The Pueblo Punishers officially kicked off their inaugural season Saturday night with a 56-45 victory over the Colorado Spartans at the Southwest Motors Event Center in Pueblo.It was a tough test for the Punishers, as the Sparta ns were led by former Denver Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch. But Pueblo got on the board first, behind tough running from running back Jo-El Shaw.It was Shaw's National Arena League debut, and he made the most of it, finishing the game with three rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown.Fans packed the Southwest Motors Event Center and had plenty to cheer about throughout the night."Just being right there, right by the players, you could practically feel the hits, it was pretty awesome," said Todd Barlow, a Punisher Fan on the sidelines."I think it's a great thing. I mean, Pueblo needs more stuff like this to do to come to. And we really enjoyed it. We'll come again," said Pueblo Resident Deneene Genova, who attended the game.The Punishers' next home game at the Southwest Motors Event Center is March 28 against the Dallas Bulls.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy._____Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching. ...read more read less