It was a tough fight in the Lone Star State for the Pirates.

Quarterback TJ Edwards threw three touchdown passes, while rushing for two more, including three during a game-shifting fourth quarter, as the Frisco Fighters defeated the Massachusetts Pirates, 52-48, Saturday night at Comerica Center.

A meeting between two of the top teams in the Indoor Football League’s Eastern Conference, the Pirates (6-4) held a 19-17 lead at halftime, before first-place Frisco (8-2) fought back with a solid second half surge, capped by a strong 21-point purge in the fourth quarter.

Jimmie Robinson struck it big deep in the heart of Texas. The Massachusetts running back rushed for 52 yards on 11 carries, scoring four touchdowns. He was on the move from the opening snap, charging in on a two-yard strike just 2:13 into the contest. Kicker Calum Sutherland (four PATs) provided the point after, giving the Pirates a 7-0 edge.

Meanwhile, Massachusetts quarterback Alejandro Bennifield aired things out finding Thomas Owens (4-for-32 receiving) with his first of two end zone grabs, giving the Pirates the 15-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Bennifield was a constant offensive presence, going 21-for-30 passing for 184-yards and three touchdowns.

Frisco battled back with a strong second quarter statement. The team rallied behind a 10-yard TD run by Jimmy Smith, and a gallant 39-yard field goal by Bryce Crawford cutting the Massachusetts advantage to 13-10, with under a minute to go before halftime.

Robinson managed to stem the tide albeit briefly, charging in on a three-yard spurt to paydirt with 10 seconds left. But Edwards reared back hitting Cole Blackman with an 11-yard end zone pass cutting the Massachusetts lead to 19-17 at halftime.

A back-and-forth battle ensued with the lead changing hands four different times in the third quarter.  But in the end it was Edwards that had final say in the fateful fourth quarter.

The signal-caller broke in on a two-yard TD rumble to reclaim the 37-35 lead, and never looked back. The Fighters quarterback was 10-for-16 passing for 114-yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 68 yards with two more end zone strikes to complete the comeback.

Bennifield attempted to rally his club hooking up with Thomas Zico (7-for-72 receiving) on a huge 30-yard Hail Mary, cutting the deficit to 45-39, but Frisco would hold on for the win.

Saturday marked the official start of Pride Month, and celebrations were underway across Massachusetts on a beautiful sun-filled day.

At the annual flag-raising event in Chelsea, organizers were thrilled about the forecast, saying the weather couldn’t be much better. They say last year it was 42 degrees and raining.

The event, in its 9th year, was orchestrated by former city council member Matt Frank.

Frank says when he was on the city council, he felt it was very important to hold an event recognizing and showing support for people living in and around Chelsea. He said at the time it seemed only Boston and Cambridge were holding events.

The beginning of June means the beginning of Pride Month, and there are so many ways to get festive in the city of Boston. Derek Zagami hit us with some events coming up that will be sure to get you celebrating!

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From rainbow-themed clothing, accessories, food, and most importantly, the flag, Frank says he wants people to be able to be their authentic selves.

He didn’t come out until he was 30 years old because he didn’t feel there was any real presence in his community welcoming the LGBTQ+ community. He says no one should have to live in fear today and not be able to express themselves freely.

“It will save lives at the end of the day. A lot of LGBTQ+ people we’ve lost them. A lot of of them have friends who decided to end their lives or to move or do drastic things and we just want people to know you can live your life here.”

Police are investigating the theft of more than 200 Pride flags in Carlisle, Massachusetts, that occurred just before Pride month – and amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ measures from US legislatures.

In a statement released on Friday, the Carlisle police department announced that it is investigating the theft of the flags, which were taken out of a prominent local traffic circle earlier in the week.

The police said that on 27 May they were notified that the flags, which had been placed in the traffic circle, had been stolen overnight. The flags were last seen on Sunday evening.

“We are taking this very seriously,” the Carlisle police chief, Andrew Amendola, said. He added: “It is unfortunate, as Carlisle is an inclusive community, and we want everyone to feel safe and welcomed here.”

In a statement on Facebook, Travis Snell, chair of the Carlisle select board, which acts as the community’s governing board, said: “Such action and behavior have no place in Carlisle, and our police department is working to identify whoever is responsible and they will be held accountable.”

“On behalf of the town of Carlisle, the Select Board would like to reiterate that Carlisle is an inclusive community that respects its freedoms and the rights of individuals,” Snell added, according to the local news station NBC10.

According to NBC10, people replaced the flags within hours of them being stolen.

Pride month in June is an annual celebration of LGBTQ+ people. It recognizes the 1969 uprising at the Stonewall Inn bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village, where patrons fomented the modern LGBTQ+ protest and celebration movement by resisting police harassment and extortion.

The theft of the flags comes amid heightened discrimination against LGBTQ+ communities across the US. A poll released by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute in March has revealed that public support for same-sex marriage and nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ communities has declined.

Support for same-sex marriage has declined from 69% to 67% in the last year, the poll revealed, adding that Americans aged 18 to 29 showed a gradual decrease in support for LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination laws over the last three years. In 2020, the support stood at 83% whereas it dipped to 75% in 2023.

Meanwhile, South Carolina’s Republican governor, Henry McMaster, recently signed a bill into law that bans gender-affirming care for transgender minors, making the state the 25th in the US to restrict or ban gender-affirming care for minors.

So far in 2024, there have been at least 515 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced across the country, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

“While more states every year work to pass laws to protect LGBTQ people, state legislatures are advancing bills that target transgender people, limit local protections and allow the use of religion to discriminate,” the ACLU said. “The ACLU will not stop speaking out against these cruel attacks nationwide. LGBTQ people have a right to live in safety, to thrive and to be treated with dignity.”