As poorly as we played, we were still in the game."

"That was one of those things where you're trying to make a play," Rowley said. "And some when you're trying too hard to make a play, you expose the ball a little bit. That was a tough one for Raul, but he was just trying to help the team."

Tiger Jones caught his third of four touchdown passes early in the second half as Milwaukee built a 41-21 lead. Quorey Payne's 58-yard kickoff return for a touchdown gave the Shock a spark and pulled them within 55-42. On the next possession McCullough recovered a Milwaukee fumble, and Rowley threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Huey Whittaker to pull the Shock within 55-49. Rowley plunged 1 yard to cut it to 61-56 with 55.9 seconds left, but Milwaukee recovered the onside kick and put the game away.

"One thing we saw is this team has heart," said Rowley, who led the Shock to the af2 title in 2006, their first season. "We were down by three scores at one point. We had a few turnovers in the first half, but we made it a game in the second half, and that's the biggest thing we can take out of this. I don't think they stopped us; we just turned the ball over."

Griesen, the all-time AFL leader in completion percentage and quarterback rating, completed 29 of 35 passes. Nate Forse caught 11 passes, four for touchdowns. Rowley was 25 of 39 with seven touchdowns and three interceptions.

Whittaker, a first-team all-AFL selection in 2008 with the Utah Blaze, caught four TD passes, including one off the net on the final play of the game.

Vijil's fumble was his second of the first half. On the third play of the season, the former Eastern Washington University star, who has been with the Shock since its inception in 2006, coughed up the ball after a short pass reception, and Milwaukee's Carlton Brown recovered at the Iron 13.

Notes: Spokane travels to Utah next Friday. ... Roger Stewart of Coeur d'Alene, who reffed many Shock games in their four years in the af2, was the umpire. ... Kyle Havercroft, who played football at Lakeland High and at Whitworth, is a member of the Shock's medical staff.

Milwaukee 6 28 14 26 - 74

Spokane 7 14 7 34 - 62

Spo - Whittaker 12 pass from Rowley (Rowan kick)

Mil - Jones 5 pass from Griesen (kick failed)

Mil - Forse 31 pass from Griesen (Forstrom kick)

Spo - Hall 1 pass from Rowley (Rowan kick)

Mil - Jones 9 pass from Griesen (Forstrom kick)

Spo - Whittaker 12 pass from Rowley (Rowan kick)

Mil - Harrell 19 pass from Griesen (Forstrom kick)

Mil - Belton 42 fumble return (Forstrom kick)

Mil - Jones 6 pass from Griesen (Forstrom kick)

Spo - White 31 pass from Rowley (Rowan kick)

Mil - Forse 5 pass from Griesen (Forstrom kick)

Spo - White 8 pass from Rowley (Rowan kick)

Mil - Harrell 13 pass from Griesen (Forstrom kick)

Spo - Payne 58 kickoff return (Rowan kick)

Spo - Whittager 9 pass from Rowley (Rowan kick)

Mil - Young 2 run (kick failed)

Spo - Rowley 1 run (Rowan kick)

Mil - Forse 17 pass from Griesen (Forstrom kick)

Mil - Jones 11 pass from Griesen (kick failed)

Spo - Whittaker 15 pass from Rowley (no attempt)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING - Mil, Young 5-41, Griesen 2-6, Fitch 1-(minus-3). Spo, Rowley

2-8, Harrell 2-0.

PASSING - Mil, Griesen 29-35-0-317. Spo, Rowley 25-39-3-259.

RECEIVING - Mil, Forse 11-128, Jones 9-100, harrell 9-89, Smith

1-(minus 19). Spo, Whittaker 11-97, White 6-90, Payne 4-34