Pirates Prep for Iowa
June 13, 2025 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Massachusetts Pirates News Release
Massachusetts Pirates defense lines up against the Jacksonville Sharks
(Massachusetts Pirates)
LOWELL, MA - The Massachusetts Pirates are looking to extend their two-game winning streak on the road in Iowa against the 1-8 Barnstormers. A victory would give the Pirates (4-5) their longest winning streak of the season and see them get back to the .500 mark for just the second time this year. The game will kick off Saturday at 8:05 pm Eastern time.
The Series:
The Pirates lead the all-time series vs. Iowa. Four games to three. Massachusetts won the first-ever meeting 55 to 19 in their Championship season of 2021. The last three seasons, the teams split their two games, with each winning at home. The Pirates have yet to win in Wells Fargo Arena.
The Last Meeting: May 11, 2024
The Iowa Barnstormers defense held Massachusetts to just six points in the second half as they came from behind to upset the Pirates 42 to 34 at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
The Pirates started quickly building a 21-3 lead behind rushing touchdowns from Jimme Robinson and Alejandro Bennifield, along with a 45-yard TD reception by Teo Redding. Massachusetts held a 28-19 halftime lead.
Iowa took its first lead of the game with 13:03 remaining as Robert Washington found the end zone from five yards out. Former Pirates kicker Gabriel Rui's PAT made the score 33-28. Then Rui connected on his second "deuce" of the night, upping the advantage to 35-28.
A third consecutive stop by the Iowa defense led to an eight-play, 45-yard drive with Keshaun Taylor pulling in a 13-yard catch for his second touchdown reception of the night and a 42-28 lead.
The Pirates scored their first points of the second half with 2:40 to play as Bennifield found a wide-open Thomas Owens from 14 yards out. Those would be the last points of the night as the point after was no good, making the final score 42-34.
The Pirates outgained Iowa with 241 yards to 162. Quarterback Alejandro Bennifield was 18 of 28 passing for 209 yards with two touchdowns. He also rushed for two scores. Jimmie Robinson led the Massachusetts running attack with 25 yards on nine carries with a touchdown. Robinson also has six receptions for 34 yards and wide out Teo Redding added four catches for 83 yards and a touchdown.
Matt Elam recorded nine tackles for the Pirates while Guy Thomas had five stops, including three tackles for a loss with a sack.
The Last Time Out:
The Massachusetts defense stopped the Fishers Freight on five straight possessions, including four in the second half, as the Pirates came from behind to post a 40-23 victory at the Fishers Event Center. The Pirates swept the season series over Fishers' as the Freight lost its eighth consecutive game.
Thomas Owens had two first-half touchdown catches in the first half as the Pirates trailed 14-13 at intermission. His third-quarter score gave Massachusetts a lead it would never relinquish. Owens was the game's top receiver with four catches for 41 yards and three touchdowns. Pirates quarterback Kenji Bahar was 13 of 17 passing for 92 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran eight times for 28 yards and a score. Pooka Williams Jr. rushed 18 times for 56 yards to lead all ball carriers. He also had three receptions for 24 yards. Wideout Teo Redding also chipped in with three catches for 21 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Marcis Floyd had 7.5 tackles, broke up two passes, and forced a fumble. Marquis Waters had five stops with two tackles for a loss, totalling 23 yards.
Iowa suffered its fifth consecutive loss last Friday night to Green Bay, 52-32, on the road at the Resch Center in Wisconsin. The Barnstormers jumped out to a 19-3 lead as Quian Williams caught touchdown passes of eight and 29 yards from quarterback James Cahoon, along with an eight-yard TD reception by Raheem Harvey with 1:48 to play in the first quarter. Green Bay then outscored Iowa 28-6 to lead 31-25 at the half.
A Caleb Streat 37-yard interception return for a touchdown gave Iowa an early 32-31 advantage, but it was a "Blizzard" the rest of the way as Green Bay won the game 52-32. For the Barnstormers, Cahoon was 22 of 43 passing for 250 yards with three touchdowns. He was also his team's leading rusher with one carry for four yards. Williams had eight receptions for 115 yards and two scores. Khadry Jackson led the defense with five tackles while Isaac Duffy posted an interception along with Streat's "pick six."
Max Meylor was 12 of 24 passing for the Blizzard for 166 yards and five touchdowns against two interceptions. He also ran seven times for 29 yards and a score. Harry Ballard was his top target with five receptions for 41 yards and two TDs. Former Pirate Momodou Mbye led the defense with 5.5 tackles, including a tackle for a loss.
Team Stats: (Includes IFL Ranking)
The Pirates are averaging 35.6 points per game, which is 12th in the league, while gaining 214.3 yards per game (8th). The offensive line continues to be first in the league, allowing just one sack, and is converting 46.3% of the time on third down (3rd).
