LOWELL, MA – The Massachusetts Pirates continued their impressive run of late on Saturday night with a decisive 58-37 victory over the Tulsa Oilers at the Tsongas Center. The Pirates won their fourth consecutive game, pushing their season record to 6-5 and solidifying their playoff position in the IFL’s Eastern Conference. The Oilers fell to 7-5 on the season with the loss.
From the outset, it was clear the Pirates came to play, determined to avenge their regular season loss to Tulsa to end last season. The Oilers managed to get on the board first with a six-yard passing touchdown from T.J Edwards to Cole Blackman. Tulsa led 7-0 after one quarter. The Pirates finally got on the board at 12:48 of the second quarter as they scored on a three-yard run by Pooka Williams Jr. The point after was no good, leaving the Pirates trailing 7-6.
The Pirates took control, extending their lead to 13-7 before Tulsa’s TJ Edwards II connected with Blackman again on a clever fake QB-run, briefly putting the Oilers back on top 14-13. The game stayed that way until there were five seconds left in the half as Behar finished off a six-play 32-yard drive that concluded with Teo Redding making his first touchdown grab of the game. Thomas Owens followed with a two-point conversion reception for a 21-14 halftime lead. It would be the third and final lead change of the game.
The second half saw the Pirates pull away. After a defensive stop, the Pirates took over on the Oilers’ 11. It took just three plays to score as Bahar tossed an eight-yard pass to Williams. Leading 28-14. After a Tulsa missed field goal, Bahar connected with Redding on a 30-yard strike for six making the score 34-14 Pirates.
Unlike past games where they struggled to maintain offensive consistency, Head Coach Tom Menas’s squad refused to take their foot off the gas. A nine-yard rushing score by Edwards II offered a glimmer of hope for Tulsa, making it 34-21.
The fourth quarter started the final quarter with Josh Gable kicking a 29-yard field goal for a 37-21 advantage. A 34-yard kickoff return by Sheldon Augustine gave the Oilers great field position at the Pirates’ 11-yard line. The Pirates defense held on fourth and two at the four with defensive back Smoke Monday defending a pass and forcing a turnover on downs. The following play saw Behar going deep to Redding on a 47-yard scoring play to extend the lead to 44-21 lead with 10:49 to play.
Edwards would answer with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Phazione McClurge, and Edwards caught a two-point conversion pass from Hasan Rogers, but Bahar’s second rushing touchdown of the night from five yards kept the Pirates out front, 51-29.
With 4:06 remaining, Edwards would throw his final touchdown pass of the game with a seven-yard pass to Blackman. McClurge added a two-point conversion catch as the scoreboard read 51-37, Pirates. The Oilers tried an onside kick, but Thomas Owens returned it 12 yards for a touchdown for the game’s final points to make it 58-37.
Bahar threw four touchdown passes and scored two rushing touchdowns. He is playing at an MVP level the past few weeks.
The Pirates will look to keep the winning training rolling when they visit Quad City next Saturday.