Pirates Fall to Barnstormers 73-43
May 13, 2023 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Massachusetts Pirates News Release
WORCESTER, MA - The Massachusetts Pirates traveled to Iowa on Saturday, May 13th to face the Barnstormers at Wells Fargo Arena. The pirates came into the game with a record of 4-2, while the Barnstormers were 0-6.
The Barnstormers started the game returning the opening kickoff to their own 21-yard line. After five plays and 30 yards, running back Antonio Wimbush ran the ball into the end zone. Gabriel Rui's PAT was good, giving the Barnstormers a 7-0 lead. On the ensuing possession, the Pirates failed to score after the Iowa defense stopped them on all four downs, keeping the score at 7-0. The Barnstormers took over on downs with excellent field position and on the next play, Antonio Wimbush scored his second touchdown of the game on a pass from quarterback Zach Reader. Rui's PAT was good, and Iowa led 14-0. The Pirates made it down to the Iowa 10-yard line on their next drive, but were held on third down. The Pirates decided to attempt a field goal on fourth down, which was blocked by the Barnstormers defense. Following the blocked kick, The Barnstormers drove down the field all the way to the Pirates' 1-yard line and on first and goal, Antonio Wimbush scored his third touchdown of the game. Rui's PAT was good, extending the lead to 21-0 going into the second quarter.
On the first play of the second quarter, quarterback Anthony Russo threw to wide receiver Isaac Zico for the Pirates' first touchdown of the game. Kicker Josh Gable's PAT was good, cutting the lead to 14 at 21-7. The Barnstormers would respond on the next possession though, driving down the field and having Gabriel Rui make a 37-yard field goal, pushing the score to 24-7. On the next possession, the Pirates were able to score on a 1-yard touchdown run by Kelvin Taylor, his first as a member of the Pirates. Gable made the PAT, cutting the score to 24-14. The Barnstormers began their next possession at their own 17-yard line. Six plays later, Antonio Wimbush ran it into the end zone again for his fourth touchdown of the night. Rui's PAT was good once again, extending the Iowa lead to 31-14. However, the Pirates would respond as they drove down the field into the red zone, setting up Kelvin Taylor to score his second touchdown of the game on a run to the left side. Gable's PAT was good, shortening the deficit to 10 points at 31-21. On the following kickoff, Barnstormers wide receiver LaQuvionte Gonzalez returned the ball to the Pirates' 1-yard line. Four plays later, Antonio Wimbush ran it in for his fifth touchdown of the night. Rui continued to be perfect on his PAT attempts pushing the lead to 38-21 going into halftime.
To start the second half, both teams would fail to score on their opening drives. However, the Barnstormers would score the first points of the second half when Tyrell Pearson intercepted a pass from Anthony Russo and took it in for the score. Rui made the PAT, making the score 45-21 in favor of Iowa. On the ensuing possession, the Pirates would take the ball into Iowa territory. They would fail to score though, as the Iowa defense stopped the Pirates on fourth down. After taking over on downs, the Barnstormers scored again when Zach Reader threw to wide receiver Caleb Smith. Rui's PAT was good, and the Barnstormers led 52-21. However, the Barnstormers were not done scoring in the third quarter, as Gabriel Rui kicked the ball through the uprights on the following kickoff for a deuce. The lead would be extended to 54-21. The Pirates would follow up by driving down the field into Iowa territory, setting themselves up with excellent field position going into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter started with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Anthony Russo to Kelvin Taylor, his third of the night. The Pirates decided to try for a 2-point conversion, which was stopped by the Barnstormers, keeping the score at 54-27. On fourth down of the next possession, Zach Reader threw a touchdown pass to Caleb Smith. Rui continued to not miss his PAT attempts, pushing the score to 61-27. The Pirates would respond on their next possession with Kelvin Taylor rushing to the left side and scoring his fourth touchdown of the night. Isaac Zico caught the 2-point conversion pass from Anthony Russo, making the score 61-35. After an unsuccessful onside kick by the Pirates, the Barnstormers would put three more points on the board with Gabriel Rui kicking a field goal and pushing the score to 64-35 with under six minutes left in the game. The Pirates drove down the field on their next possession, and Anthony Russo threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Thomas Owens. The 2-point conversion pass to wide receiver Chris Ingram was completed, making the score 64-43. After another unsuccessful onside kick, the Barnstormers took over deep in Pirates' territory. The very next play, Caleb Smith caught his third touchdown of the night on a pass from Zach Reader. The PAT from Rui was good, pushing the score to 71-43. The Barnstormers then scored another two points on the kickoff when Rui kicked the ball off through the uprights for yet another deuce. The game ended with the Barnstormers taking home the victory by a score of 73-43.
The Pirates are now 4-3 on the season and will return home next Saturday, May 20th to host the Quad City Steamwheelers.
Indoor Football League Stories from May 13, 2023
- Panthers Lose 35-34 Heartbreaker at Northern Arizona - Bay Area Panthers
- Pirates Fall to Barnstormers 73-43 - Massachusetts Pirates
- Barnstormers Defeat Pirates in First Win of the Season - Iowa Barnstormers
- Oilers Just Shy of a Large Upset - Tulsa Oilers
- Steamwheelers Weather the Storm - Quad City Steamwheelers
- Duke City Hosts Tucson in Week Nine - Tucson Sugar Skulls
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