Tucson Sugar Skulls moving in positive direction ahead of home battle with New Mexico

Tucson snapped its four-game losing streak last week and took down the Orlando Pirates, 53-37, with "good complementary football," said Sugar Skulls head coach Rayshaun Kizer.

Led by former IFL Offensive MVP and new quarterback Ja'Rome Johnson, who accounted for four touchdowns in his debut, it was the first time Tucson scored 50-plus points this season. Johnson's top passing target was wide receiver Javian Lofton, who had three receptions for 80 yards and two touchdowns. Tucson running back Brandon Mackey also tacked on three rushing touchdowns.  

Tucson also limited Orlando to 3 points in the second half — four offensive touchdowns for the entire game. 

"It's good football on both offense and defense," Kizer said. 

Tucson (3-6) is now a half-game behind the San Antonio Gunslingers for the fourth and final spot in the IFL playoffs. The defending IFL champion Vegas Knight Hawks, San Diego Strike Force, Arizona Rattlers and San Antonio are ahead of Tucson. The Gunslingers own the tiebreaker.

The Sugar Skulls host the New Mexico Chupacabras (1-8) at Tucson Arena on Sunday at 1 p.m. for a chance to move up a spot in the IFL standings. Tucson has already beaten New Mexico twice this season, and Johnson was the quarterback of the Chupacabras for both games. 

Kizer recently joined "Spears & Ali" on ESPN Tucson to look back on the last win over Orlando and address the current state of the Sugar Skulls with seven games remaining in the regular season.

What was the path for Johnson to the Old Pueblo?

A: "Ja'Rome, he and the (New Mexico) front office weren't really seeing eye to eye, so they traded him to the east, because they didn't want to play him. They traded him to Tulsa and (Oilers head coach) Billy Back wanted to send Ja'Rome in a trade, but (Back) wanted (Tucson's) Draylen (Ellis). It stuck with me for about a week and then we went through with the trade. That's how we got Ja'Rome to Tucson." 

What stood out to you about how Johnson settled in immediately?

A: "He's just a real professional. As soon as he came in, he took everything serious. He took command of the offense and the guys respect him. He's a playmaker. Ja'Rome is going to make plays by himself. If a play gets broken down, he's good at keeping his eyes downfield and finding the open receiver. Him and Lofton have a great connection."

How does a reliable quarterback help Tucson's defense?

A: "That's all we needed, the offense to score on every possession, so we can put pressure on other teams. Our defense is very, very good. They're playing with more confidence, the (defensive line) is getting to the quarterback and they know they can pin their ears back and go. Then we've got our (defensive backs) on the back end. We've got some good DBs. We've got a good group and those guys have played in my system before. It's a solid defense."

What's the team's mindset after an encouraging win over Orlando?

A: "Just go 1-0 and take it one week at a time. As cliche as it sounds, we're just trying to go 1-0 each week. We control our own destiny, especially going into the playoffs. We're not focused on any other team and we're just trying go 1-0 and have a better second half of the season."

Was Orlando a solid gauge for the talent level of the Sugar Skulls?

A: "I would say so. Orlando is really good. I don't think a lot of people realize they have guys from the NFL, UFL and CFL, so they have a lot of talent on their team. When we broke down film, we saw a lot of holes in their offense and defense, so we knew we could take advantage of their team.

"Ja'Rome Johnson, his playmaking abilities, it was hard for them to contain him in the pocket. They couldn't guess right. If you were going to load the box, Ja'Rome was going to kill you passing the ball. If you played zone, Ja'Rome was going to kill you with his legs. They couldn't guess right." 

The Sugar Skulls signed Tucson native and former Salpointe Catholic running back Mario Padilla last week. How is he settling into the offensive scheme?

A: "I like Mario a lot. He's a smooth operator. Everything he does is smooth. He runs good routes, he's smart and has caught up to the (IFL) game very fast. We didn't give him a ton of reps on the offensive side, but we're looking to add more in the coming weeks. He's just gotta get more comfortable with the playbook and terminology. Mario is a good player. I'm beating myself up for not bringing him in earlier. He's a really good player." 

Building a pipeline

The Arizona Wildcats football team is attending the Tucson-New Mexico game on Sunday, including defensive end Tre Smith and wide receiver Tre Spivey — the honorary captains. 

When the Sugar Skulls host the Arizona Rattlers on June 20, Arizona star quarterback Noah Fifita and freshman linebacker Dash Fifita will be the honorary captains. 

"U of A football has absolutely opened their arms to us and has been fantastic to us, embraced us," said Sugar Skulls co-owner and president Edmund Marquez. "They want to see their players — if they don't go to the NFL — know there's a route for them to come to the IFL and play indoor football here." 

The relationship between the UA and the Sugar Skulls came to fruition when Marquez attended Arizona's Pro Day leading up to the NFL Draft. 

"It was literally all the NFL teams and me," Marquez said. "They're staring at my logo, 'What the hell is that?' I had to explain IFL and the Sugar Skulls."

Marquez wasn't evaluating players for this season, but for the following year, when several players have gone through the NFL process. 

"All of these student-athletes finish playing at the U of A, Ohio State or Georgia and everyone has the NFL dream, but only 1% go," Marquez said. "I'm learning there's a lot of these NFL agents that are telling kids, 'You're going pro! You're going pro!' They all sign up and wait for the NFL contract that doesn't come."

A few ex-Wildcats have played for the Sugar Skulls in the past: defensive end Taylor Upshaw, wide receiver Drew Dixon and linebacker Rashie Hodge. 

Bones' birthday bash

The promotion for Sunday's game is a birthday celebration for the Sugar Skulls' mascot, "Bones." The first 1,000 fans will receive a black cowbell. Bones, wearing a football uniform and sombrero, is passing out bags of candy for his birthday guests — err, Sugar Skulls fans. 

Other mascots from Arizona sports teams will be in attendance, including Wilbur and Wilma Wildcat, Stryker (Rattlers mascot) and Dusty Roadrunner. 

"You're going to have an arena full of mascots, people with party hats on and vuvuzelas and light-up sticks and cowbells," Marquez said. "It's going to be crazy." 

Bones is a "very skinny, skinny mascot," Marquez said.

"Usually mascots are these fluffy things with huge heads," Marquez said. "Ours is a 120-pound waif running around with a sombrero. ... He is fantastic. He's a ton of energy and he takes his craft so seriously. I'm in the parking lot with him and (Coach Kizer) at a restaurant and he won't talk to me." 

The original Bones moved away from Tucson before this season, so the current rendition of Bones is a mascot rookie. But he's a seasoned mascot veteran and requested that the Star keep his identity anonymous. Before the man behind the mask became Bones, he was born and raised in Tucson and attended multiple Sugar Skulls games over the years. 

"That's also why I take pride in this team because it's a local team and represents the city," he said. "It could be anybody, but Bones is from Tucson. It's a dream come true because I really love this job. It's a dream I never knew I had, which is the craziest part."