The inaugural Indoor Football League (IFL) Cup, an in-season tournament, arrived at the American Dream Mall for its final showdowns on Sunday, May 24.
The first matchup on Sunday included a consolation match between the two semifinal losers, the New Mexico Chupacabras and the Orlando Pirates.
The game ended with a score of 41-11, giving the Orlando Pirates a dominant win at the American Dream Mall.
Starting off the game, the Pirates started right at midfield near the 25-yard line and marched toward New Mexico territory. Once near the one-yard line, Nyqwan Murray for the Pirates was able to run into the end zone to put the first points of the game on the scoreboard.
New Mexico looked to respond and get themselves on the scoreboard but was unable to during their first possession of the game.
Orlando, taking advantage of the rhythm its offense was finding, was once again able to score on its second possession of the game through an 8-yard pass to Ja’hki Douglas, who was then able to find the end zone, bringing the score to 13-0.
New Mexico, now down in the game, was not able to find its rhythm offensively or defensively. New Mexico quarterback Harrison Roubidoux had a rough first half, including an interception that led to an additional Orlando touchdown on the Pirates’ next possession.
By the end of the first half, the Chupacabras were able to find some points through a 32-yard field goal by Jamaal Bell, but it was not enough to counter a dominating Pirates offense and defense that was able to score 27 points to New Mexico’s 3 points.
To start off the third quarter, however, New Mexico was looking to leave its first-half performance in the past. On the first possession of the half, quarterback Donovan Porterie checked in for the team and led them on a touchdown drive along with an additional 2-point conversion. This brought the score to 27-11.
Yet, the Pirates responded almost immediately. On their first possession of the third quarter, the Pirates lined up for a third-and-4 at the Orlando 17-yard line, and Orlando quarterback Paxton DeLaurent threw a 33-yard pass to Nyqwan Murray to add to their lead, making the score 34-11.
After this, it was a quieter third and fourth quarter for both teams, as neither team was able to score until the final minute of the game when the Orlando Pirates managed to finish the game with an additional touchdown, bringing the final score to 41-11.
This concludes the IFL Cup journey for both teams. The IFL Cup championship took place at the American Dream Mall at 7:30 p.m. featuring the 2025 IFL National Champions, the Vegas Knight Hawks, and the Arizona Rattlers. The Knight Hawks rallied from 12 points down to defeat the Rattlers 48-44.
