IFL Orlando Pirates

Week 15 Preview

Published on July 31, 2021 under Indoor Football League (IFL)
Orlando Pirates News Release


This Saturday night, the Massachusetts Pirates will look to distance itself in the Indoor Football League standings from the Spokane Shock when the two teams meet in the Spokane Arena at 10:05. The Pirates are currently in third place with a 7-3 record while Spokane is right behind in the fourth spot with a mark of 6-3.

The Pirates should be rested coming off a bye week after a convincing win over the Arizona Rattlers at Phoenix Field at the DCU Center on July 18, while Spokane is looking to bounce back after a 68-61 loss at the hands of the Duke City Gladiators last Saturday night.

This will be the second meeting of the season between the two teams. The 2,729-mile journey from Worcester, MA to Spokane, WA should give the Pirates plenty of time to reflect on what was their most disappointing loss of the season. Back on May 22, the Pirates built a 26 to 7 lead through three quarters only to see the Shock run off 27 straight points to steal a 34 to 26 victory at Phoenix Field at the DCU Center. Spokane used a pick-six interception by Dominic Sanders and fumble recovery in the fourth quarter to power the comeback over the Pirates. Massachusetts committed five turnovers in the game.

However, since June 19, the Pirates have won four straight games in impressive fashion. They won back- to-back games on the road with walk-off field goal victories, defeating Tucson and then handing Frisco its first loss of the season. They followed that up with the defense making a stand on the final play to hold off Bismarck and then, in their last outing, Massachusetts dismantled the first place Arizona Rattlers 68-44, stopping the Rattlers six game winning streak. The defense held the Ratters to 219 yards of total offense (91 rushing and 128 passing) while the offense had its highest point production of the season. Justin Stockton was Massachusetts' leading rusher with nine carries for 35 yards and two scores. Quarterback Alejandro Bennifield was 16 of 26 passing for 203 yards and four touchdowns. His two touchdown runs earned him a Pirates single season record as he now has 13 on the year. Wideout Dontez Byrd was the Pirates leading receiver with four receptions for 75 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Thomas Owens had four catches for 42 yards and a score while Laquvionte Gonzalez returned a kickoff 57 yards for a touchdown. The Pirates won all of those games without starting linebacker Martrell Spaight who is expected to return to action this weekend.

The Shock started the season with a loss, then ran off four consecutive wins, but have played just .500 ball over the last four weeks including last weekend's loss in Albuquerque, NM to Duke City. In that game quarterbacks Blake Sims and Marcus McDade both saw action as Sims was 6 of 15 for 53 yards while McDade was 8 of 13 for 73 yards and two touchdowns. Both ran the ball effectively as Sims had 67 yards on 11 carries with three touchdowns. McDade ran five times for 13 yards and a score. Kamerin Solomon had eight carries for 46 yards and two touchdowns.

The top receivers for the Shock were Edgar Poe who had five receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown. Solomon added four catches for 33 yards and Jordan Jolley had three receptions for 23 yards and a score. Defensively Spokane was led by Torrance Gibson who had five tackles and Micah Robinson had five stops including two tackles for a loss.

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Indoor Football League Stories from July 31, 2021


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