Defensively, Massachusetts gives up 38,1 per game (5th) but allows just 195.1 yards per game, which leads the league. The Pirates have 12 sacks on the season, which tops the IFL, and they allow the fewest first downs at just 13.8 per game. The defense is number one in the red zone, with teams scoring just 65.7 percent of the time. On fourth down, opponents are successful at a rate of 40 percent, which is fourth best in the league.
The Barnstormers are scoring 45.3 points per game (4th) and average 224.3 yards per game (6th). Their defense has struggled as it is last, allowing 54.7 points per game and 266.1 yards per outing. The Iowa defense is fifth with ten interceptions, third in forced fumbles with five, and tied with the Pirates with seven fumble recoveries.
The game within the game could be Iowa's passing vs. the Pirates' pass defense. Iowa is first in the IFL passing for 206.7 yards per game, while the Pirates are third against the pass, giving up 119.7 yards each game. The Barnstormers should have the edge in the kicking game as they are first in PATs at .938. Massachusetts is last at .676.
Players to Watch: (Includes IFL Rankings)
Pirates running back Pooka Williams Jr. has rushed 119 times (2nd) for 496 yards (2nd) with nine touchdowns and averages 70.9 yards per game, which leads the IFL. He is also fourth in all-purpose yards with 108.4 per contest. Pirates quarterback Kenji Bahar is tied for second in the IFL with 16 rushing touchdowns.
Bahar has completed 121 passes (5th) in 202 attempts (5th) with eight interceptions (4th) for a completion percentage of 59.9 (10th). He has 16 passing touchdowns (10th) for 1,126 yards (7th).
His top target is wide receiver Thomas Owens, who leads the team with 26 receptions for 312 yards with eight touchdowns while averaging 12 yards per catch and 34.7 yards per game.
This week, Bahar faces James Cahoon of Iowa, who leads the IFL with 204.2 passing yards per game. Cahoon also leads the league with 211.0 total yards per night. The Barnstormers QB is 112 (T6th) of 197 (6th), completing 48.8 percent of his passes. He has 11 interceptions, which is the most in the league. His 1,225 passing yards rank fifth.
He has two receivers who rank in the top ten in several categories. Quian Williams leads the league in all-purpose yards with 140.6 per game and is second in scoring with 14.9 points each game. Williams leads the IFL with 57 receptions, receiving yards with 728 yards, and is first with 14 touchdown grabs. He also leads all receivers with 6.3 receptions and 80.9 receiving yards per game. Teammate Jalen Bracey is fourth with 42 receptions for 383 yards (9th) with seven touchdowns and 42.6 yards per contest. He averages 4.7 catches per game (6th).
The kicking game features two of the best in the league as Josh Gable of the Pirates is seventh in made field goals with five, and he ranks tenth with 36 kicking points. Gabriel Rui of Iowa is eighth with 48 points on the season and has made six field goals (6th).
Defensively, Marquis Waters of Massachusetts is tied for seventh with 8.5 tackles for a loss with Tyler Tate of Iowa. Waters is also tied for fifth in the league with 3.5 sacks.
Pirates Defensive back Marcis Floyd is among the league leaders with three interceptions. Iowa's Caleb Streat had five interceptions this season, and Isaac Duffy ranks tenth with sxc passes broken up.
The Coaches:
Tom Menas (2-2), who began this year as the Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator of the San Antonio Gunslingers, became the eighth head coach in the history of the Pirates on April 30th of 2025. Menas coached the Gunslingers to an eight-and-eight record last season, began this year with an eight-point loss to Tulsa, and then defeated Bay Area 28-21 on the road before his release. As a Head Coach, Menas has enjoyed success at the professional and collegiate levels. Before joining San Antonio, Menas was the Head Coach and General Manager of the Albany Empire of the National Arena League and led the franchise to back-to-back championships in 2021 and 2022.
Menas has worked as an assistant coach in a few leagues. From 2020-2021, he was an Assistant Head Coach with the New Jersey Flight in the NAL. His first experience in the IFL was with the Green Bay Blizzard in 2019 as an offensive and defensive line coach. He also served as a Head Coach in the Rivals Professional Football League.
Dave Mogensen is in his fourth season with the Barnstormers. Mogensen served as the Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Personnel for the Albany Empire of the National Arena League throughout the 2021 season, winning the NAL championship. He was the Offensive Coordinator for the Green Bay Blizzard during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. With the Blizzard, Mogensen contributed to player personnel and recruiting, helping to guide the team to their first playoff appearance in seven years.
In 2008, Mogensen was an Assistant Coach of the Milwaukee Bonecrushers of the Continental Indoor Football League. He then joined the Wisconsin Wolfpack, an expansion franchise, as Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator.
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Images from this story
 Massachusetts Pirates make a tackle vs. the Quad City Steamwheelers |
 Massachusetts Pirates quarterback Kenji Bahar |
 Massachusetts Pirates defense lines up against the Jacksonville Sharks |
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