Pirates Square Off with Sugar Skulls on Saturday

By: Michael Muela

Last Time Out:

The Pirates are coming off a dominant 41-11 victory over the New Mexico Chupacabras in the third-place game of the IFL's in-season tournament debut. Quarterback Paxton DeLaurent added three touchdown passes to his ledger, and receiver Nyqwan Murray was the product of two of those scores. The Pirates led 27-3 at halftime, thanks partly to turnovers that resulted in scores forced by defensive backs Corrion Ballard and DJ Daniel. A 14-8 second-half scoring run gave Orlando its fifth victory of the 2026 season. 

DeLaurent finished Sunday's contest 11-of-19 passing for 140 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Backup QB James Blackman would also tally a TD pass as part of a four-four, 29-yard day. Receiver Teo Redding led the rushing attack, tallying 17 yards on his only carry, while fellow receivers Ja'hki Douglas and Murray both landed on the scoresheet with a rushing touchdown. It was Murray who topped the stat sheet in the air, totaling 103 yards and a pair of scores on seven catches, while Douglas (3 rec, 25 yds) and Redding (1 rec, 7 yds) also hauled in a touchdown grab.

The Pirates' top defender was linebacker Jay Pearson with six solo tackles, adding 0.5 sacks to his name. Hector Johnson added a sack as part of his five tackles, while Ballard forced a fumble and Daniel recorded an interception. 

For the Chupacabras, Harrison Roubidoux started the game and finished six-of-14 for just 18 yards with an interception. Donovan Porterie would also play, finishing five-of-13 for 39 yards and added a rushing score on two carries for -1 yards. The top rusher was La'james White with 42 yards on 13 carries, and Isaah Crocker led the receiving corps with 53 yards on seven receptions. The defensive unit was led by Greg Dent and Cam Bright each recording five tackles, while Bright added a 12-yard interception return.

Orlando recorded its first win away from the Kia Center since Week 1, also recording their 75th victory in franchise history, while New Mexico suffered its fifth loss in a row.

The Series:

The Pirates are 1-1 all-time against the Sugar Skulls. Their first matchup came in 2021, where the Pirates won 37-34 to become the 2021 IFL National Champions. Saturday marks the only time these two squads will meet this season. 

Last Meeting:

The Pirates were defeated by the Sugar Skulls 47-26 on May 10, 2025 at the Tucson Convention Center. Tucson led 19-14 at halftime, but used a 28-12 scoring run in the second half to come out on top. Former Head Coach Tom Menas was in his first game leading the Pirates, and their record fell to 2-4. 

For Orlando, quarterback Kenji Bahar was seven-of-27 passing for 107 yards with an interception, adding 49 yards and two touchdowns on just three rush attempts. Running back Pooka Williams carried the ball 15 times for a career-high 145 yards and a pair of scores, and added six yards on two catches. Receiver Teo Redding led the receiving attack with 39 yards on a pair of receptions. Marquis Waters led the defense with five-and-a-half tackles and three sacks for 18 yards. Matt Elam recorded five tackles and an interception, while Tye Smith also added five tackles.

For Tucson, Jorge Reyna finished nine-of-16 passing for 130 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. His leading receiver was Larry Harrington with four catches for 67 yards and a score. Jaymest Williams ran 12 times for 121 yards and three TDs. On defense, Jalen Perkins recorded five-and-a-half tackles, while Ahmad Lyons added an interception return TD and a fumble recovery.

Team Stats (Includes IFL Ranking):

The Pirates are seventh in the league averaging 47.5 points per game and second with 249.5 yards per game. 1,608 of these yards have come as a product of the passing game, where Orlando ranks top of the IFL this season. Defensively, the Pirates allow 52.5 PPG, second-most in the league, while their 234.5 yards allowed per contest is the fifth-most mark.

The Sugar Skulls average a third-worst 32.2 PPG, and their 156.4 YPG also ranks fewest in the IFL. Tucson tallies 71 rushing yards per contest, the sixth-most this season. On defense, Tucson allows 43.7 PPG, the fifth-most in the league. They also give up the fourth-fewest YPG (211.8) in the IFL.

Players to Watch (Includes IFL Ranking):

Pirates QB Paxton DeLaurent's 198.3 passing yards per game leads the IFL this season. He stands second in the league with 149 completions and best in the league with a 73.8 completion percentage. He also sits top of the IFL with 1,586 pass yards and fourth with a 175.9 pass efficiency rate. Through Orlando's first eight games, DeLaurent has completed 149-of-202 passes for 1,586 yards with 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also ranks second on the Pirates in rushing with 137 yards and four scores on 49 carries.

Running back Pooka Williams missed Orlando's last game against New Mexico, but still leads the team with 160 yards and 11 TDs on 47 carries through his first seven games played, placing him 19th among the rushing leaders. Nyqwan Murray, Thomas Owens, and Teo Redding are all inside the top 10 of reception yards this season, with Murray sitting at 502 yards (4th) and 10 TDs, Owens at 449 yards (6th) and 10 TDs, and Redding at 407 yards (8th) and six TDs.

Orlando's defensive leaders are Destin Mack with 33 tackles, a forced fumble, fumble recovery and an interception with six pass breakups, Mike Mason with 32 tackles, 1.5 sacks and five TFLs, and DJ Daniel with 25 tackles, three PBUs and two INTs.

For Tucson, Draylen Ellis leads the team with 357 yards (15th) and six TDs on 33-of-68 passing (48.5%), while Tasleem Wilson has tallied 299 yards (16th) and four TDs on 36-of-72 passing (50.0%) this season. Running back Tavion Thomas paces the Sugar Skulls with 145 yards (23rd) and four scores on 31 carries through the six games he has played. Jaivian Lofton leads the receiving unit with 169 yards (45th) and three TDs on just 11 receptions. Defensively, Bri'On Murray ranks 35th with 34 tackles, 0.5 TFLs with 3 INTs and 10 PBUs. Zachariah Twardosky is 46th with 31 tackles, two TFLs, one INT 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 3-3 record. He looks to earn his fourth win as the Pirates' lead man with a victory over Tucson on Saturday night.

Rayshawn Kizer enters his first season as Head Coach of the Tucson Sugar Skulls. Kizer brings a wealthy amount of professional football experience both as a coach and a player. He served as Tucson Defensive Coordinator the last 2 seasons with a very aggressive and talented defense. Kizer has a reputation as a defensive mastermind.  He led the Omaha Beef to an undefeated CIF Championship, and the Massachusetts Pirates to an 11-5 record as their Head Coach.  He is excited to lead our Tucson Sugar Skulls, after serving as our Defensive Coordinator the last two seasons. Kizer has previous Head Coaching experience with the Massachusetts Pirates in 2022 where he posted an 11-5 record. He was the Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator in 2021 with the Massachusetts Pirates, leading the number-one-ranked defense and 2021 IFL Champions. Kizer, a product of Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio with his bachelor's degree in Computer Science, signed with the New York Jets as an un-drafted free agent in 2007 and spent two seasons with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. After playing with the Green Bay Blizzard of the Arena Football 2 in 2009, Kizer embarked on a nine-year career in the Arena Football League.

Kizer had an impeccable AFL career as a player, notching 67 interceptions in which 12 were returned for TDs, ranking third All-Time in AFL History in interceptions.  Kizer also continues to hold the single season record in interceptions with 16.

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