Pirates Ready for First Trip to Fishers, IN
June 4, 2025 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Massachusetts Pirates News Release
LOWELL, MA - This Saturday night, the Massachusetts Pirates will play their first game ever in the Hoosier State, facing the Fishers Freight at 7:05 pm in the Fishers Event Center. The Pirates (3-5) will look to make it 2-0 over the Freight this season. The Pirates defeated Fishers at home back on April 12 at the Tsongas Center. It was the first-ever franchise loss for Fishers (2-7), and they have not won a game since.
The Last Meeting: April 12, The Tsongas Center
Josh Gable kicked a 20-yard game-winning field goal as time expired, as the Massachusetts Pirates defeated the Fishers Freight 50-47 at the Tsongas Center.
It was the first win of the season for the Pirates, as it stopped a two-game losing streak.
The Pirates never trailed in the contest and led 47- 39 with just over nine minutes left in the game, but the Freight came back to tie the game as backup quarterback Keegan Shoemaker led Fishers on a two-play, 37-yard drive that saw running back John Lewis catch a two-yard touchdown pass and a two-point conversion to tie the game at 47 all with 56 seconds to play.
Pirates running back Pooka Williams gave the home team great field position on the first play from scrimmage in the final drive of the game. On first and ten from the 12, Williams caught a pass from quarterback Kenji Bahar and went 33 yards to the Fishers' 5-yard line. After two rushing attempts, Gable came on to make the winning field goal as time ran out.
Pirates quarterback Kenji Bahar was 15 of 22 passing for 179 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He also ran 10 times for 28 yards with four scores. Williams ran 13 times for 37 yards. He finished with 103 all-purpose yards. The Pirates' top receivers were Isaiah Coulter with five receptions for 36 yards and a touchdown, and Thomas Owens, who had four catches for 58 yards and a score. Defensively, Sal Lupoli Jr. had eight tackles with an interception, while Marcis Floyd added seven tackles with one pass broken up.
For the Freight, Jyia Wright was 10 of 14 passing for 65 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Shoemaker finished five of eight passes for 55 yards and two touchdowns.
Wright was the Freight's leading rusher with seven carries for 52 yards and two scores. Fishers' leading receiver was JT Stokes with six receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown. The Freight defense was led by Tamar Heart with 11 tackles and one tackle for a loss.
The Last Time Out:
Last Thursday night, Pirates running back Pooka Williams Jr. ran for 140 yards and scored two touchdowns as Massachusetts defeated the Jacksonville Sharks 43-29 at the Tsongas Center. The win halted a three-game losing streak for the Pirates. The win clinched the season series over Jacksonville, two games to one, and handed the Sharks their third loss of the year. It also ended the Sharks' three-game winning streak.
The Pirates owned the second quarter as they managed 22 points while shutting out the Sharks. After Pirates quarterback Kenji Bahar gave his team the lead with a two-yard touchdown run, linebacker Maquis Waters sacked Jacksonville quarterback Tyler Huff in the end zone for a safety, giving the Pirates a 16-10 advantage.
The ensuing possession saw Isaac Zico catch his first touchdown pass of the year on a four-yard strike from Bahar. Then, after turning Jacksonville over on downs, the Pirates ended the half with Bahar connecting with Zico, who made a running touchdown catch in front of the Pirates' bench for a 29-10 lead.
The win was the first coaching victory for Tom Menas as Head Coach of the Pirates.
Williams was the game's leading rusher with 140 yards on 28 carries with two touchdowns. Bahar ran five times for 25 yards and two scores. He was also 12 of 16 for 85 yards with two TD passes to Zico. The wideout had seven catches for 58 yards with two scores to lead all receivers. Defensive back Tye Smith led Massachusetts with seven tackles.
Huff finished the game for the Sharks, completing 11 of 14 passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns. He was also Jacksonville's leading rusher with 14 carries for 48 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Marcus Rogers was his top target with three receptions for 46 yards and two scores. Isaiah Reed led the defense with eight and a half tackles.
