Pirates Look to Bounce Back against Wranglers
July 7, 2023 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Massachusetts Pirates News Release
The Massachusetts Pirates will travel to Prescott Valley, AZ to face the Northern Arizona Wranglers at 8:05 p.m. CT on Saturday at the Findlay Toyota Center. Massachusetts has already secured a spot in the upcoming Indoor Football League playoffs. A victory on Saturday night would earn them a first round home playoff game.
The Pirates are 9-4 on the season and in second place in the IFL's Eastern Conference. Their .692 winning percentage is third best overall in the league. The Wranglers are 6-7 on the season and currently in fourth place in the Western Conference.
The Series:
All-time the Pirates are 1-0 vs. Northern Arizona. The only meeting was in the Pirates championship season of 2021 when they defeated the Wranglers on the road 51-16.
The Last Meeting: 8/15/2021
In what turned out to be the final start for quarterback Sean Brackett in his career with Massachusetts, the former Most Valuable Player of the National Arena League completed 12 of 20 passes for 127 yards and four touchdowns in the 51-16 victory at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley. His top target was wide receiver Thomas Owens who had seven receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown.
The Last Time Out:
The Pirates saw their five-game winning streak come to an end as they were defeated by the Arizona Rattlers 52-43 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. Massachusetts scored the only points in the first quarter as quarterback Anthony Russo connected with wideout Isaac Zico with a nine-yard pass for a 6-0 lead. They regained the lead at 12-7 when Fabian Guerra ran back a kickoff 54 yards for a score. The Pirates trailed 28-15 at halftime, but saw the Rattlers expand their lead to 20 points early in the third quarter. Arizona then held off the Pirates comeback. Twice Massachusetts closed to within nine points, including with 32 seconds to play when Russo hit Darren Carrington with a nine-yard pass and a two-point conversion pass to Zico.
Russo finished the game 13 of 21 passing for 127 yards and five touchdowns and two interceptions. Zico recorded seven receptions for 68 yards and two scores while Carrington added three catches for 38 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Running Back Jimmie Robinson compiled 123 all-purpose yards, running 13 times for 53 yards, returning three kickoffs for 60 yards and pulling in one reception for 10. Leon O'Neal Jr. led the defense with nine tackles.
The Wranglers enjoyed a bye week after losing its last game to the Tucson Sugar Skulls 42-28 at home. Northern Arizona is on a two-game losing streak and has lost its last three games at the Findlay Toyota Center.
Team Stats: (Includes IFL Rankings)
The Pirates are third in the IFL in scoring averaging 51.2 points per game. Their defense allows 46.9 points per game which is seventh in the IFL. Massachusetts averages 249.9 yards of total offense per night (fourth) which includes 172.9 passing yards per contest (fourth). The Pirates special teams continue to be among the league's best with a field goal percentage of .474 (second) and a PAT percentage of .843 (fifth). The Massachusetts offensive line is the best in the IFL allowing a league low of four sacks this season. The offense averages 17.6 first downs per game (fourth) and has the fourth best percentage on third down conversions at .50 percent.
The Wranglers are scoring 36.8 points per game (14th) and yielding 39.0 points per contest which is second only to Frisco in the IFL. Northern Arizona is second defensively allowing just 218.8 yards per game. They are also number three against the pass giving up just 150.5 yards per night. The Wranglers are tied for second in the IFL with 16 sacks. They are also second allowing just 15.9 first downs per contest.
Players to Watch: (Includes IFL Rankings)
Running back Jimmie Robinson of the Pirates leads the IFL with 822 rushing yards. He has carried 145 times (fourth) and averages 5.7 yards per carry (seventh) and 68.5 yards per game (second). His 24 rushing touchdowns are fourth in the league. Robinson is fifth in the league scoring 15.2 points per game. His 21.4 yards per kickoff return ranks him seventh in the IFL. His three kick returns for touchdowns is second in the league. Robinson continues to lead the IFL with 143.3 all-purpose yards per contest.
Pirates' quarterback Anthony Russo has completed 162 (third) of 257 passes (fifth) for a completion percentage of 63 percent (10th). He has thrown for 1,963 yards (second) with 44 touchdowns (second) against nine interceptions. He averages 163.6 passing yards per game (sixth) with an efficiency rating of 176.7 (seventh).
Wranglers quarterback Garrett Kettle is tenth in the IFL averaging 176.8 yards of total offense per game. Kettle is 156 (fifth) of 275 (second) passing this season (56.7 percent) with 35 touchdowns (seventh) and 16 interceptions. He has thrown for 1,796 yards (sixth) and averages 138.2 passing yards per game. He has also rushed 118 times for 502 yards with 11 rushing touchdowns.
Wide receiver Isaac Zico of Massachusetts has 66 receptions (fourth) for 740 yards (eighth) with 16 touchdowns (seventh). He averages 5.5 receptions per game (first), 11.2 yards per catch and 61.6 receiving yards per contest (fifth).
Wideout Ramaud Chiaokhi of the Wranglers has 57 receptions this season (eighth) for 785 yards (fifth) with 21 touchdowns (second). He averages 13.8 yards per catch and 60.4 yards per game (sixth). Chiaokhi is also tenth in the IFL averaging 10.8 points per game
Defensively, Tramond Lofton of Northern Arizona leads the IFL with 22 tackles for a loss. He is also tied for the league lead with seven sacks. Teammate Theo Majette is fourth with 11.5 TFL. Majette has 3.5 sacks as does the Pirates Ezekiel Rose.
Wranglers' defensive backs Kishawn Walker and Travion Banks are among the league leaders in interceptions. Walker has six (tied third) while Banks has four (tied fifth).
The Coaches:
Mark Stoute is now 9-4 as the Head Coach of the Pirates. Stoute joined the organization in June of 2021 as a senior advisor. He served as Offensive Coordinator last season.
Stoute is the fifth head coach in Pirates history and has 27 years of coaching experience in the indoor game. He had his most success as a head coach from 2012 to 2016 with the Cedar Rapids Titans leading them to four-straight playoff appearances. After an impressive 2013 season, Stoute was named the IFL Coach of the Year.
Les Moss enters his second year as the Northern Arizona head coach. Last season, Moss led the Wranglers to their first IFL National Championship. Prior to the Wranglers, Moss was the Head Coach of the Iowa Barnstormers in 2021. Moss was hired to be the Quarterback's and Running Back's coach for the Arizona Rattlers for the 2020 season, but the season was ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moss was the Assistant Head Coach & General Manager of the Arena Football League's Albany Empire from 2018 to 2019. He began his career in indoor football in 1988. Some of his coaching highlights include serving as the Jacksonville Sharks Head Coach & Director of Football Operations (AFL) from 2010-2016. Moss led the Sharks to two Arena Bowl appearances including the 2011 title, as well as two additional Conference Championship game appearances.
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