by Mick Morninghoff
LOWELL – The Massachusetts Pirates, who are tied for the lead in the Indoor Football League’s Eastern Conference, will look for a season sweep of the Iowa Barnstormers this Saturday at 8:05 eastern when they take the field at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
The 5-1 Pirates share the top spot in the Conference with the Frisco Fighters. Iowa is 1-5 and in a three-way tie for fifth place in the East with Sioux Falls and Jacksonville.
The Series:
The Pirates led the all-time series vs. Iowa four games to two.
The Last Meeting (April 12, The Tsongas Center in Lowell, MA):
In his first game with the Pirates, Tavion Thomas had the best debut performance by a running back in team history as he carried the ball 18 times for 120 yards and three touchdowns leading Massachusetts to a 54-29 victory, He also had four receptions for 17 yards giving him 137 all-purpose yards.
Quarterback Alejandro Bennifield was six of seven passing including a 37-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Zico on his first throw of the game. The TD grab was Zico’s 35th career touchdown as he eclipsed 2,000 career all-purpose yards. Later Zico added a 52-yard kickoff return for a score. Backup quarterback Conner Degenhardt saw his first action of the season and 3 for 5 for 21 yards with a six-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Daniels.
The defense did not allow a touchdown in the first half as Iowa’s only score came on a kickoff return by Quian Williams. When the game was over the Pirates had amassed six defensive stops. Massachusetts defensive back Eugene Ford had two interceptions and fellow DB Darius Williams was the leading tackler with five. Teammate Calvin Bundage tipped one of the passes that Ford intercepted and also supplied a sack. Bundage also helped the Pirates special teams play one of its best games of the season as he blocked a field goal. Kicker Josh Gable accounted for ten points making seven of seven extra points and a field goal of 27-yards.
Quian Williams led Iowa with three receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown and he also returned five kickoffs for 145 yards with a 53-yard touchdown return.
The Last Time Out:
The Pirates enjoyed a bye week after beating the Sioux Falls Storm, 43-38 at the Scheels Arena in Fargo, ND. Connor Degenhardt made his first professional start and was 15 of 20 passing for 163 yards with four touchdowns against two interceptions. Massachusetts jumped out to a 17-7 lead but led by just three points (24-21) at the half.
Sioux Falls quarterback Billy Hall’s second rushing touchdown of the night gave the Storm a third quarter lead at 28-24. Massachusetts did come back as Degenhardt threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter. Teo Redding pulled in a 25-yard strike and Thomas Owens’ 18-yard score helped to put the game away.
Jimmie Robinson led the Pirates rushing attack with 13 carries for 38 yards with two scores. Owens was Massachusetts’ leading receiver with six catches for 64 yards and two touchdowns while Redding pulled in five balls for 59 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Hall had an impressive game for the Storm with nine completions in 16 attempts for 85 yards and three touchdowns. He also was the game’s leading rusher with 78 yards on 17 carries with two scores. Kentrez Bell was his top target with four receptions for 60 yards and two scores. Calvin Bundage led the Pirates defense with eight tackles and two assists along with .5 tackles for a loss. Amin Black posted eight tackles and a pair of assists along with 1.5 tackles for a loss for the Storm.
Last week, Iowa never trailed as it defeated Quad City 55-53 at home for its first win of the season. The game was tied four times in the first half before the Barnstormers scored 28 unanswered points to build their lead to 52-24 enroute to victory. Jefferson Fritz returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown to make the score 38-24 at the half and Iowa began the second half with a 24-yard fumble recovery for a score by Ty Tate.
Iowa kicker Gabriel Rui kicked a 24-yard field goal with 52 seconds remaining which proved to be the winning margin. Rui accounted for 19 points on the night with three field goals, two “deuces” and six extra points.
Quarterback Kyle King was eight of 18 passing for 92 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. The Barnstormers’ Rob Washington was the game’s leading rusher with 21 yards on ten carries with two touchdowns. Darren Wilson pulled in four receptions for 43 yards and two scores for the winners. Ian McBorrough and J’von France each had eight tackles for Iowa with McBorrough with two tackles for a loss and France with one.
