Orlando Pirates Set for Home Opener on Sunday

By: Mick Moninghoff

Home Openers:
This will be the Pirates first Home Opener in the Kia Center. The Pirates are 4-3 all-time in home opening games. 

Pirates vs. Quad City:
All-time, the Pirates are 3 - 5 against the Steamwheelers. That includes a one-point playoff loss to the Steamwheelers in 2022.

The Last Meeting:
June 29, 2025 in Moline, IL - Pirates quarterback Kenji Bahar threw for 265 yards with three touchdown passes and ran for 139 yards with two more scores, but it was not enough to slow down Quad City. The Steamwheelers clinched a playoff spot with a 56-35 victory at XUSD Field at Vibrant Arena at The MARK. The Pirates saw its four-game win streak come to an end.

The Pirates trailed 25-23 at the half, but Steamwheelers quarterback Daquan Neal was six of 13 passing for 121 yards with four touchdowns. He also ran seven times for 28 yards and a score. Jordan Vesey led the Steamwheelers with four catches for 68 yards and two scores. Tamorrion Terry had two receptions for 53 yards and both were touchdowns.

In the loss, Pirates running back Pooka Williams rushed 14 times for 50 yards. Williams was the leading receiver for Massachusetts with nine receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown. Teo Redding had two touchdown catches with 73 receiving yards, while Thomas Owens added three catches for 54 yards.

The Last Time Out: (Both teams are coming off a bye week)
On March 22, running back Pooka Williams had 11 carries for 54 yards and four rushing touchdowns to lead the Pirates to a 41-38 come from behind victory over the New Mexico Chupacabras in their first-ever game representing the City of Orlando. It also marked the first-ever professional start for quarterback Paxton DeLaurent as he completed 18 of 22 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown on the road in the Tingley Coliseum.

The Pirates led 21-17 at the half as wide receiver Thomas Owens scored the first touchdown in Orlando Pirates history on a 14-yard toss from Paxton DeLaurent. For Owens it was his 98th regular season touchdown reception in his career. (111th including playoffs.) Dante Wright returned a missed field goal 58 yards for a score (a team record) but the Pirates still found themselves trailing three times in the second half. Each time a Williams touchdown run would see the Pirates retake the lead. The winning surge came late in the fourth quarter as DeLaurent engineered a seven-play, 40-yard drive. He completed one pass to Teo Redding and two more to Nyqwan Murray to set up a fourth and one at the six. DeLaurent then ran a quarterback keeper to the two. Williams finished off the series with his fourth rushing touchdown from two yards out on the next play for the final points in the 41-38 win.

On March 21, the Steamwheelers received a four-touchdown performance from quarterback Daquan Neal and defeated Iowa 46 to 25 at the Vibrant Arena At The Mark in Moline, IL. Iowa held a 15 to 13 lead late in the second quarter, but the Quad City offense took over as Neal found wide receiver Jarrod Ware twice for receiving touchdowns, wideout Quian Williams pulled in a pass for a score, and Neal added a rushing touchdown. The Steamwheelers closed the half with 17 unanswered points. 

Neal finished with 149 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and a rushing score and defensive back Kevin Ransom Jr. had two interceptions as the defense forced four total turnovers.

Team Stats:
The Pirates are scoring 41 points per game while allowing 38. The Pirates average 242 yards of total offense with 150 passing and 92 rushing.

Quad City is averaging 36.5 points per game while giving up 35. Offensively the Steamwheelers average 53 yards on the ground and 130 yards passing for an average of 183 total yards per contest.

Pirates Players to Watch: (stats courtesy of Mick Moninghoff)
Quarterback Paxton DeLaurent completed 18 of 22 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown in his first career start. His top targets in game one were Thomas Owens who had four catches for 47 receiving yards and a touchdown and Nyqwan Murray, a First-Team All-IFL selection in 2025, had six receptions for 36 yards. 

Running back Pooka Williams, an All-IFL Second Team member last season as the league's leading rusher, is the Pirates leading ground gainer with 54 yards on 11 carries with four touchdowns.

Defensively, linebacker/defensive back Latavious Brini had two sacks in the win over New Mexico. Defensive lineman Mike Mason recorded a sack and a tackle for a loss and defensive lineman Jacques Bristol added a sack.

