IFL Northern Arizona Wranglers

Northern Arizona Wranglers Grind out Win over Tucson Sugar Skulls

May 15, 2022 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Northern Arizona Wranglers News Release


PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. - On Saturday evening, the Northern Arizona Wranglers got vengeance against the Tucson Sugar Skulls, with a 15-point victory in their home arena, 36-21.

With the victory, Northern Arizona ups its record to 6-2 on the season, putting some distance between them and Tucson, who fell to 4-4 with the loss.

The Wranglers fought hard for their third straight victory, and earned it rightfully. This win was a bit sweeter for the Wranglers, coming just three weeks after their shootout loss to Tucson on the road.

The game opened with the Northern Arizona defense on the field. Wranglers linebacker Darin Hungerford sacked Sugar Skulls quarterback Gabriel Cunningham for a loss of 12 yards and a safety. The Wranglers took a 2-0 lead on the game's opening drive. This two-point lead quickly expanded to a nine-point lead on their first offensive possession. The Wranglers started this drive from their own 14-yard line, and capped it off with a nine-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kaleb Barker to wide receiver Glen Gibbons Jr. The first quarter would end with the Wranglers holding that nine-point lead.

The second quarter was a defensive stalemate, which saw zero points scored by either team. The Wranglers would go into halftime with a 9-0 lead over the Sugar Skulls.

The second half opened with an explosive kick return from running back Israel Tucker. Tucker caught the ball in his own end zone and ran it all the way back for the 50-yard touchdown. The Wranglers forced a turnover on downs on the ensuing possession. They quickly expanded their lead to 22-0 with another touchdown pass from Barker to Gibbons Jr. The Sugar Skulls fought back, scoring two straight touchdowns that cut the Wranglers lead down to just eight points. The third quarter ended with a score of 22-14, in favor of Northern Arizona.

To start the fourth quarter, Barker added a rushing touchdown to his performance, scampering into the end zone for the three-yard score. The Sugar Skulls closed the gap once again, scoring a touchdown to make the score 29-21. The Wranglers essentially iced the game with 2:28 left to go, when Barker found wide receiver Jerrime Neal open in the end zone. Neal made an incredible catch for his first touchdown as a Wrangler.

Barker keeps adding to his Indoor Football League totals as a quarterback, accounting for four total touchdowns on Saturday night. Hungerford recorded a tremendous performance on defense, racking up nine total tackles, four tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks (one for a safety as previously mentioned), and he also capped his night with an impressive interception toward the end of the contest.

The Wranglers return home next Saturday, to Pinnacle Bank Field at the Findlay Toyota Center, to take on the Bay Area Panthers. The Wranglers have gotten the best of the Panthers in both matchups this season, winning by scores of 49-20, and most recently, 65-34, just two weeks ago in San Jose, Calif.



Indoor Football League Stories from May 15, 2022


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