Thomas Owens' Three Touchdowns Help Pirates Sneak into Playoff Spot
July 6, 2025 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Massachusetts Pirates News Release
LOWELL, MA - Thursday night, the Pirates defeated the Iowa Barnstormers 54-31, in what was a historic night for wide receiver Thomas Owens. The franchise's leading receiver in receptions, yards, and touchdowns added three scores to his name to officially surpass 100 career receiving touchdowns.
"It's a blessing," said Owens regarding the achievement. "Some people don't get the chance to do this in the league, so I'm very grateful. I wouldn't have gotten here without my teammates ... I'm appreciative of everybody who's been with me throughout the whole journey."
Owens finished the game with 69 yards and three touchdowns on three receptions, capping one of his most productive outings of the 2025 season.
With roughly 10 minutes to go in the second quarter, Owens found the end zone for the first time, going 36 yards down the field. Quarterback Kenji Bahar connected with the veteran receiver on a curl route, with Owens turning upfield in an instant, leaving the defensive back on his knees from a missed tackle.
"I noticed [the defensive back] was in man [coverage], and I felt like, with his leverage, he was going to come straight down," said Owens. "So I turned and ended up getting loose."
From Iowa's 14-yard line with 15 seconds remaining in the first half, Owens ran a dig route, finding a soft spot in the Barnstormer's zone coverage where Bahar could hit him in stride with a pass right into the end zone for his second score.
Entering the game, the Pirates were 6-6 and one game out of a playoff spot behind the 7-6 Tulsa Oilers. With Tulsa not playing this week and Massachusetts leading the season series, a Pirates win would propel the team past the Oilers and into a playoff spot for the first time in 2025.
Following the team's loss to the now 10-3 Quad City Steamwheelers last week, Owens noted that everyone wasn't themselves during that game, and the team understood that they needed to get back on track - a goal they accomplished.
The Pirates' offense came out firing on all cylinders, scoring 40 points in the first half. The chemistry between Bahar and Owens - highlighted by two first-half scores -proved pivotal in the team's win, and something that has evolved significantly throughout the season.
"[Our chemistry] has grown a lot," said Owens. "Kenji came in as a rookie, and he had to learn once he first got here. He's been clicking ever since and has been getting the job done."
The duo of Bahar and Owens struck again in the third quarter, allowing the receiver to complete his hat-trick performance.
Five minutes into the second half, Iowa had scored two touchdowns to cut into the Massachusetts lead, 40-19. The Pirates, with their hands tied on 4th & 13, roughly 19 yards out from the end zone, silenced any Barnstormer momentum as Bahar connected with Owens in the back of the end zone, who high-pointed the ball over a leaping defender.
Advancing to 7-6 on the season, Massachusetts currently sits in the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. On July 12, the team will prepare to face Tulsa one last time before the season's end. A win would further solidify the Pirates' position in the playoff picture and increase their chances of securing a higher seed; however, a loss could leave them on the outside looking in once again.
Despite the impressive win, the team has already shifted to what's next during the road trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma.
"We're just trying to be consistent in staying the course and taking it game by game," said Owens. "We're not going to head into the next game looking at this last game. We're going to go into the next game looking at that game, and so forth."
Indoor Football League Stories from July 6, 2025
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- Thomas Owens' Three Touchdowns Help Pirates Sneak into Playoff Spot - Massachusetts Pirates
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