Pirates Offensive Stats from Game One vs. New Mexico

Passing
Paxton DeLaurent 18 of 22  (81.8%) 150 yards, 1 touchdown, no interceptions.

Rushing
Paxton DeLaurent 11 carries - 38 yards
Pooka Williams 11 carries - 54 yards - 4 rushing touchdowns

Receiving
Pooka Williams 3 receptions - 17 yards
Thomas Owens 4 receptions - 47 yards - 1 touchdown
Nyqwan Murray  6 receptions - 36 yards
Teo Redding 4 receptions - 44 yards
Dante Wright 1 reception - 6 yards

Kickoff Returns
Dante Wright 4 - 41 yards
Nyquan Murray 1- 7 yards

Missed Field Goal Returns
Dante Wright 1 58 yard touchdown

All-Purpose Yards
Pooka Williams 71 yards
Nyquan Murray 43 yards
Dante Wright 105 Yards

Total Yards
Paxton DeLaurent  188 yards

Quad City Players to Watch: (stats courtesy of IFL)
Quarterback Daquan Neal has completed 25 of 45 passes (55.6%) for 260 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. He is also the leading rusher with 52 yards on 12 carries with one touchdown. Running back Jarrod has nine rushes for 20 yards and a score. He is also the second leading receiver for the Steamwheelers with eight catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns. The top receiver is Quian Williams who has seven receptions for 90 yards and four touchdowns. Center Joe Krall, an All-IFL First Team selection last season is back to anchor the offensive line.

Two All-IFL defensive linemen return this season. Defensive Lineman KeShaun Moore leads the team with ten tackles and one tackle for a loss. Moore had nine sacks and 20.0 tackles for a loss in 2025. Defensive back Camron Harrell was a Second Team selection as he had six interceptions and led the league with 24 passes broken up. He currently has six tackles with one TFL and a pass broken up. Kevin Ransom Jr. has three interceptions this season and nine tackles.

The Head Coaches:
Rob Keefe, who became the ninth Head Coach in the history of the Pirates last November will lead the team into its eighth season overall. Keefe came to the Pirates after serving as the Head Coach and President of Football Operations of the Bay Area Panthers the last three seasons, Now in his fourth season as a Head Coach in the IFL his current record is 42-12. Keefe is also the team's defensive coordinator. Last year his Bay Area defense ranked number one in the league allowing just 35.1 points per game and was also first against the pass yielding just 131.5 yards per contest.

In 2023 under Keefe, the Panthers won their first title in team history with a 51-41 win over the Sioux Falls Storm in the IFL National Championship Game. Keefe has won seven championships as a player and a coach.

As a player, Keefe was a defensive back on the AFL Philadelphia Soul 2008 championship team, which makes him the only person in Arena Football history to win an Arena Cup (AF2) and ArenaBowl (AFL) title as both a player and a coach.

Cory Ross has been the Head Coach of the Steamwheelers since the franchise returned to Quad City in 2018. During that time, he has helped lead the team to the postseason in two different leagues, the CIF and IFL.

In 2025, the Steamwheelers had an 11-5 record and were the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference and played for the Eastern Conference Championship. Ross earned the 2025 IFL Coach of the Year award while developing three IFL All-Rookie selections and five different All-IFL selections. Offensively, Quad City had one of the top offenses in the league with 2,345 passing yards, 49 touchdowns, and 7.5 passing yards per attempt. The Steamwheelers rushed for 1,670 yards and 53 touchdowns. Their 844 points and 46.9 points per game were also in the top three in the league in those categories.

Ross played for the Baltimore Ravens from 2006-2008, recording multiple 100-yard games, including 154 total return yards vs. the Indianapolis Colts in the 2006 AFC Divisional Playoff Game. He also played for the Sacramento Mountain Lions in the UFL from 2009-2011 and was the league Offensive MVP in 2010.

At the University of Nebraska Ross ranked 4th in school history with 3,472 total yards from scrimmage. In his final college football game, Nebraska defeated Michigan 32-28 and he was named the MVP of the 2005 Alamo Bowl.

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