Pirates Face Iowa Saturday
June 28, 2022 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Massachusetts Pirates News Release
Worcester, MA - The Massachusetts Pirates will face their final Eastern Division foe on Saturday when they square off against the Iowa Barnstormers at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines with the kickoff scheduled for 8:05 pm eastern time. Massachusetts, the defending champions of the Indoor Football League, enters the game with a 9-4 record and in second place in the Eastern Division, owning the fourth best record overall in the IFL. The Barnstormers (7-6) are in fourth place in the Eastern Division. The Pirates are 1-0 this season against Iowa and 2-0 all-time vs. the Barnstormers.
The Last Time Out:
Last week the Pirates clinched a berth in the upcoming IFL playoffs with a 69-55 victory over the Sioux Falls Storm in a game where Massachusetts never trailed. The 69 points were the most scored by Massachusetts this season and their most ever produced in an IFL game. Pirates quarterback Taz Wilson set a franchise record as he was responsible for nine touchdowns, passing for seven and ran for two more. Wilson was 17 of 22 passing for 245 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. Wide receiver Darren Carrington had nine receptions for 130 yards and four touchdowns. Wideout Thomas Owens added five catches for 96 yards and two scores. Defensive back Aarion Maxey-Penton added a 48-yard interception return for a touchdown. It was the third "pick-six" in his Pirates career and his fifth interception this season. Defensive back Chucky Williams led the team with 11 tackles and recovered a fumble.
Last weekend the Barnstormers defeated the Bismarck Bucks 49-30. After trailing 16-13 in the second quarter, Iowa scored 19 straight points to take control. Quarterback Darius-James Peterson was seven of 12 passing for 94 yards with a touchdown against no interceptions. He was also the leading rusher with 15 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown. Running back Antonio Wimbush rushed 16 times for 64 yards and two scores. Zac Parker was Iowa's top receiver with two catches for 34 yards and a touchdown. Linebacker Ian McBorrough led the defense with six tackles including two for a loss. Defensive back JR Stevens added his fifth interception of the season.
The Last Meeting - April 23, 2022
Massachusetts rookie quarterback Mike Glass ran for a touchdown and passed for four more as the Pirates defeated the Iowa Barnstormers 36-22 at Phoenix Field at the DCU Center. The game was tied at halftime at 16. The Pirates pulled away in the third quarter as Glass connected with Isaac Zico on a 13-yard scoring play and later with Thomas Owens from 21 yards out for a 28-16 advantage after three quarters.
In the final quarter, the Pirates' defense intercepted Iowa quarterback Darius-James Peterson on three straight possessions. Defensive back Khalid Wooten deflected a pass that was picked off by Lukas Denis ending a drive on fourth and goal at the one as the quarter began. After Iowa blocked a 44-yard three point try by the Pirates, Denis ruined the next Iowa possession with his second interception of the game and third of the season. That led to another missed field goal by Craig Peterson of Massachusetts, but Aarion Maxey-Penton picked up his teammate with his third interception of the season as he returned the turnover 22-yards to the nine. On second and goal from the four, Glass scrambled and threw a shovel pass to Darren Carrington for the final Pirates' score of the night. He then hit Carrington with a two-point conversion pass and Massachusetts led 36-16 with 48 seconds to play. The Barnstormers tacked on one last score as Peterson found Dom McNeil from 16-yards out for the 36-22 final score.
Glass was the Pirates leading rusher with 34 yards on 13 carries with one rushing touchdown. He finished the game 13 of 24 passing for 146 yards and four touchdowns. Owens was his leading receiver with five receptions for 77 yards and two scores. Denis and Maxey-Penton led the Pirates' defense with 11 tackles each. Massachusetts added three sacks from Da'Sean Downey, Claudell Louis and a combined effort from Koby Quansah and Jamiyus Pittman.
For Iowa Peterson was the top rusher in the game with 100 yards on 11 carries. He was also 13 of 29 passing for 136 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. His top target was McNeil who had seven catches for 55 yards and a score. Defensively, linebacker Ian McBorrough had six tackles including one for a loss
Team Stats:
The Pirates are scoring 41.7 points per game while allowing 37.8. The Barnstormers average 39.4 points per contest and are giving up 37.6.
