Blizzard Find Victory with Special Teams Showcase Spectacular

Despite providing some of the most exciting plays in all of football and often being the determining factor in the final outcome special teams are often overlooked. Tonight's performance by Green Bay Blizzard Kicker Henry Nell showcased just how exciting and important special teams are.

In the sole game of week 2 of the IFL 2021 season, The Massachusetts Pirates faced off against the Green Bay Blizzard. After cruising by the Louisville Xtreme in week 1 the Pirates sought their first real test of coming to the IFL by facing the Blizzard who lost in the final seconds of their season opener against the Bismarck Bucks last weekend. The Pirates had a strong defensive showing lead by LB Martrell Spaight however this would not be enough to overcome the spectacular special team's performance by the Blizzard.

Despite having a 20-14 lead at halftime the Blizzard did not score any offensive points until the third quarter. The Blizzard offense would continue to have difficulty finding the endzone until the final two minutes of the game. Despite being continually overpowered by the Pirates' defense, Blizzard QB Damien May showed a never-give-up performance which helped lead his team to a dramatic finish and first win of the season instead of another mark in the loss column. While May led some dramatic drives in the fourth quarter to help his team to victory the MVP of the game in my opinion is Blizzard kicker Henry Nell. Nell made three field goals two of which were over 40 yards, was perfect on extra-point attempts, and even scored a deuce in the final 15 seconds of the first half to give the Blizzard the lead. If the Blizzard keeps up this type of special teams performance and can tap into a full game of offense as they showed in the final two minutes the rest of the season should be a fun-filled thrill ride for the fans in Green Bay.

The Pirates brought in a great defensive performance coupled with a good offensive showing yet could not overcome the leg of GB kicker Henry Nell in their first performance against an established IFL team. Martrell Spaight led the defense in continually finding ways to disrupt the Blizzard offense. While Spaight was finding his way into the backfield and coming up drive stopping tackles his biggest highlight came on Nell’s only missed kick of the night. In the fourth-quarter Spaight was able to block Nell’s attempt which led to safety. Offensively the Pirates had a good showing. QB Alejandro Bennifield made a few spectacular plays with his legs to both keep drives alive and find the endzone. RB Justin Stockton deserves a lot of credit for how well the offense performed. Stockton’s ability to create a viable threat on the ground set up one of Bennifield’s best runs of the night. Despite this great performance on both sides of the ball the Pirates ultimately came out on bottom in this thrilling matchup. Even in defeat, the Pirates have much to be excited about as this game shows they can go up against established teams of the IFL and have great potential to be legit competitors in their first season in the league. Pirates’ fans can look forward to a thrilling maiden voyage into the IFL.

Looking away from the performance on the field this game showcased one of my favorite things about the IFL as well as other indoor and arena leagues. Fans getting to keep game balls that go into the stands. I remember attending Arkansas Twister (AF2) games as a child and into my teenage years hoping to catch a game ball and never succeeded, however, I did come close on more than one occasion. This game had plenty of fans getting game balls and I always love seeing the excitement of the fans when they receive their chance at being part of the game!

Next week should continue with great action as the Pirates travel to Bismarck to take on the Bucks on Saturday and Green Bay will play host to the Xtreme on Friday.