Pirates' Defense Frustrates Freight, 40-23
June 7, 2025 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Massachusetts Pirates News Release
Massachusetts Pirates defense stops Fishers Freight
(Massachusetts Pirates)
FISHERS, IN - The Massachusetts defense stopped the Fishers Freight on five straight possessions, including four in the second half, as the Pirates came from behind to post a 40-23 victory at the Fishers Event Center. The Pirates (4-5) win the season series over Fishers' two games to none and are now on a two-game winning streak. The Freight (2-8) have now lost eight straight games.
Things started slowly for Massachusetts. After the Pirates turned the ball over on downs on its first possession, Fishers' quarterback Carlos Davis led the Freight on a 10-play, 40-yard drive that saw him score on a four-yard run. Former Pirates' kicker Calum Sutherland added the point after, and then a deuce to give the Freight a 9-0 lead with the only points of the quarter.
The Pirates missed a 55-yard field goal on their second possession, but got the ball back as they were on first and ten from the 20-yard line; Freight running back Shane Simpson fumbled. Matt Elam recovered, giving Massachusetts a short field. The first play of the second quarter saw quarterback Kenji Bahar finding wide receiver Thomas Owens with a nine-yard strike for six. Josh Gable's extra point left the Pirates trailing by two.
Following a missed field goal by Sutherland, Bahar exploited the Freight defense using Owens twice. A 16-yard completion to Owens was the biggest play on a seven-play, 30-yard march that culminated with the Pirates' all-time leading receiver catching his second touchdown of the game from 13 yards out, giving Massachusetts a 14-9 advantage.
The Freight did come back with Davis connecting with Simpson on a 21-yard swing pass for a touchdown and a 15 -14 halftime lead.
The Pirates started the second half with a defensive stop and then drove 29 yards in eight plays to regain the lead with Owens catching his third score of the night. Owens wrestled the ball away from Jaiden Roe in the back of the end zone for his 90th career regular-season touchdown reception, giving Massachusetts a 21-15 lead.
The Pirates finished off the third quarter with a second straight stop. Five plays and 29 yards later, it was Bahar throwing his fourth touchdown pass of the night. This time, Teo Redding made a catch between his legs for the score. Gable followed with the PAT and his first "Deuce" of the season. The lead was 30-15 as Massachusetts scored 16 straight points to dominate the third quarter.
The final quarter began with a third consecutive stop by the Pirates, which led to a 24-yard field goal by Gable to push the score to 33-15 with 4:21 to play.
With 1:58 to play on fourth down at midfield, the Freight had a bad snap that rolled almost into their own end zone. Davis recovered but was tackled at the four for the fourth straight stop of the half. On the next play, Bahar scored on a four-yard run. The point after was good, and the Pirates had run off 26 unanswered points, leading 40-15.
Davis threw a 10-yard TD pass to JT Stokes and a two-point conversion pass to Isiah Cox with 30 seconds to play to close the scoring, making the final score 40-23.
For the Pirates, Bahar was 13 of 17 passing for 92 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran eight times for 28 yards and a score. Pooka Williams Jr. rushed 18 times for 56 yards to lead all ball carriers. He also had three receptions for 24 yards. Owens was the game's top receiver with four catches for 41 yards and three touchdowns. Owens has now accumulated over 550 points in regular season play, with his total standing at 565. Redding also chipped in with three catches for 21 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Marcis Floyd had 7.5 tackles, broke up two passes, and forced a fumble. Marquis Waters had five stops with two tackles for a loss, totalling 23 yards.
Freight quarterback Carlos Davis was 14 of 27 passing for 128 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran eight times for 20 yards and a score. Simpson ran six times for 15 yards and caught three passes for 40 yards and a touchdown. Jerron McGaw had four receptions for 35 yards. Krystapher Oakley led the defense with 7.5 tackles, with two for a loss and one forced fumble.
The Pirates' next game will be Saturday, June 14, on the road in Des Moines vs. the Iowa Barnstormers at 8:05 pm Eastern time.
Images from this story
 Massachusetts Pirates break up a pass against Fishers Freight |
 Massachusetts Pirates over the boards |
 Massachusetts Pirates on the run |
 Massachusetts Pirates defense stops Fishers Freight |
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