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IFL Massachusetts Pirates

Pirates Get First Win of 2023

March 26, 2023 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Massachusetts Pirates News Release


The Pirates kicked off their season on Sunday versus the Green Bay Blizzard. In a game that featured Pirates first-year running back Jimmie Robinson's two electric touchdown debut, the Pirates escaped the Blizzard in a 55-41 final to open the season 1-0.

The Pirates opened up dysfunctional on offense. They took the ball down to the goal line after a nice setup from return man Jovon Durante on the first kick off. Quarterback Alejandro Bennifield fumbled the snap on the goal line and the Blizzard recovered in the endzone.

The defense protected the Massachusetts ship, as the pass rush was all over Green Bay's first year quarterback Jerome Johnson from the get-go. Naashon Hughes came off the edge and smoked Johnson on an incomplete pass. Then Brendon White sacked Johnson just outside the endzone. After getting some more yards on 3rd down, the Blizzard trotted out kicker Logan Justus, who went for a deuce from 58 yards and came up well short. Aarion Maxey-Penton took the recovery and turned on the jets, bringing it all the way back to the Green Bay 10-yard line. Unfortunately, an illegal block by Naashon Hughes brought the return back to the Pirates 13 to set up shop.

There isn't anything that Bennifield and the offense can't overcome though. Immediately the passing offense clicked. As Isaac Zico reels in a pass from Bennifield on the drive for a gain of eight. Then veteran Thomas Owens gets involved with a 1st down grab. Two plays later on 3rd and nine, Bennifield found the player of the day, Jimmie Robinson who took the pass inside the five-yard line. On 2nd and goal, Bennifield found Zico for the first touchdown of the Pirates season on a cross body touchdown. This would be the Pirates first lead of the day, and they'd never look back.

The Massachusetts' special teams unit immediately got the ball back for the offense, as Maxey-Penton continues his dominance by forcing a fumble and Darren Carrington jumped on it. Bennifield trots back out and finds Thomas Owens for his first touchdown of the day. Pirates add to their lead and make it 14-0.

The Blizzard offense finally wakes up as running back Terrance Smith took the drive's opening carry for 12 yards. Then Jerome Johnson shows off his legs and picks up eight yards setting up 2nd and two. Johnson goes back to the well and Naashon Hughes sniffs it out to bring the drive to 3rd and two. On the following play, the Pirates get called for a defensive hold and gift the Blizzard a 1st down. Johnson takes the ball again and rolls out to the left, and he hits Marquise Irving in the endzone for the touchdown. They get on the board for the first time this game and make it a 14-7 ball game at the end of quarter one.

The Pirates open up the second quarter near mid-field at their own 18-yard line. Robinson continues his electric day by taking the toss and picking up the 1st down, then getting involved in the passing game by catching a ball over the middle, making a man miss, and picking up another 1st down. The Pirates are now at the 6-yard line and after a critical illegal defense penalty against the Blizzard, the Pirates set up at the two-yard line and Robinson scores his first career touchdown! Josh Gable continues his perfect day at the kicker position and Massachusetts go up 21-7.

The Blizzard return their kick to near midfield on this drive, but a holding call brought them inside their own 10-yard line. The Pirates defense stands strong forcing a 3rd and 14 after a couple of great defensive plays and a delay of game penalty. But Blizzard wide receiver Steve Newbold makes an athletic catch and gets a generous spot to convert the third and long. They convert another third down as Johnson finds Marquise Irving takes another catch six yards to move the chains. On 3rd and six inside Pirates territory, Johnson forces a pass over the middle and Pirates defensive back Momodu Mbye picks it off, and slams the door on the Blizzard's best drive yet.

The Pirates offense showed no signs of slowing down late in the 1st half as Bennifield throws a strike to Jovon Durante on 3rd and 7. The following play Bennifield is still slinging it with a dart to Thomas Owens on the sideline for a gain of 17. Inside the Blizzard five yard line, Bennifield faked a handoff to Jimmie Robinson and kept the ball himself and dashed to the endzone, extending the Pirates lead to 21 as they take a 28-7 lead with 1:30 left in the 1st half.

The Blizzard, under immense pressure to put some points on the board, find themselves unable to stop the Pirates pass rush, despite starting in Massachusetts territory at the 20 due to an unsportsmanlike penalty on the Bennifield touchdown run. Treyvon Young and Calvin Bundage both putting pressure on the first year Jerome Johnson. After forcing out a pass to Steve Newbold, Johnson tries to keep it himself on 2nd and long and is wrapped up by Mbye and 4th and long comes. Logan Justus comes out for a 26-yard Green Bay field goal attempt and is wide left, the Pirates take over with just 30 seconds left to play in the half.

The Pirates offense was hungry for more, as Robinson take a checkdown pass to the Pirates 18, and then taking a handoff to midfield before Massachusetts calls a timeout with 20 seconds left. Issac Zico catches a pass beyond the 1st down marker before getting himself out of bounds to stop the clock 5 seconds later. After some shots at the endzone, Josh Gable comes out to try a field goal with just one second left, he drills it again and the Pirates go into halftime up 31-7.