Team Stats: (Includes IFL Rankings)
The Pirates are tenth in scoring at 43.2 points per game and average 222.8 yards a contest (9th). The offense has converted 47.8 percent of chances on third down which ranks third in the IFL.
The Massachusetts defense ranks fourth yielding just 37.2 per contest and allows just 188.8 yards per game which is second in the IFL. The Pirates are also second against the pass giving up just 114.7 yards a night. With seven sacks on the season the Pirates rank fifth in the league. The Pirates have allowed the fewest first downs in the IFL (14) and on fourth down see opponents convert just 30.8 percent of the time which is second best in the league. Massachusetts is the second most penalized team in the league at 81.2 yards per game.
Iowa is 14th in the league averaging 36.5 points per game and 180.7 yards per game. They are last in third down conversions at 27.1 percent. Defensively, the Barnstormers allow 45 points per game (11th) and 208.5 yards per night (7th). Both teams are stingy in the red zone on defense as Iowa ranks third with a success rate of 79.1 percent while the Pirates are fourth at 78.3 percent.
Players to Watch: (Includes IFL Rankings)
The Pirates boast two of the top rushers in the IFL. Tavion Thomas leads the league averaging 69.5 rushing yards per game. In two games he has rushed 28 times for 139 yards and four touchdowns. Jimmie Robinson is third with an average of 54.2 yards per game. In five contests he has run the ball 66 times (3rd) for 271 yards (4th) and four scores. His 150.2 all-purpose yards per game leads the IFL. Robinson is also eighth in the IFL with a kickoff return average of 20.3. Rob Washington of Iowa has rushed 55 times (4th) for 169 yards and six touchdowns.
Pirates quarterback Alejandro Bennifield ranks as one of the top passers in the IFL. In five games Bennifield is 58 (7th) of 91 (7th) passing for 644 yards (7th) (63.7 percent) with 15 touchdowns (7th) and three interceptions. He averages 128.8 passing yards per game and has an efficiency rating of 171.0 (10th). Backup Connor Degenhardt has a 72.0 completion percentage (2nd) as he is 18 of 25 with five touchdowns and two interceptions.
Photo courtesy James Thomas
Iowa’s Quian Williams is proving to be one of the top three receivers in the league. He has 30 receptions (3rd) for 355 yards (3rd) with seven touchdowns (8th). He averages 11.8 yards per catch, 5.0 receptions per contest (4th) and 59.2 yards per game (3rd). Williams is second in the league with 126.5 all-purpose yards per game.
Defensively, Calvin Bundage of the Pirates ranks seventh in the IFL with 33 tackles. He averages 6,6 tackles per game (5th). Bundage is also ninth with 2.5 sacks on the season. Iowa’s Jefferson Fritz is tied for the league with 38 tackles. He is seventh with 6.3 stops per game.
Pirates defensive back Eugene Ford is tied for the league lead with four interceptions and is second with 11 passes defended. His seven passes broken up rank fourth. Simeon Gatling of Iowa is tenth with six passes defended.
The Coaches:
This is Rod Miller’s first season as Head Coach of the Massachusetts Pirates and he is the sixth Head Coach in the history of the franchise. He is also the Defensive Coordinator and Defensive Backs Coach. He is 5-1 leading the Pirates.
Miller was the Defensive Coordinator for the Vegas Knight Hawks last season. His last stint as head coach was in Bismarck from 2019 through 2022 before the Bucks suspended operations. Miller was also a head coach in the China Arena Football League with the Qingdao Clipper. Prior to that, he led the Omaha Beef, the Trenton Steel and the Laredo Rattlesnakes.
Dave Mogensen is in his third season with the Barnstormers. Mogensen served as the Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Personnel for the Albany Empire of the National Arena League throughout the 2021 season, winning the NAL championship. He was the Offensive Coordinator for the Green Bay Blizzard during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. With the Blizzard, Mogensen contributed to player personnel and recruiting, helping to guide the team to their first playoff appearance in seven years. In 2008 Mogensen was an Assistant Coach of the Milwaukee Bonecrushers of the Continental Indoor Football League. He then joined the Wisconsin Wolfpack, an expansion franchise, as Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator.
