Pirates Postseason Ended with Third Loss to Blizzard
Published on August 5, 2026 under Indoor Football League (IFL)
Orlando Pirates News Release
Orlando Pirates running back Pooka Williams carries vs. the Green Bay Blizzard
(Orlando Pirates)
GREEN BAY, WI - The Orlando Pirates' 2026 IFL season officially wrapped up on Sunday afternoon, falling 73-59 at the hands of the Green Bay Blizzard at the Resch Center in the first round of the IFL Playoffs. Orlando (10-7) was playing its fourth road game in five weeks when they faced Green Bay (14-3) for the third time this season. The IFL's top seed defeated their Eastern Conference foes in all three matchups.
The Pirates started with a bang, as running back Pooka Williams took the opening handoff for a 24-yard gain. Then, MVP hopeful Paxton DeLaurent fired a strike to Teo Redding for an 18-yard pickup. Two plays later, Williams opened the scoring with an eight-yard touchdown run, followed by newly-signed kicker Nick Belcher's extra point and Orlando led 7-0 after the opening drive. The Blizzard answered immediately, started by fellow MVP candidate Liam Thompson's 34-yard completion to Isaac Ross. Backup runner Demilon Brown found paydirt on the very next play, and the game was tied just like that.
The ensuing Pirates possession was owned by Williams, first rushing for a 34-yard burst, then reeling in a 16-yard TD catch to give his team a 14-7 lead. Brown found a hole and exploded for a gain of 24. Then Thompson darted upfield to gain 14. Another seven yards on the ground from Brown set up third-and-three from the Pirates' six-yard line. Thompson would find Trevon Alexander in the endzone for the tying score, and it was 14-14 before Andrew Mevis booted the kickoff through the uprights for the go-ahead deuce. Orlando turned the ball over on downs, and Green Bay took over as the opening quarter expired.
Thompson and the Blizzard capitalized by finding Sylvere Campbell for an 11-yard TD pass, and the lead was padded to 23-14. DeLaurent answered back in two plays, connecting with Williams for a 50-yard scoring reception, cutting the deficit to two. Green Bay struck again, as Thompson and Alexander hooked up for their second TD, this time a 26-yard house call. Another successful deuce from Mevis gave the Blizzard a 32-21 advantage.
DeLaurent found connections with Thomas Owens for a 26-yard reception, Williams for eight, and Owens for another five. Williams added five yards on the ground, setting up fourth-and-four at the Blizzard six. A Nyqwan Murray TD reception cut into the lead, only for the play to be negated by an offensive pass interference. Orlando called on Belcher for a 16-yard field goal try, but it sailed wide. Green Bay failed to take advantage with a missed kick, and another Orlando turnover on downs stalled the scoring.
The Pirates found paydirt on their final series of the first half, courtesy of a DeLaurent-Owens link up for 11, but a missed point after try kept the Blizzard in front by five. With six seconds remaining, Thompson found Alexander for his third TD reception, a 10-yard scoring play that saw Green Bay take a 39-27 lead into halftime.
From that point on, the game spiraled out of control for the Pirates.
The second half opened with Trevon Alexander bringing in his fourth touchdown catch, and the 10-yard reception ballooned the lead to 18 points. The Pirates answered back with another Paxton DeLaurent-Thomas Owens TD, and the lead was shortened to 12. Two plays later, Liam Thompson found Isaac Ross for a 25-yard scoring grab, extending the lead to 52-33. Refusing to back down, DeLaurent would find Nyqwan Murray for a nine-yard TD, and the lead shrunk to 13. Thompson opened the ensuing Blizzard drive with a 42-yard hookup to Sylvere Campbell. Another two plays later, Draysean Hudson took the jet sweep over the goal line, and Green Bay held a 59-39 lead entering the final quarter.
DeLaurent began the next possession with a 34-yard connection to Pooka Williams. Two plays later, he found Murray for an 11-yard scoring connection, keeping the game within reach at 59-45. However, the Blizzard refused to let up, and a drive fueled by chunk plays and defensive penalties was topped off by an Alexander two-yard scoring run to pad the lead to 66-45. Orlando refused to give in, as DeLaurent fired completions of 27 and 10 to Teo Redding and Owens, respectively. He found Owens again for a 13-yard touchdown catch and Orlando trailed 66-51 with four minutes to play.
A failed onside kick gave the ball back to Green Bay's punishing offense, and Thompson took advantage by finding a seven-yard TD connection to Ross, putting his team ahead for good at 73-51. With the game out of reach, DeLaurent continued to fight, stepping up in the pocket and firing a 36-yard TD strike to Owens. A successful two-point conversion cut the Green Bay lead to 73-59, but a second unsuccessful onside ended the contest as the clock expired.
Despite losing the game, the Pirates led the Blizzard in total yards (321-260) and time of possession (33:56-25:19). They also led in first downs gained (12-5), third down efficiency (60%-50%) and passing yards (283-171).
Paxton DeLaurent finished 22-of-34 for 283 yards and a career-high eight touchdown passes, just one shy of his career-best nine total scores he set in last week's win-and-in game against Fishers. Pooka Williams tallied 30 yards and a TD run on nine carries, adding 86 yards and a pair of scores on six catches. Thomas Owens led the Pirates receiving corps with 114 yards and three TDs on eight receptions, Teo Redding finished with 53 yards and a score on five grabs, and Nyqwan Murray tacked on 30 yards with two TDs on three catches. Nick Belcher was 0-for-1 on his only field goal attempt and made three of his four extra point tries. Newly re-signed defensive back Smoke Monday led the Pirates defense with five solo tackles as part of a six total tackle performance.
Liam Thompson went 13-of-17 for just 171 yards and seven TDs. Demilon Brown tacked on 49 yards and a rush TD on 13 carries, while Draysean Hudson (1 car, 8 yds) and Trevon Alexander (1 car, 2 yds) each added a score on the ground. Alexander led the Blizzard receivers with 76 yards and four TD catches on his five receptions, Issac Ross tallied 46 yards and a pair of TDs on three grabs, and Sylvere Campbell made two catches for 33 yards and a score. Andrew Mevis missed his lone FG attempt and converted nine-of-11 PATs, while Andre White Jr. shined on defense with seven total takedowns, making five solo stops.
The Pirates will return to Orlando and begin making preparations for the offseason, while the Blizzard will host the Tulsa Oilers on Sunday, August 9th in the Eastern Conference Championship Game.
Images from this story
 Orlando Pirates running back Pooka Williams carries vs. the Green Bay Blizzard |
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