The Freight suffered their seventh consecutive loss at the Resch Center in Green Bay, losing to the Blizzard 55-39 last Friday evening. The Freight trailed 24-21 at halftime but were outscored 31 to 16 in the second half. Running back Shane Simpson had three rushing touchdowns in a losing effort with 22 yards on 13 carries. Quarterback Carlos Davis was Fishers' leading rusher with 50 yards on 13 attempts with a touchdown. He was also 11 of 19 passing for 93 yards with a touchdown and an interception. JT Stokes caught three balls for 31 yards, and Isiah Cox had three receptions for 28 yards and a score. Jaiden Roe led the defense with seven and a half tackles.
Team Stats: (Includes IFL Ranking)
The Pirates are scoring 35 points per game (11th) while allowing 40.0 (7th). The offense averages 217.6 points per game (7th) and has only allowed one sack, which is best in the IFL. The Pirates are also converting 47.3% of their third-down conversions (2nd).
Defensively, Massachusetts gives up just 200.6 yards per contest (4th) and ranks third against the pass, yielding just 118.6 yards per game. They have recorded ten sacks (2nd) and are number one, giving up 13.8 first downs per contest. The defense is also fifth with a 38.9 percent success rate on third down and is number two in red zone defense at 66.7 percent, allowing just 21 touchdowns, which is second.
Fishers is scoring 39.8 points per game (9th) and ranks 13th on defense, allowing opponents 49.8 points per outing. The Freight averages 210.8 yards per game offensively and gives up 200.1, which is third best in the IFL.
Players to Watch:
Pirates running back Pooka Williams Jr. is second in the IFL with 101 carries and second with 440 yards rushing. He averages 73.3 yards per game, which leads the league. He has nine touchdowns and gains 4.4 yards per carry. Williams is fourth in the IFL with 113.2 all-purpose yards per contest. Pirates quarterback Kenji Bahar is second in the IFL with 15 rushing touchdowns.
Jiya Wright of Fishers has rushed 87 times (4th) for 403 yards (3rd) with 11 touchdowns (6th) and gains 57.6 yards per game (3rd). Wright averages 4.6 yards per attempt. Running back Shane Simpson ranks seventeenth in the league with 86.8 all-purpose yards per game.
At quarterback, Bahar of Massachusetts is 108 (4th) of 185 (3rd) with eight interceptions (3rd) and completes 58.4 percent of his passes (10th). He has thrown for 1,024 yards (5th) with 12 touchdowns while averaging 128.0 yards per game with an efficiency rating of 117.6.
Wright of Fishers is 43 of 77 passing with four interceptions while completing 55.8 percent of his throws. He has thrown for 360 yards with seven TD passes and averages 51.4 yards passing per game. His efficiency rating is 114.7.
On special teams, the Pirates' Josh Gable has made four field goals this year, which places him sixth in the IFL. Aaron Jackson of the Freight is third, averaging 21.1 yards per kickoff return.
Defensively, Marcis Floyd of the Pirates is among the league leaders with three interceptions. Marquis Waters ranks fifth with 3.5 tackles for a loss, while Dominic Quewon has 2.5 (10th).
For the Freight, Tamar Heart is second in the league with 58.5 tackles. Defensive back Shawn Steele also has three interceptions and ranks fifth with six passes broken up and is sixth with nine passes defended.
The Coaches:
Tom Menas (1-2), 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.
Dixie Wooten is the Head Coach of the Fishers Freight. Wooten returns to the role of Head Coach after serving as the Offensive Coordinator for the last two seasons with the Bay Area Panthers.
Wooten, who has a regular season lifetime record of 59-33, was the Head Coach and General Manager of the Tucson Sugar Skulls in 2021 and 2022.
Wooten is a two-time IFL Coach of the Year, winning the award in 2017 and 2018 with the Iowa Barnstormers. In 2018, the Barnstormers won the United Bowl with a victory over the Sioux Falls Storm for the Barnstormers' first-ever championship. Wooten has a playoff record of 2-3. Wooten was also a Head Coach with the Allen Wranglers in 2021 and the Bemidji Axemen in 2015. As a player, Wooten enjoyed an eight-year IFL career.
Indoor Football League Stories from June 4, 2025
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