Pirates Punch Postseason Ticket with Victory over Freight

By: Michael Muela

The Pirates offense took the field first and scored on the opening drive, courtesy of a six-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Paxton DeLaurent to receiver Nyqwan Murray. Newly-signed kicker Henry Nell's extra-point attempt was blocked, and the Pirates held a 6-0 lead in just under four minutes. The Freight responded immediately, as the first offensive snap went 35 yards for a TD pass from Felix Harper to Jordan Davis. In the blink of an eye, Fishers now led 7-6. 

On the ensuing series, DeLaurent drove his offense down the field with pass completions of 14 yards to running back Pooka Williams, four yards to receiver Thomas Owens, and a pass that was deflected back to himself and gained 15 yards. Two plays later, DeLaurent scrambled across the goal line for the score, and a successful extra point from Nell gave Orlando a 13-7 lead. The Freight's next possession began with a 13-yard dash from Harper following an incomplete pass. Dominic Roberto took the following handoff for a gain of three, before Harper fired a 17-yard strike to Isaiah Coulter for a go-ahead TD, giving Fishers a 14-13 advantage after the opening quarter.

It took just three plays for Orlando to answer back, as DeLaurent found a connection with Teo Redding for a gain of 11, then Williams found paydirt from seven yards out. Nell's PAT was unsuccessful, and Orlando led 19-14. Fishers' following drive belonged to Harper and Roberto, with Harper tallying seven yards in the air and six on the ground, while Roberto recorded 32 rushing yards and seven receiving yards on the drive. It was capped off by Roberto's two-yard TD run, giving Fishers the lead at 21-19.

The Pirates took over with 7:20 to play in the half, and Williams was stuffed for a loss of three on the opening snap. DeLaurent responded by rifling a 33-yard hookup to Murray that went the distance for his second score. Nell's botched two-point conversion meant Orlando now led 25-21. With over five minutes remaining, Fishers took over following a 26-yard kickoff return. Roberto got the drive started with a five-yard run, Harper fired a pass to CJ Windham for 15, and Roberto finished it off with his second TD run of the game. The two-pointer failed, and Fishers was back in front, 27-25.

Orlando got the ball back with three minutes left before halftime, and DeLaurent completed two-of-three passes to Redding and Owens for a combined 16 yards. His third completion of the drive found Murray in the endzone for a hat-trick, 14-yard TD reception. A successful two-point pass put the Pirates ahead 33-27. Orlando's defense forced Fishers into a fourth-and-15 situation, resulting in a missed 34-yard field goal try. With less than a minute to play, DeLaurent would get greedy by going to the air attack on three consecutive passes. Following a gain of 11 to Williams and an incompletion, DeLaurent's third pass was picked off by Drake Johnson with 17 seconds left, ending the first half.

Fishers would get the second half started with Felix Harper finding Jaylen Green for five yards, then Dominic Roberto ran for four. Following a false start on fourth down, Harper found Jordan Davis for his second scoring grab, a 12-yard connection on fourth-and-six. The Freight regained the lead at 34-33. Paxton DeLaurent marched the Pirates offense down the field, gaining 15 yards on a pair of connections with Nyqwan Murray  and nine on a Thomas Owens catch. DeLaurent would run it in for his second touchdown carry, and Henry Nell's converted PAT saw Orlando retake the lead at 40-34.

The Pirates' defense forced a turnover-on-downs to give the ball back to the offense. DeLaurent would take advantage by firing his fourth TD pass, this time hitting Teo Redding for the 16-yard score. A failed two-point try from Pooka Williams meant Orlando led 46-34. The Freight's Josiah King would return the ensuing kickoff 30 yards to the Pirates' 20-yard line. Roberto would gain just two yards on the ground before time expired, and the game entered its final frame.

Fishers was forced into a fourth-and-10, but Harper connected with Isaiah Coulter for a gain of 13. Following a three-yard pickup, Harper narrowly avoided disaster by recovering his own fumble at the two-yard line. After a defensive holding penalty on third-and-goal, Roberto carried the ball across the goal line for the third time, and a successful point after cut Orlando's lead to 46-41. 

The Freight's attempt at an onside kick to catch the Pirates off-guard was unsuccessful, and Orlando had excellent field position at the Fishers 10. DeLaurent immediately capitalized by throwing his fifth TD pass, finding Owens in the endzone. DeLaurent's two-point conversion worked and the lead was extended to 54-41 with 10 minutes remaining. A six-yard sack from defensive lineman Ezekiel Rose was negated via a penalty. Harper then completed an 11-yard pass to Davis, before Roberto found the endzone from a yard away, making it a 54-48 deficit. Another attempted onside kick went awry, but the Pirates offense went backwards, and Fishers took advantage with a defensive touchdown to take the lead 55-54.

With only five minutes to play, Harper looked to spark the Fishers offense. However, they stalled by losing 30 yards, and the Pirates took over. With 3:30 remaining, DeLaurent connected with Teo Redding for an acrobatic TD reception to take a 60-55 lead. Fishers responded by marching down the field and scored what would've been the game-winning touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion, to give the Freight a 63-60 lead with less than 30 seconds to play.

That was it. The season was over, right? "Not so fast," said the Pirates offense.

With 20 seconds left, the Pirates called on their leader to get the job done, and he delivered. DeLaurent would dash up the middle untouched for his third TD run, and the Pirates took the lead 67-63. Fishers would have one last opportunity to win the game, but as the clock expired, Harper's pass went through the hands of the diving Isaiah Coulter and fell to the ground, giving the Pirates the win and the final remaining playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. 

The game finished as a back-and-forth scoring epic, as the Pirates and Freight combined for 130 points and 539 yards of offense in what many IFL fans can consider an instant classic. Orlando finished with more first downs gained (12-9), better third down conversion efficiency (71%-33%), more passing yards (244-196) and longer time of possession (38:16-32:54).

For the Pirates, Paxton DeLaurent finished the ball game 22-of-30 for 244 passing yards with six touchdowns and an interception, also recording 24 rushing yards and three TD runs on five carries. His nine total touchdowns tied a Pirates team record. Pooka Williams had a tough day running the ball, recording -3 yards and a touchdown on seven attempts, but tacked on 30 receiving yards on three catches. Nyqwan Murray was the star of the Pirates receiving core, making seven receptions for 89 yards and a trio of TDs. Teo Redding added 61 yards and two scores on six catches, while Thomas Owens reeled in five grabs for 49 yards and a touchdown. New kicker Henry Nell was just three-of-five kicking extra points, and defensive back Markel Roby led the defense with six solo tackles as part of his 10 total stops.

Fishers QB Felix Harper was 13-of-24 for 196 yards with four TD passes, tacking on 16 rushing yards on seven carries. Dominic Roberto recorded 62 yards and five scores on 15 rushes, while Isaiah Coulter led the Fishers receivers with 99 yards and two TDs on six catches and Jordan Davis made four receptions for 70 yards and a pair of TD grabs. On defense, Drake Johnson recorded the only turnover via an interception, while Jaiden Roe led the way with eight total takedowns.

The 2021 IFL National Champions return to the postseason in their debut season as the Orlando Pirates after relocating from Massachusetts. They will head north to face the number one seeded Green Bay Blizzard in the first round of the 2026 IFL Playoffs on Sunday, August 2nd at 2:00 p.m. EDT. Orlando was swept by Green Bay during the regular season.

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