(Prescott Valley, AZ) The Tucson Sugar Skulls faced the NAZ Wranglers at the Findlay Toyota Center in the Wranglers’ first game under interim head coach/defensive coordinator Larry Hendrix. The Wranglers have struggled this season and despite several close games, have a record of 1 win and 11 losses. Tucson had broken even this season with a 6-6 record and are were riding a 4-game winning streak.
1st Quarter
Tucson won the toss and elected to receive the kick from NAZ kicker, Manny Higuera, who started the game off with a deuce. Before any time could run off the clock, the Wranglers were up 2-0. The Skulls took the ball from their own 5 and aided by a defensive pass interference call against NAZ’s Jai Nunn-Lidell, drove down the field to the Wrangler’s 6-yard line. TD Ayo-Durojaiye ran it in for the touchdown and the point after by Ben Woodard gave the Skulls’ a 7-2 lead. On the ensuing kick-off, Woodard extended the lead to 9-2 with a deuce of his own.
On the first play from scrimmage from his own 5, NAZ’s Anthony Garrett found Ka’Ron Ashley behind the defense for a huge gain down the Skulls’ 9-yard line. On the second play of the drive, Garrett connected with Stephen Lewis in the endzone for a touchdown and Higuera added the point after, tying the game at 9 with 8:45remaining in the quarter. Starting from their own 17-yard line, the Skulls rolled down the field and TD Ayo-Durojaiye punched it in from the NAZ 2-yard line. Woodard added the point after, giving the Skulls a 16-9 lead over NAZ.
After fielding the kickoff off a hop near the back of the endzone, kick coverage had broken down and Warren Newman III ran it back to the house for the touchdown. Higuera’s point after failed and the deuce attempt on the kickoff was no good. The ball went out of bounds and the Skulls took over from their own 20-yard line with just 3 minutes remaining in the 1st quarter, leading 16-15.
The Wranglers’ defense cinched down and after a tackle for loss back to the 14, Tucson’s Ja’rome Johnson’s pass was intercepted near midfield by Noah Barrett who was brought down at the Skulls’ 1-yard line. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against NAZ’s Brendon Luper moved the line of scrimmage back to the 16-yard line. Defensive offsides on 1st down moved the ball to the 11-yard line. Garrett was under pressure from the Sugar Skulls’ defense and threw an ill-advised ball off his back foot into a crowded end zone. The ball deflected off a Skulls’ fingertips into the hands of Stephen Lewis for a Wranglers’ touchdown. Following that touchdown, chaos ensued resulting in Tucson’s Rafiq Abdul-Wahid getting called for two unsportsmanlike penalties and earning an ejection. For the Wranglers, both Stacey Wilkins and Ryan Atkins were called for their first unsportsmanlike penalties. The two point conversion failed and Tucson’s Aaron Jackson was called for his first unsportsmanlike penalty to be enforced on the ensuing kickoff. The score at the end of the quarter was Tucson 16-21 NAZ.
Photo – Joanna Riggle
2nd Quarter
The Skulls’ next drive stalled out at midfield and Woodard’s field goal attempt failed. Tucson’s defense shut down the Wranglers next drive and they failed to gain a single yard. Garrett had to leave the game after an injury and Deebo Bryant came in at quarterback. Higuera’s field goal from the 5-yard line hooked deep into the crowd.
The Skulls took over on their own 20-yard line and on first down Johnson found one of his favorite targets, Terrell Brown, who raced into the endzone for 6. Woodard’s leg added the point after and the Skulls retook the lead, 23-21. Penalties hurt the Wranglers on their next drive and all of Garrett’s passes sailed high over the receivers after he returned to the game to begin the drive.
The Wranglers turned over the ball on downs at their own 21-yard line. Four plays later, Justin McGriff caught Johnson’s pass for another Skulls’ touchdown. The Skulls’ lead was extended to 29-21, at the one-minute warning. Woodard’s point after doinked off the goal post. Newman fielded Woodard’s kickoff in the endzone and blazed down the field. Woodard was the last line of defense and tripped Newman up at the Tucson 20-yard line. Two plays later, the Skulls’ Tyqaze Leggs got a personal foul after stopping the Wranglers’ rusher, picking him up and slamming him into the ground, half the distance to the goal moved the ball to the 7-yard line. Tucson’s Djimon Brooks was called for hands to the face and the line of scrimmage moved to the 3-yard line. Garrett connected with Marlon Cook Jr. as he went over the wall in the endzone as time ran off the clock, shrinking the Sugar Skulls’ lead to 29-27. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful.
