by Mick Moninghoff

LOWELL – The Massachusetts Pirates (1-2) will face the Jacksonville Sharks (3-0) on Saturday night at 7:05 at The VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville. This will be the Pirates’ first road game of the season.

The Series: All-time, the Sharks hold a 6-3 record vs. Massachusetts and won the first meeting this year in the Tsongas Center.

Last Week: The Pirates won their first game of the season, 50-47 over the Fishers Freight at the Tsongas Center in Lowell. Kicker Josh Gable, who returned to the team last week, kicked a 20-yard field goal as time expired, giving the home team the victory. First-year quarterback Kenji Bahar played his best game to date, completing 15 of 22 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran 10 times for 28 yards with four scores.

Running back Pooka Williams ran 13 times for 37 yards. He finished with 103 all-purpose yards. The Pirates’ top receivers were Isaiah Coulter with five receptions for 36 yards and a touchdown and Thomas Owens, who had four catches for 58 yards and a score. Defensively, linebacker Sal Lupoli Jr. had eight tackles with an interception, while defensive back Marcis Floyd added seven tackles with one pass broken up.

It was a game of firsts as the Pirates handed the Freight its first loss in franchise history, Pirates Frederick Griggs collected his first win as Massachusetts Head Coach, and the team’s all-time leading receiver, Owens, pulled in his first touchdown of the season.

The Sharks ran their winning streak to three games as they defeated the Tuscan Sugar Skulls at the Tucson Arena in Arizona last Saturday night. With the game tied at 14, the Sharks began the final quarter with quarterback Kaleb Barker throwing a seven-yard TD pass to Karon Ashley for a 20-14 lead. Barker was 11 of 21 passing for 108 yards and two touchdowns. He was also the Sharks’ leading rusher with nine carries for 46 yards.

The Sugar Skulls took their only lead of the game when E’mond Caldwell connected with Jerome Buckner on a 12-yard scoring play for a 21-20 advantage with 9:16 to play.

Jacksonville took the lead for good, 28-21, with 3:42 on the clock as Edward Vander scored on a one-yard run and Jaedon Stoshak caught a two-point conversion pass. The Sharks halted Tucson’s final drive as Jonathan Huggins intercepted Caldwell at the 2-yard line with nine seconds left. It was one of four interceptions by Jacksonville on the night. Huggins was also the Sharks’ leading tackler with 7.5 stops.

The Last Meeting (March 21, 2025): Massachusetts running back Pooka Williams scored three touchdowns, but it was not enough as the Jacksonville Sharks defeated the Pirates 46-25 in the Indoor Football League 2025 season opener at the Tsongas Center. Williams had 105 all-purpose yards, as he rushed for 46 yards on 14 carries and was the Pirates’ leading receiver with five receptions for 31 yards. He also returned three kickoffs for 28 yards. The Massachusetts defense did cause four turnovers and was led by Guy Thomas, who had five tackles and a sack. Sal Lupoli Jr. also had five tackles.

Players to Watch: Bahar of the Pirates is 38 of 65 passing for 358 yards with four touchdowns. He is also the leading rusher with 92 yards on 28 carries with eight rushing touchdowns. At running back, Williams has rushed 27 times for 83 yards and three scores. Three receivers, Owens, Teo Redding, and Isaiah Coulter, have nine receptions. Owens has 87 receiving yards with a touchdown, Redding has two touchdown catches with 84 yards, and Coulter has 78 yards and a score.

Defensively, Floyd has 11.5 tackles with an interception and two forced fumbles, and Marquis Waters had 11 stops with an interception, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

Gable, the Pirates’ all-time kicking leader, added to his total of 252 career points with his game-winning kick to defeat the Fishers Freight.

For the Sharks, Barker is 30 of 54 passing for 361 yards and eight touchdowns. He is also Jacksonville’s leading rusher with 93 yards on 20 attempts with two touchdowns. Karon Ashley is his top receiver with eight catches for 114 yards and three scores. On special teams, Tyler King has a kickoff return average of 17.5 with one touchdown. Defensively, Kivon Bennett has 16 tackles, Noah Lyles has two tackles for a loss and a sack, and Jordan Whitley and Malik Jones each have two interceptions.

The Coaches: This is the second stop for Frederick Griggs as a head coach. Before coming to the Pirates, Griggs was the Head Coach of the Duke City Gladiators. Including a playoff game, his all-time record in Duke City was 6 and 21. His combined record is 7 – 23. He is 0-1 vs. Jacksonville.

Griggs became the interim Head Coach of the Duke City Gladiators in 2022 as the team faced the Arizona Rattlers in the first round of the Indoor Football League playoffs. He served as Head Coach from 2023 until late in the 2024 season.

Griggs spent seven years with the Duke City Gladiators as a player, General Manager, and Head Coach. He helped Duke City to back-to-back Champions Indoor Football titles, earning league Defensive MVP and Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors. He later served as General Manager and ultimately as Head Coach.

Griggs started his professional career in the Canadian Football League with the Calgary Stampeders. He transitioned to the indoor game with four teams before joining Duke City. Griggs played with the Cedar Rapids Titans (IFL), the Bloomington Edge, and the Kansas City Phantoms (both in the CIF).

An All-State high school linebacker in Tallahassee, Florida, Griggs became a two-time All-American while playing safety and cornerback at NAIA William Penn University in Iowa.

Jacksonville Head Coach Jason Gibson is in his second season with the Sharks with an overall record of 20 and 14. His All-Time Career record stands at 151 and 87.

Gibson guided Jacksonville to its fourth championship in team history in 2023. Prior to 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 4-5 coaching against the Pirates.