(Prescott, AZ). The Tucson Sugar Skulls’ win streak finally came to a halt in Prescott Valley on Saturday night. The Northern Arizona Wranglers got revenge, taking the game by the score of 36-21 and improving to 6-2 on the season.
The Sugar Skulls’ offense was held in check for a season-low 21 points at Pinnacle Peak Arena. It was a let down game of sorts coming off a high in defeating the Rattlers for the first time in franchise history. Tucson now sits in third place in the Western Conference at 4-4 at the halfway point of the regular season.
No Neal, Cunningham Debut
Sugar Skulls quarterback Daquan Neal had a tryout with the Indianapolis Colts last week and missed the game, which led to a slow offensive start as the team adjusted.
Rookie quarterback Gabriel Cunningham made his debut, posting 66 yards on 7-of-16 pass attempts with one interception.
The offense was paced by 3 touchdowns from Skulls running back Mike Jones. Jones ran for 38 yards and Cunningham ran for 17 total. At the half, the Sugar Skulls were held scoreless for the first time this season.
Making Plays
Newcomer Bikembe Kearney was extremely active in his Sugar Skulls debut, tallying a team-best 6 tackles against the Wranglers. Robert Rolle IV and Rayshad Jackson also chipped in with 5 tackles each on the evening.
Carrington Thompson led the Skulls in receiving yards with 41 total on 3 receptions including a 24-yard connection from Gabriel Cunningham, which was the longest play of the night for Tucson.
Bounce Back
Daquan Neal, Connor Taylor and Benjamin Jones all missed the game due to a tryout for Neal and injuries to the latter two. Tucson is 1-3 on the road and 3-1 at home.
Next week the Sugar Skulls will look to bounce back on the road at San Diego in another Western Conference matchup. They will be going for their fourth win in their last five contests.
Press Release courtesy of the Tucson Sugar Skulls – Brandon Dueñas
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