Photo – Jonna Riggle
Halftime
The first half was really chippy between these Arizona conference rivals. They traded blows back and forth and the crowd was very involved, even the small contingent from Tucson, often drowning out the official’s announcements. The Wranglers showed more heart than in recent weeks and seemed to be playing for their interim head coach.
3rd quarter
After Woodard’s kickoff went out of bounds, giving the ball the NAZ on their own 20-yard line, Garrett’s first pass from scrimmage was intercepted by Tucson’s Bri’On Murray at the 3-yard line. After the run back and a penalty against the Skulls’ they took over near their own 20-yard line. Tucson drove down to NAZ’s 1-yard line, but a bad snap was recovered by the Wranglers’ Dywan Griffin, returning possession to the home team. Three consecutive incomplete passes led to 4th down from their own 1-yard line. A defensive offside penalty moved the line out to the 6-yard line. Higuera’s 59-yard field goal was short and left.
Tucson took over on their own 20-yard line. Two plays later, from NAZ’s 14-yard line, Johnson connected with Jaivian Lofton for another Sugar Skulls touchdown, extending their lead to 35-27. Lofton was called for delay of game for carrying the ball off the field and the 5-yard penalty was assessed on the point after try. The try was no good.
Woodard’s kickoff was a line drive that went through Newman’s legs into the back of the endzone where he picked it up and ran it all the way back again for another touchdown. Higuera’s point after attempt was good, cutting the Skulls’ lead to 35-34. Higuera’s kickoff attempt for a deuce was unsuccessful and Tucson drove down to the Wranglers’ 3-yard line as the quarter came to a close.
Photo – Joanna Riggle
4th quarter
On the first play from scrimmage in the final period, Ayo-Durojaiye carried the ball in from the 3. Woodard’s extra point put the Skulls up 42-34. The second play from scrimmage on the Wrangler’s next drive was a pass by Garrett. That pass was intercepted at the NAZ 20-yard line by Sugar Skull defensive back Malik Sonnier who raced toward the goal line. The ball was knocked loose but recovered by defensive lineman Isaac Anderson in the endzone for another quick Skulls’ score. Woodard added the extra point to give the visitors a 49-34 lead.
The Wranglers kept pushing forward and Higuera hit a 45-yard field goal at the end of the next drive, cutting the lead to 49-37. Dayvia Gbor intercepted Johnson’s first pass from scrimmage at the Wrangler’s 20-yard line. With four minutes left in the game, Garrett connected for a touchdown with one of his favorite targets, Marlon Cook Jr. from the 8-yard line. The two-point conversion failed, but on the ensuing kickoff by Higuera resulted in the second deuce of the game. With just under three and half minutes left in the game, the Skulls lead had been cut to 49-45.
Johnson went for a huge gain on first down from the 5-yard line and his pass was intercepted by Dywan Griffin at the NAZ one-yard line. He ran it back to the twenty and then lateraled back to Jai Nunn-Liddell who reached the NAZ 23-yard line. The Wranglers maintained possession and after the 1-minute warning began driving down the field. On 4th down from the Skulls’ 4-yard line, Cook Jr. caught Garrett’s pass in the endzone to take the lead back at 51-49. The two point conversion failed and with 38.7 seconds remaining, the Sugar Skulls had one more chance to defeat the Wranglers. Higuera’s kickoff went out of bounds, giving the Skulls the ball at their own 20-yard line. They quickly got into Wranglers’ territory and with 11.3 seconds remaining, had the ball 1stdown at the NAZ 18-yard line. Brendon Luper intercepted Johnson’s pass in the endzone and ran it back to his own 5-yard line with approximately 3 seconds remaining. Another unsportsmanlike penalty against the Sugar Skulls moved the ball out to the 20-yard line, where the NAZ Wranglers were able to run out the clock securing their second victory of the season and their first under interim head coach Larry Hendrix.
Photo – Joanna Riggle
Recap
This was a sloppy, chippy game but the NAZ defense seemed determined to secure the win for their coordinator, now interim head coach. The players doused him in Gatorade after the game as the Skulls left the field with a now losing record. NAZ faces the New Mexico Chupacabras at home on July 12th and the Skulls return to Desert Diamond Arena to take on the Arizona Rattlers on July 11th.
Article by Jonna Riggle – 602 Sports Talk
Click on Logo
