by Mick Moninghoff

LOWELL – The Massachusetts Pirates look to stop a three-game losing streak on Thursday night at the Tsongas Center against the Jacksonville Sharks. The last win for Massachusetts came in Jacksonville back on April 19. Now the 2-5 Pirates look to halt the Sharks’ three-game winning streak at 7:05 pm as the Floridians enter at 6-2.

The Last Meeting: April 19, VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena

Massachusetts played its most complete game of the season as quarterback Kenji Bahar and running back Pooka Williams each ran for two touchdowns, wideout Thomas Owens caught a touchdown pass, and defensive back Marcis Floyd had two interceptions, including a “pick-six” as the Pirates won by a score of 42-35.

A 34-yard touchdown grab by Owens in the third quarter and an eight-yard interception return for a score by Floyd were enough to hand the Sharks their first loss of the season. Williams was the game’s leading rusher with 50 yards on 19 carries with two touchdowns. Bahar was 16 of 20 passing for 158 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. His top receivers were Teo Redding with five catches for 42 yards and Owens with four receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown. The Massachusetts defense was led by Marquis Waters, who had 6.5 tackles, and Sal Lupoli Jr., with six. Floyd had two interceptions (one touchdown) and broke up two passes.

For the Sharks, Kaleb Barker was 12 of 21 passing for 161 yards with two interceptions and three touchdowns. His leading receiver was Jaedon Stoshak with four catches for 59 yards and two scores. Defensively, Hayden Hatcher and Chris Rice each had nine tackles for the Sharks.

The Last Time Out: May 18, Prescott Valley, AZ

The Pirates led Northern Arizona at halftime 10-7 but lost to the Wranglers 33-24 at the Findlay Toyota Center. Running back Dominic Roberto was the leading rusher in the game with 56 yards on 13 attempts with two touchdowns.

The Sharks played last Saturday night in Fishers, IN, and defeated the Freight 46-40. Blaine Espinosa started at quarterback and was 4 of 8 passing for 37 yards with a touchdown in the first half as Jacksonville trailed 28-14 at halftime. Tyler Huff played the second half and completed 4 of 5 passes for 37 yards. It was his running that made the difference, as he was the game’s leading rusher with 72 yards on 12 carries and three touchdowns. The defense held the Freight to just 12 second-half points as Jonathan Huggins posted eight tackles.

Team Stats (Includes IFL Rankings): The Pirates are 33.6 points per game (12th) while allowing 41.6 (9th). The offense averages 211.3 yards per contest (9th), and the defense is third in the IFL, giving up 205.0 yards per game. Against the pass, the Pirates yield just 122.3 yards each time out.

Massachusetts’ line play continues to be one of the best in the league on both sides of the ball as the offense has allowed just one sack, which leads the league, while the defense has nine sacks, which is second. The Pirates’ defense allows just 14 first downs average downs per contest (1st). Massachusetts is second in the IFL, converting on 47.7 percent of third-down conversions, and is third defensively in that situation, holding opponents 38.3 percent of the time. The Pirates’ defense is fourth best in the red zone, with opponents converting at a rate of 67.7 percent.

The Sharks are scoring 43 points per game (7th) and holding opponents to 32.1 points per outing (2nd). Their offense averages 232.6 yards per game (3rd) while the defense leads the league, giving up just 183.9 yards per game. Jacksonville is number two against the pass, allowing just 109.8 yards on average.

The Sharks’ offense converts on third down 46.3 percent of the time, which is third in the IFL. On fourth down, the Sharks are second, converting at a rate of 60.9 percent while the defense is the best in the league as opponents are successful at just 29.2 percent. Jacksonville is also second in red zone defense, as foes have a 66.7 success rate.

Players to Watch (Includes IFL Rankings): Pirates running back Pooka Williams has rushed 75 times (4th) for 300 yards (5th) and averages 60 yards per game (2nd). He has seven rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Kenji Bahar is second in the IFL with 13 rushing touchdowns. He is also 4th with 104.2 all-purpose yards per game.

Passing Bahar is 96 (5th) of 168 (4th) with eight interceptions (3rd) and has a completion percentage of 57.1 (9th). He has thrown for 934 yards (7th) with ten touchdowns and averages 133.4 yards per game (9th). He is also tenth in scoring at 11.1 points per game.

His top targets are Teo Redding, who has 22 receptions for 231 yards and four touchdowns. Thomas Owens has 21 receptions for 261 yards and five scores. Defensive back Marcis Floyd ranks in the top ten with three interceptions.

Jacksonville quarterback Kaleb Barker is 72 (8th) of 129 passing with nine interceptions (2nd) for a completion percentage of 55.8 percent. He has thrown for 890 yards (7th) and 16 touchdowns (8th). He averages 127.1 yards per game. Barker has also rushed 59 times (8th) for 246 yards (8th) with eight touchdowns.

His top receiver is Ka’ron Ashley, who has 27 receptions (7th) for 314 yards (10th) and six touchdowns. Kick returner Malik Flrming ranks tenth in the league with a return average of 19.4 yards per attempt. On defense, Kivon Bennett leads the IFL with four sacks and is sixth with 7.5 tackles for a loss. Malik Jones leads the league with six interceptions and is seventh with eight passes defended.

The Coaches: Tom Menas (0-2) is looking for his first win with the Pirates. Menas, who began this year as the Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator of the San Antonio Gunslingers, became the eighth head coach in the history of the Pirates on April 30th of 2025. Menas coached the Gunslingers to an eight-and-eight record last season, began this year with an eight-point loss to Tulsa, and then defeated Bay Area 28-21 on the road before his release. As a Head Coach, Menas has enjoyed success at the professional and collegiate levels. Before joining San Antonio, Menas was the Head Coach and General Manager of the Albany Empire of the National Arena League and led the franchise to back-to-back championships in 2021 and 2022.

Menas has worked as an assistant coach in a few leagues. From 2020-2021, he was an Assistant Head Coach with the New Jersey Flight in the NAL. His first experience in the IFL was with the Green Bay Blizzard in 2019 as an offensive and defensive line coach. He also served as a Head Coach in the Rivals Professional Football League.

Jacksonville Head Coach Jason Gibson is in his second season with the Sharks with an overall record of 23 and 16. His All-Time Career record stands at 154 and 89.

Gibson guided Jacksonville to its fourth championship in team history in 2023. Before arriving in Jacksonville, Gibson spent 16 seasons with the Columbus Lions, amassing a 131-73 record as the team’s head coach and general manager. Gibson won three league championships between the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL), the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL), and the American Indoor Football League (AIF). Gibson has an all-time record of 5-5 coaching against the Pirates.