Massachusetts Loses Home Opener to Jacksonville, 46-26

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On Friday night at Tsongas Center, the Massachusetts Pirates of the Indoor Football League, opened their second season in Lowell. Last summer was a good one for the Pirates as they would become the Eastern Conference Champions. The team has a bit of a new look and the first change was at the head coaching position. Frederick Griggs is now the man in charge of the team and he becomes the seventh head coach in the seven-year history of the team. They also have a new quarterback in Kenji Bahar. A season ago, he was playing in the XFL for the Houston Roughnecks.

The Jacksonville Sharks begin its 15th year of indoor football and the team has added several new players, The offense will be led by QB Kaleb Barker who came into his own late last year leading the Sharks to a 3-1 late season record. A familiar face was on the field for the Sharks on Friday night. Former Pirates RB Jimmy Robinson is now in the Sharks backfield. Jacksonville won the toss and deferred to the second half.

The first drive of the season for the Pirates ended in an interception thrown by Bahar by Malik Jones. The first play for the Sharks ended in the endzone as Barker hit Ka’ron Ashley (5 catches 88 yards) for a 34-yard TD catch. The kick was good and it was 7-0 Sharks. The second drive for the Pirates ended the way the first did. Bahar was picked off again. This time by John Huggins. The Sharks took advantage and put it in the endzone once again when Baker found Jaedon Stoshak for a TD catch in the left-back corner of the endzone. The extra point was blocked and it was 13-0 Jacksonville.

The third time with the ball was the charm for the Pirates with no turnover and their first score of the season. RB Pooka Williams ran around the left end and snuck into the endzone for a rushing score. The kick was good and it was now a 13-7 Jacksonville lead at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter started with Jacksonville on the move once again. They would end it with a 16-yard TD pass from Baker to Owens in the right corner of the endzone to make it 19-7 Jacksonville with 13:36 left in the half. With 3:30 left in the first half, the Sharks struck again. Barker (9-of-18, 121 yards, 4 TDs) to Edward Vander a 15-yard TD catch in the left corner of the endzone. It was now 26-7 Sharks. The Pirates had a chance to score right before halftime but a 17-yard FG by Timmy Bleekrode was no good wide left. The Pirates’ defense came up with a turnover as Marquis Waters picked off a Barker pass. After a short passing gain, the Pirates called timeout with 04 seconds left. However, Bleekrode’s 35-yard FG attempt was no good and the half came to an end with Jacksonville up 26-7.

The third quarter started with the Sharks taking the opening kickoff and returning it for a score. Tyler King went 45 yards down the left sideline for the special teams score to make it 32-7 Jacksonville. The Pirates got that score back on a Bahar QB keeper score. They went for a 2-point conversion and it failed so with 8:25 left in the third, it was 32-13 Sharks. The Pirates’ defense came up with their second INT by Marcis Floyd. The Pirates got the ball back at their own 18-yard line. Massachusetts could do nothing with the turnover and turned the ball over on downs. The Pirates picked off Baker for the third time in the game. This time Donnie Lewis Jr made the play. Instead of taking advantage, the Pirates turned the ball back over to the Sharks. Bahar (9-of-16,86 yards,2 INT) fumbled the ball back to Jacksonville. Three plays later, Vander ran it in from 2 yards out (second TD of the game). The kick was good and it was 39-13 after three quarters.

On the first play of the fourth from their own 5-yard line, Bahar fumbled the ball and it was recovered by DL Raahsaan Wilkins at the Pirates 1-yard line. On the next play, Jimmy Robinson ran it in for a TD. The kick was good and with 12:30 left it was now 46-13 Sharks. Williams’s second rushing TD of the game from 2 yards out for Massachusetts made it 46-19 Sharks. A King fumble gave the Pirates some hope. Local product, Sal Lupoli from Chelmsford, MA got the fumble recovery. Coach Griggs said he “played lights out tonight.” Williams (16 carries, 59 yards) got his third rushing TD of the game, this one from 6 yards out around the right end. The 2-point try was no good. With 3:14 left it was 46-25 Jacksonville which would be the final score.

The coach thought “turnovers were the key.” The Pirates started a rookie QB and it showed. On defense. there were a couple of early mistakes that the coach took responsibility for. He felt the unit got better as the game went along. The Pirates are back home next Friday night to face Quad City.