The Blizzard opened up hot on offense in the third quarter, following a big gains from wide receiver Shaq Curington and Steve Newbold, Jerome Johnson dashed all the way to the endzone from the Pirates 20 yard line, with two defenders at his feet at the goal line. Justus gets his first successful kick of the day, and the gap is now 31-14 with the Pirates lead.

The Massachusetts offense didn't open up the third quaretr as hot as they closed it. After marching their way to the endzone by ways of Jimmie Robinson making plays, they stalled at the goal line. After a miscommunication between Darren Carrington and Robinson, Bennifield got hit on a option play that was luckily recovered by his Pirates teammates to create 3rd and goal. Bennifield hit Thomas Owens on the sideline, but was tackled short to create 4th and goal inside the one. Bennifield sets up for the quarterback sneak, but fumbles the ball and is tackled short of the goal line. The Blizzard stump the red-hot Pirates offense in the shadow of their own goal post with 6:30 left in the 3rd quarter.

Jerome Johnson and the Green Bay offense got back to work, although they still struggled to get anything going as Johnson was wrapped up twice, including a big hit from Trayvon Young on separate scramble attempts. On 3rd and seven inside their own 10-yard line, Johnson threw a bomb down the opposite sideline, where Marquise Young made an athletic catch over Harlan Miller in the opposite endzone. Green Bay gets their second touchdown of the day, but the PAT from Justus is blocked so the lead is cut to 11, with Massachusetts up 31-20 with 4:01 left in the 3rd.

The Bennifield led offense started at the six-yard line the following drive. On the first play Carrington took a pass over the middle and takes it about eight yards. On 3rd and one, Jimmie Robinson again made a spectacular play and runs through contact to put the offense at the 22-yard line for a big 1st down. Robinson again, delivers a huge run where he carries Blizzard defenders inside the five, and his Pirates teammates push the pile to get Robinson his second touchdown of his debut game. Gable hits the PAT again, and the Pirates extend their lead to 18 to enter the fourth quarter up 38-20.

The Blizzard's rushing attack opened up on this first drive of the final quarter, as Terrence Smith not only took Gable's short kick inside Pirates territory at the 22, but bullies his way two straight plays to move the chains. After an injury time out to Treyvon Young on Smith's third down conversion, Jerome Johnson shows off the wheels again and runs a quarterback keeper all the way to the endzone to shorten the lead to nine as the score is now 38-27 with 11:19 left in regulation.

Massachusetts wasn't about to let Green Bay back into the game so easily though, as Robinson again takes a checkdown pass and bolts all the way to the Blizzard 21-yard line. Bennifield then hit Darren Carrington in stride to set up 3rd and short. The Blizzard defense would jump offsides and gift the Pirates another 1st down. Bennifield would take advantage and find Carrington in the back of the endzone for his first touchdown grab of the season. It was scoring aplenty for this Pirates receiving crew, as they would take a 45-27 lead with 7:14 to go.

Gable hit the scoreboard on the kickoff and Green Bay starts their drive at midfield. Johnson's first two passes fall incomplete as Naashon Hughes bats down the second. The Blizzard again face a 3rd and 10, but Johnson has his deep ball magic today, as he finds Steve Newbold who makes an amazing fingertip snag to set the Blizzard offense up inside the five yard line. Mbye makes the tackle on a Johnson rush to force 2nd and goal. On the following play, the Pirates are called for an illegal play where a player used an official as a defender, and they'd have to run the 3rd and goal play again, where Johnson would scramble and fall short of the goal line. On 4th and goal from the one, Terrence Smith would find the endzone untouched, and the Blizzard would get back in striking distance and make the game 45-34 with just two minutes left in regulation.

The Blizzard attempted an onside kick, but Maxey-Penton recovers and sets up Massachusetts in plus territory. On 3rd and three with 1:30 left in the game, Bennifield rolls out trying to find Thomas Owens, but the ball falls incomplete. However, Anthony Hayes hit the Pirates' signal caller way late and sent him into the boards, forcing the official to call roughing the passer. Bennifield would take advantage and rush into the endzone for the game clinching touchdown score to clinch it.

The Blizzard would attempt to close the spread, and do it with a short Steve Newbold touchdown reception to make the score 52-41. But the Pirates figured they'd do a little bit of fan service. With 14 points being necessary for bettors to cash in on their favorite team, the Pirates with a short field and just seconds to go, Josh Gable was sent out to try a field goal and nailed it and the final score would meet the necessary requirements for the home fans to take home some money.

55-41 was your final from Worcester. The Pirates move to 4-1 all time in season openers, and 3-2 all-time in home-openers. They'll look to add tweaks and minimize the fumbles next week, as the Bay Area Panthers come to town, who look to do better against Massachusetts as they lost 44-28 last year at home.



Indoor Football League Stories from March 26, 2023


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