On paper, it appears to be a classic run vs. pass matchup. Massachusetts is second in the IFL with 156.5 passing yards per game, where Iowa is ranked 12th with 117.8. When it comes to running the football, Iowa is fourth in the IFL at 87.1 yards per contest while the Pirates are 10th at 64.4.
Efficiency is on the side of the Pirates as the team ranks third on offense with a rating of 176.4 and third defensively with a 119.4 rating. The Pirates offense is also second in third down conversions at 52.5 percent.
Players to Watch: (League Ranking Included)
Pirates quarterback Taz Wilson is coming off a record setting performance in the victory over Sioux Falls where he accounted for nine touchdowns. In three games this season with the Pirates Wilson is 42 of 60 (70 percent) for 590 yards with 14 touchdowns and one interception. He is averaging 196.7 passing yards per game.
Iowa QB Darius-James Peterson is 115 (6th) of 202 (6th) for 1,408 yards (6th) with 22 touchdowns (7th) and 12 interceptions (1st). He is completing 56.9 percent of his passes (7th) and averages 140.8 yards per game (3rd). Peterson is also one of the top rushers in the IFL. He has carried 99 times (5th) for 488 yards (6th) with 11 touchdowns. Peterson averages 4.9 yards per carry (7th) and 48.8 yards per game (2nd). Peterson also ranks first in total yards with 1,896 over ten games.
Teammate Antonio Wimbush has rushed 91 times (8th) for 347 yards (9th) with ten touchdowns. Wimbush averages 3.8 yards per carry and 34.7 yards per game (8th). The Pirates top rusher is Deddrick Thomas who has 50 carries for 281 yards with five touchdowns. Thomas nets 5.6 yards per carry and 28.1 yards per contest.
Thomas Owens of the Pirates is making his case as the top receiver in the IFL. Owens leads the league with 801 receiving yards and 61.6 yards per game. He has 57 receptions (2nd), 19 touchdowns (2nd), averages 4.4 receptions per game (2nd) and is fifth with 14.1 yards per reception. Owens is currently fourth in scoring with 9.8 points per game and his total of 21 touchdowns (19 receiving and two rushing) ranks third in the IFL.
Barnstormer's kicker Gabriel Rui is tied for the league lead with 20 made field goals this season. Rui is 20 (1st) of 39 (2nd) for a percentage of 51.3 (3rd). He has also made 55 (5th) out of 60 (5th) extra points.
Pirates defensive back Aarion Maxey-Penton is third in the IFL with 19 passes defended. He is third in the league with five interceptions in 11 games and third with 14 passes broken up. Iowa defensive back JR Stevens has five interceptions (4th) has defended 13 passes (6th) and has broken up 8 (7th).
Da'Sean Downey of Massachusetts is ninth in the league with nine sacks. Iowa linebacker Ian McBorrough is first in the IFL with 17 tackles for a loss. He also ranks fifth with 76.5 tackles and third with an average of 5.9 tackles per game. Barnstormers defensive back Jordan Baldwin is seventh with 5.4 tackles per game.
The Coaches:
This is a matchup of a pair of first-year head coaches in Rayshaun Kizer of the Pirates and Dave Mogensen of the Barnstormers. Both have prior experience as assistant coaches in the IFL; Kizer with Bismarck and Massachusetts as the defensive coordinator for the IFL champions last season and Mogensen with Green Bay as an offensive coordinator in 2018 and 2019. Mogensen was the assistant General Manager and Director of Player Personnel with the Albany Empire, champions of the National Arena League last season.
The 2021 United Bowl Champions; Massachusetts Pirates are members of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Pirates play all home games at Phoenix Field at the DCU Center located at 50 Foster St. Worcester, MA, 01608. For more information on the Massachusetts Pirates please call (508)452-MASS (6277), email contact@masspiratesfootball.com or visit http://www.masspiratesfootball.com. For 2022 season, half-season, luxury, or group ticket packages please call 508-452-MASS (6277) or visit www.masspiratesfootball.com/tickets. Follow the Pirates on Facebook via Facebook.com/MAPirates, Instagram @mass.pirates, and Twitter @mass_pirates.
Indoor Football League Stories from June 28, 2022
- Week Sixteen Coaches Poll Unveiled - IFL
- Pirates Face Iowa Saturday - Massachusetts Pirates
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