PHOTO VIA ORLANDO PIRATES
The Orlando Pirates‘ (Website) inaugural season in Central Florida came to an end Sunday with a 73-59 loss to the Green Bay Blizzard in the first round of the Indoor Football League playoffs at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The loss marked the third time this season the Pirates fell to the Blizzard, who swept Orlando in both regular season meetings before winning the playoff matchup. Green Bay quarterback Liam Thompson threw seven touchdown passes in the win, including four to receiver Trevon Alexander.
Orlando entered the postseason as the Eastern Conference’s fourth and final seed after finishing the regular season 10-6. The Pirates won three of their final four regular season games on the road, including a 67-63 comeback win over the Fishers Freight in a winner-take-all game for the last playoff spot. Quarterback Paxton DeLaurent threw for 244 yards and accounted for nine total touchdowns in that game.
The Pirates relocated to Central Florida this season after previously playing as the Massachusetts Pirates (they still haven’t changed their name on Instagram), a franchise that won the 2021 IFL National Championship. Sunday’s game closed out the team’s first campaign under its new name and city.
