NORTHERN ARIZONA WRANGLERS FALL TO TUCSON SUGAR SKULLS
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PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. – The Northern Arizona Wranglers scored a franchise record 62 points, yet still suffered defeat at the hands of the Tucson Sugar Skulls.
On Saturday evening, the Wranglers battled to the very end of the game, but couldn’t quite catch the Sugar Skulls, losing in a high scoring shootout by a score of 72-62. Early in the second quarter, the Wranglers fell behind 21-7. After this initial two-touchdown deficit, the Wranglers were seemingly playing catchup during the entirety of the game. The Sugar Skulls put up their season high in points, against a Wranglers defense that has looked dominant this season to this point.
The Wranglers pulled the Sugar Skulls lead down to just a single point with 2:36 left before halftime, thanks to two consecutive touchdowns from wide receiver Quentin Randolph.
The lead on the scoreboard for the Sugar Skulls would shrink, and regenerate even faster. The Sugar Skulls scored two straight touchdowns inside of the last two minutes of the second quarter. The first, on offense from running back Mike Jones, and the next, an interception returned for a touchdown by defensive lineman Maurice Jackson. Wranglers quarterback Kaleb Barker led the offense down the field in under 23 seconds. Barker threw a tremendous pass on the run, to wide receiver Glen Gibbons Jr., who ran it into the endzone for the 25-yard score to end the first half.
The Wranglers were down 42-33 at the half.
Northern Arizona came out swinging again in the second half, with a touchdown and two-point conversion on their opening possession, scored by who else? Wide receiver Quentin Randolph, who cut the deficit back down to two points for the Wranglers, as he made an incredible diving catch over the dasher pad wall.
The Sugar Skulls scored again, expanding their lead to eight, after the Wranglers blocked their point after attempt. The Wranglers responded with another touchdown from Randolph, cutting the Sugar Skulls lead to one, 48-47.
The gap widened for the Sugar Skulls once again, when they took an 11-point lead, and the Wranglers responded for the final time by cutting that lead down to a 65-62 score. After this point, Sugar Skulls running back Mike Jones found the end zone on a six-yard rush, to ultimately put the nail in the coffin for the Wranglers.
The offense was the story of the game this week for the Wranglers, as they put up a franchise record 62 points. Quarterback Kaleb Barker threw for 226 yards and seven touchdown passes. Barker also added 53 yards rushing. Randolph put up the most impressive performance from a single Wranglers player in franchise history. Randolph scored seven total touchdowns on Saturday night, five receiving, and two on the ground. This phenomenal performance from Randolph makes him a shoo-in for the Indoor Football League’s Offensive Player of the Week award.
The Wranglers will head to San Jose, Calif., to face the Bay Area Panthers for the second time this season. In their previous matchup with the Panthers, the Wranglers pulled off their first victory of the season, winning handedly, by a score of 49-20. The Wranglers will be looking to bounce back and earn their first victory on the road next Sunday.