Pirates Face Freight for IFL’s Last Playoff Spot

By: Michael Muela

Last Time Out:

The Pirates came away with a nail-biting 55-54 road win over the San Antonio Gunslingers in Week 18. Quarterback Paxton DeLaurent finished the contest 20-of-26 passing for 198 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions, adding a pair of rushing scores with 32 yards on just nine carries. Running back Pooka Williams finished with 50 rush yards and a TD on his nine attempts, also recording 76 receiving yards and a TD grab on seven catches. Nyqwan Murray led the receiving unit with 69 yards and a trio of TD receptions on seven catches, while Thomas Owens added 28 yards and reeled in a score on only four grabs. Defensive back Leon O'Neal was the star of Orlando's defense, finishing with five tackles.

San Antonio QB Joaquin Collazo finished 20-of-34 for 250 yards and six TD passes, also tallying 14 rush yards and a score on seven carries. RB Jahleel Billingsley recorded just four yards and a TD on only two attempts. WRs Deon Cook (6 rec, 88 yards) and Deion McShane (8 rec, 81 yds) each tacked on at least 80 receiving yards and three TD catches on over six receptions. On defense, Ravarius Rivers and Larry Brooks III both registered an INT, while Brooks led the way with 13 tackles.

The Series:

The Pirates lead the all-time series against the Freight, winning each of the first three meetings. Orlando handed Fishers a season sweep in 2025.

Last Meeting:

The Pirates narrowly defeated the Freight 60-57 earlier this season in the Kia Center on May 9th. DeLaurent finished 28-of-31 for 308 yards with five touchdowns and an interception, adding seven rushing yards and a score on five attempts. Williams rushed for 34 yards and a trio of TDs on only six carries. Murray reeled in 133 yards and three TDs on nine grabs, Teo Redding added 65 yards and a score on eight receptions, while Owens tacked on 64 yards and a TD on six catches. Corrion Ballard was the Pirates' top defender, making eight tackles.

Fishers QB Felix Harper was 10-of-15 for just 93 yards, also rushing for 42 yards and a TD on 10 carries. RB Dominic Roberto dominated with 100 yards and five scores on 18 rushes, while JT Stokes added 27 yards and a TD on only two attempts. WR CJ Windham was the top Freight receiver with 48 yards on just five catches. Jaiden Roe recorded the only takeaway with an INT and was also the top tackler with nine.

Team Stats (Includes IFL Ranking):

The Pirates are scoring a seventh-best 48.5 points per game, also averaging a fifth-best 248.3 yards per contest. Orlando's 2,610 passing yards is fifth among the IFL leaders. On defense, the Pirates are allowing a third-most 47.2 PPG, while also giving up the sixth-most YPG (228.1) this season.

The Freight average the sixth-most PPG (48.9) in the IFL, also recording the sixth-fewest YPG (226.2) in 2026. Fishers' 1,648 passing yards is 12th among the league leaders. Defensively, the Freight allow the sixth-most PPG (43.7), while also allowing the second-most YPG (238.5) in the IFL.

Players to Watch (Includes IFL Ranking):

Pirates QB Paxton DeLaurent's 2,532 passing yards ranks second in the IFL this season, averaging the second-most pass yards per contest (168.8). He has completed a league-best 245 of his 345 passes (71.0%), throwing for 50 touchdowns (3rd) and 13 interceptions with a 173.0 pass efficiency rating. He's also second on the Pirates with 344 rushing yards and 14 TDs on 102 carries.

RB Pooka Williams is the IFL's leading rusher with 608 yards and 20 TDs on 110 carries across 14 games this season. WRs Nyqwan Murray, Thomas Owens and Teo Redding each rank in the top 15 receiving leaders, with Murray sitting in fourth with 740 yards and 16 TDs, Owens in 10th with 658 yards and 17 TDs, and Redding in 11th with 635 yards and 12 TDs.

