By: Brendan Howe

A blocked field goal breathed new life into Arizona’s championship hopes late in the United Bowl Sunday evening. An overtime fumble by Drew Powell took it away as the Massachusetts Pirates emerged from Phoenix victorious in a 37-34 thriller. This marks the first time the United Bowl has gone into overtime.

Two plays into the contest, the Rattlers’ initial drive was halted by a Santos Ramirez interception at the Pirates’ goal-line. Massachusetts running back Justin Stockton finished the following nine-play march with a three-yard touchdown rush.

Six minutes later, Arizona’s Dillon Winfrey thwarted the Swashbucklers’ bid to go up by two scores early, picking off an Alejandro Bennifield deep shot on the visitors’ next possession. Missing sidelined All-IFL first teamer Jarrod Harrington, league MVP Drew Powell found Braxton Haley from near midfield as time expired on the first quarter.

Winfrey stepped in front of another Bennifield deep ball not long into the second period, but Massachusetts’ Aarion Maxey-Penton stole possession back with a pick of his own on the very next snap. Bennifield ended up cashing in on the takeaway, hitting All-IFL selection Thomas Owens from a dozen yards out seven minutes later.

Following the one-minute warning, Powell crashed into the endzone from the 1-yard line. He then caught a pass on the two-point conversion, leveling the scoreboard and atoning for Ernesto Lacayo’s earlier missed PAT.

After the first half clock nearly drained on the Pirates, Garrett Hartley connected on a 31-yard boot to reclaim a 17-14 lead before hitting the locker rooms.

The Pirates governed time of possession coming out of the intermission, capping their two possessions with a short touchdown scamper by Bennifield and a 25-yard Hartley field goal. The scoring drives bookended a 38-yard touchdown toss from Powell to Jamal Miles. The strike was the Rattlers’ only play from scrimmage in the third quarter.

Both teams’ passers traded running touchdowns in the fourth. Drew Powell crossed the goal-line from three yards out. Bennifield plunged in from the 2-yard line for what looked to be the game-decider.

Though, with :19 to go and the Pirates looking to put the game away, Hartley had a field goal blocked and returned by Arizona’s Nik D’Avanzo. Powell wasted no time in knotting the game up.

After he misfired on a kick as time ran out in regulation, Garrett Hartley made Powell pay for his extra-time miscue, splitting the uprights from 31 yards out and giving the Pirates a league crown in their inaugural IFL season.