Massachusetts Pirates running back Jimmie Robinson, back, and his teammates won a big road game Saturday. (James Thomas file photo)
Connor Degenhardt stepped up when his team needed him most.
The backup quarterback threw four touchdown passes, including a pair of game-breakers in the fourth quarter, as the Massachusetts Pirates defeated the Sioux Falls Storm, 43-38, at the Scheels Arena.
With the game tied 31-31 in the fourth quarter, Degenhardt answered the call. The Westford native connected with Teo Redding for a circus catch from 25 yards out, before hooking up with Thomas Owens on an 18-yard TD grab. Both receivers came up clutch with all four touchdown receptions to pace the attack.
Making his first start of the season, Degenhardt didn’t disappoint. The Westford Academy graduate went 15-for-20 passing for 163 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.
“It means a lot,” said Pirates coach Rod Miller. “We knew we had it tough. We lost last week. We didn’t play well. Then coming here to play this game and finding out this morning we wouldn’t have our starting quarterback. We knew it would be a challenge. We decided to come out and play ball. You just have to play with the cards you’re dealing with. “We just wanted to come out and win and got a win tonight.”
Fresh off their first loss of the season, the Pirates (5-1) showed plenty of pushback playing with a depleted lineup. Starting quarterback Alejandro Bennifield and top wide receiver Izaac Zico were last-minute scratches, forcing the team to utilize its depth.
Despite being shorthanded, the Pirates offense was on the move from the opening snap. Running back Jimmie Robinson (13-for-44 rushing, two TDs) capped a brilliant 30-yard series, jetting into the end zone on a 17-yard TD jaunt. It was his first of two on the night, giving Massachusetts the 6-0 lead just 2:06 into the contest. Kicker Josh Gable added the extra point kick, extending the Pirates’ lead to 7-0.
Sioux Falls struck back. Quarterback Billy Hall sent in Kentrez Bell from 26 yards, cutting the lead to 7-6. Kicker Dean Sarris added the point, tying the contest at 7-7. The Pirates stayed the course with Degenhardt leading the charge. The Westford signal-caller found Redding (6-for-64 receiving) with an eight-yard end zone pass to retake the 13-7 lead. Gable’s second PAT extended the Massachusetts advantage to 14-7 by the end of the first quarter.
Gable gave his team an added boost with a 30-yard field goal in the second quarter, extending its 17-7 cushion.
The Storm marched back with a serious flurry, scoring on its next two possessions, cutting the deficit to 17-14. And when the Sioux Falls defense intercepted a Degenhardt pass moments later, leading Hall to rush in for an end zone keeper, it quickly became a 21-17 affair.
Degenhardt remained undeterred, however, sending Owens (5-for-59 receiving) in for a six-yard TD pass in the closing seconds of the half to reclaim the 23-21 lead. Gable provided the point after with the Pirates taking a 24-21 edge at the intermission.
Degenhardt was 11-for-16 passing for 107 yards with two TDs and two interceptions at the break.
Hall gave the hometown crowd some hope, charging in on a four-yard bolt for his second touchdown of the game, with Sioux Falls reclaiming the 28-24 edge. But Robinson reared back on the Pirates’ next possession, scoring on a one-yard TD scamper at 3:12 of the third quarter. Gable’s PAT padded the Pirates lead to 31-28. Sarris kicked a 23-yard field goal for Sioux Falls knotting the game up at 31-31, prompting the Pirates’ comeback.