Orlando's defensive leaders are DB Leon O'Neal with 60 tackles, 4.5 TFL, a forced fumble, three INTs with six PBUs, LB Destin Mack with 55 tackles, a forced fumble and recovery, an INT with seven PBUs, and DL Mike Mason with 52 tackles, 3.5 sacks, nine TFLs, two PBUs and a block.

For Fishers, Felix Harper leads the team with 1,612 passing yards (8th) and 31 TDs with eight INTs on 157-of-220 passing (71.4%) this season. He also paces the Freight with 578 yards (3rd) and 16 TDs on a second-most 153 carries. Isaiah Coulter is 27th in the IFL with 411 yards and nine TDs on 41 receptions. Marcus Gray is the 20th-leading tackler with 62 takedowns with a sack and 2.5 TFLs, a fumble recovery and three PBUs. 

The Coaches:

On April 11, 2026, Rod Windsor was named the tenth Head Coach in Pirates history. He was elevated to that position after previously serving as Offensive Coordinator. The former Bay Area Panthers OC and Associate Head Coach helped the Panthers to the Indoor Football League playoffs last season. Bay Area ranked sixth in the league scoring 45.1 points per game and  averaged 233.2 yards per contest. They were third in the IFL in rushing with 99.5 yards per game and ninth in passing with 133.8 yards each night.  From 2022 through 2024, Windsor worked with the Northern Arizona Wranglers as offensive coordinator, winning the league's National Championship in 2022. In 2024, he guided quarterback Josh Jones to become the IFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year. A three-time first-team All-Arena receiver, Windsor is no stranger when it comes to championships as he has four rings: three as a player and one as a coach. Windsor began his professional career in 2009 in the af2 with the Rio Grande Valley Dorados catching 184 passes for 2,364 yards and 59 TDs in 15 games. He was named the Offensive Player of the Year and the Rookie of the Year. In 2010, Windsor played for the Sacramento Mountain Lions under Head Coach Dennis Green and with quarterback Dante Culpepper. Windsor then joined the Arizona Rattlers where he caught a league-record 197 passes for 2,372 yards and 47 touchdowns. He was the Rookie of the Year and an all-league first-team selection. Windsor later signed with the Cleveland Browns practice squad for one week in December. He then joined the Buffalo Bills practice squad on December 30, 2010, where he finished the season. In 2013, Windsor returned to the Arizona Rattlers and earned Second Team All-Arena honors as the Rattlers defeated Philadelphia in ArenaBowl XXVI. Windsor had 10 receptions for 145 yards and was the game's MVP. Windsor captured his second ring in 2014 and remained with the Rattlers through 2016. He later won his third championship with the Washington Valor in 2018 and finished his career with the Baltimore Brigade in 2019. Windsor ended his professional career with 898 catches for over 11,000 receiving yards and 263 touchdowns. As Orlando's shot-caller this season, he's led the Pirates to a 7-6 record. He looks to lead the Pirates back to the playoffs with a victory in the final regular season game on Sunday.

Dixie Wooten is the inaugural head coach of the Fishers Freight. The past two seasons, Wooten was the former Offensive Coordinator for the Bay Area Panthers. In 2023, Bay Area was transformed from the bottom of every offensive category to third in the IFL at 52.3 points per game, helping lead them win the IFL Championship that season. He spent the previous two years as the Head Coach and General Manager of the Tucson Sugar Skulls from 2021-2022, reaching the playoffs in 2022 after finishing as the third seed in the Western Conference. Wooten is a two-time IFL Coach of the Year, winning the award in 2017 and 2018 with the Iowa Barnstormers. In 2018, under Wooten, the Barnstormers captured the United Bowl with a victory over the Sioux Falls Storm for the first league title in franchise history. In his three years in Iowa, the Barnstormers went 36-8 during the regular season and reached the playoffs each year. Wooten played indoor football for eight pro seasons before moving to coaching with a reputation for player development. He coached IFL MVP's Drew Powell and Daquan Neal in consecutive years with Iowa in 2018 and 2019.

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