Tucson Sugar Skulls 'rise to another level' after 3 straight wins

Vegas is the defending IFL champion and won the season-opening matchup against the Sugar Skulls in March. 

Tucson also has a losing record and Vegas, led by former Arizona Wildcats quarterback Jayden de Laura, is one of the hottest teams in the IFL. 

The Sugar Skulls had other plans. 

Tucson upset Vegas, 52-48, at Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada, and left Sin City with one of the top wins in franchise history. Tucson quarterback Ja'Rome Johnson — off his back foot — threw the go-ahead touchdown to wide receiver Jaivian Lofton. 

Even though Vegas dominated Tucson in time of possession, 42:50-17:10, and ran nearly 30 more plays, the Sugar Skulls found a way to pull off perhaps the biggest upset in the IFL this season. 

"This is a resilient group," said Sugar Skulls head coach Rayshaun Kizer. "I'm proud of those guys. Nobody picked us to win this game, obviously. They showed up and played in a big game and made a lot of plays. I'm very happy with the performance. I couldn't be happier." 

The Sugar Skulls have won three straight games since their first bye week of the season. The difference between the Sugar Skulls then versus now? 

"Ja'Rome Johnson," Kizer said. 

The Sugar Skulls are averaging nearly 30 more points per game with the former IFL Offensive MVP in Johnson, who was traded to Tucson from Tulsa last month. 

"He gives us that spark," added the Sugar Skulls head coach. "I can't say that enough. We've been a different team since we got him in. We've allowed the defense to play with more confidence, because they know we're going to score more on each of these drives."

Tucson remains fourth in the IFL Western Conference standings, but the Sugar Skulls are playing like a championship-caliber team. They'll have another test Saturday night, when the Sugar Skulls (5-6) host the Arizona Rattlers (7-4) at 7 p.m. at Tucson Arena.

The last time Tucson faced the Rattlers last month, the Sugar Skulls were embarrassed on Mother's Day, 66-14, at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The night before Father's Day, Tucson looks to avenge its loss to the Rattlers, which recently lost to Fishers Freight, 37-36. 

The Sugar Skulls are 4-12 all-time against the Rattlers since joining the IFL in 2019.  

"The guys know how big of a game this is, especially because Arizona is pretty good," Kizer said. "The first time they played us, they didn't beat us, they embarrassed us. We owe Arizona. We're looking forward to this game and get our get-back on it. They're coming off a loss, so we know they'll be pissed off. That's good. We want their best game. We're looking forward to it."

Kizer joined "Spears & Ali" on ESPN Tucson to discuss the state of his team leading up to arguably the most anticipated home game of the season. 

How much has complementary football from offense, defense and specials teams helped this team win the last three games?

A: "It's great. They're all playing off each other at this point. Defense knows the offense is going to score, and the offense knows the defense is going to get stops. That also picks up our special teams play." 

Do you sense an extra level of tension this week considering it's Rattlers and their head coach Kevin Guy, the former co-owner of the Sugar Skulls?

A: "For sure. Kevin Guy was the owner of the team for the last several years. It's always a rivalry and the rivalry continues, especially since they're right down the street from us.

"We're looking forward to it, but we're not going to make this a bigger game than what it is. We're taking this one game at a time, execute the game play and just go 1-0 each week. That's our motto for the second half of the season." 

There's still a long way to go, but considering the IFL championship is in Tucson this summer and it's conceivable for the Sugar Skulls to play for a title, what gives you confidence that this team can win an IFL title?

A: "I see it at practice. They're locked in and focused and they pay attention to small details, so we always know what we're doing in games. We also have some really good coaches. I don't want to discredit the coaching staff. They've been really good at teaching these guys the game and getting the most out of each group.

"All around, we're happy with how things are going so far. ... That game against Vegas showed that we can play and win against any team in this league. We beat a really good team in Orlando and the best team in the west in Vegas. I think it shows we can beat anybody in this league and play with anybody in this league.

"When you win a game like that, the confidence level is going to rise up. We've already been a different team, but I think you're going to see it rise to another level after this past weekend." 

Extra points

- UA star quarterback Noah Fifita and freshman linebacker Dash Fifita will be honorary captains for Saturday. Other members of the Arizona football will also be in attendance. UA wide receiver Tre Smith and Tre Spivey were honorary captains for Tucson's last win over New Mexico. 

Said Kizer: "Tucson is a small community, so any time we can collaborate with our local sports teams, especially college teams, it's a great partnership. If these guys don't get drafted, they can continue their career with the Tucson Sugar Skulls.

"We love it. I know for a lot of those guys, it was their first arena game. It was good for those guys to see that outside of the NFL, there's other opportunities. We're keeping that relationship open so the guys can see that they can continue their career in Tucson." 

- Before the game, the Sugar Skulls are hosting a pilates class on the field at Tucson Arena. Check-in for the class is on Saturday at 1 p.m. The pilates class begins at 1:15 p.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m. The Rattlers-Sugar Skulls game kicks off at 7 p.m. Registration for the pilates class can be found at SweatPals.com.

- Saturday is "Western Night" at Tucson Arena. The first 1,000 kids will receive a Tombstone-themed Sugar Skulls jersey.