Post by alecs on Jul 7, 2024 17:39:14 GMT -8
Rattlers 44, Sugar Skulls 37
7/7/24 --
GLENDALE, AZ - An intra-state Arizona rivalry was renewed on Sunday evening at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, where the visiting Tucson Sugar Skulls took on the Arizona Rattlers in hopes of dampening their playoff chances. Despite a surprising start in which the Rattlers fell behind by double-digits, they were able to come back with a strong second half to get the better of their rivals. It was far from the complete effort Arizona showed against Iowa last week, but all the same, they ultimately got the job done with the 44-37 win.
Tucson threw the first punch of the evening on a chunk touchdown run by Quincy Patterson, who barreled 39 yards down the middle of the field for the first score of the evening. After a missed PAT by Victor Leventritt, the Rattlers responded with a large play of their own - a 27-yard dart from Dalton Sneed to Jamal Miles, and a successful PAT by Dawson Evitts put Arizona ahead by a point. A quick three-and-out on the ensuing drive would result in a Tucson field goal attempt, which Leventritt converted from 34 yards to regain a two-point lead. The Rattlers met a similar fate with their next drive, which got kickstarted by a great return by Glen Gibbons inside the Sugar Skull ten-yard line. That would go down as a four-and-out resulting in a turnover on downs. Shortly before the end of the quarter, a busted coverage allowed Patterson to toss a pass to a wide open Brian Smith for a 40-yard touchdown. Another PAT miss by Leventritt left the Skulls ahead by eight to end the quarter.
The Rattlers would again find the sledding rough on the next drive, with Tucson's defensive effort forcing a 24-yard field goal miss by Evitts after a nearly seven-minute long drive. The Skulls next drive would feature a similar length - but a different result as Patterson took a six-yard keeper into the endzone, giving his team a 15-point lead. More trouble would ensue for Arizona, as Sneed would have a pass intercepted by Derrick Rakestraw, allowing Tucson the opportunity to add further to their lead. The offense was unable to capitalize, though, forcing a long field goal attempt. In a badly-needed sequence for the Rattlers, Leventritt's 53-yard attempt came up well short, falling into the hands of Miles for a return. Showing some amazing ability of staying on his feet after contact, Miles ended up taking the miss 52 yards the other way for an Arizona touchdown. On the final drive before halftime, Patterson would attempt a series of unsuccessful passes into the endzone, and as the buzzer sounded, the Skulls retained a 22-14 lead heading into the locker room.
Arizona began the second half with the ball, when Sneed and Miles dialed up a five-yard touchdown pass. A one-point deficit suddenly turned into a one-point advantage when Evitts kicked a deuce on the following kickoff. Following a big 38-yard rush from Devonte Sapp-Lynch setting up a goal-to-go situation, he would be called upon to run that final yard in for a touchdown to put Tucson back in the lead by six. Arizona responded with an eight-play touchdown drive ending with a six-yard passing score from Sneed to Corey Reed Jr. The Rattlers were able to force a four-and-out right before the third quarter horn, heading into the last 15 minutes with a one-point lead and possession of the ball.
Two plays into the fourth quarter, Miles was able to rip a 28-yard jet sweep the length of the field for a touchdown, extending Arizona's lead to eight points. A wacky kickoff return that followed saw Mike Carrigan fumble inside the Rattler five-yard line, but right on the spot was fellow teammate Robert Sheffield, who picked it up and crossed the goal line to credit the latter with a kickoff return touchdown. Sapp-Lynch then provided a two-point conversion rush to tie the game at 37. Arizona pulled the lead back on a ten-yard scoring drive, with Sneed tossing a short three-yard touchdown pass to Reed Jr. for his second score of the ballgame. Needing a touchdown with time running out, Carrigan caught a pass on second down that he fumbled, with the recovery by Jaylen Perkins of the Rattlers with just under two minutes to go. After an unsuccessful Tucson challenge and two Rattlers rushes forced the Sugar Skulls to burn their full allotment of timeouts, Arizona sealed the game with a third-down conversion pass from Sneed to Miles. Two runs of victory formation later, and the Arizona Rattlers would finalize their tenth win of the campaign, coming back to take down the Tucson Sugar Skulls, 44-37.
Leading the Rattlers to victory, Dalton Sneed completed 15 of 22 passes for 170 yards, with four touchdowns and one interception, adding 20 yards on nine rushes. Jamal Miles caught six passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns and also had a 28-yard rushing score, while Corey Reed Jr. caught four of his targets for 30 yards and a pair of scores. Carl Odom Jr. started at running back for injured Shannon Brooks (Short-Term IR) and rushed ten times for 35 yards and caught four passes for 38 yards. Isaiah Huff led the defensive charge with six tackles, and notably Nih-jer Jackson, normally a wide receiver, recorded five tackles as Arizona's defensive injuries piled up in this one. The big fourth-quarter fumble was forced by Jarmaine Doubs Jr. and recovered by Jaylen Perkins.
Quincy Patterson struggled with pass efficiency in Tucson's loss, with just five completions on 18 passes for 75 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions. Patterson would rush five times for 59 yards and a score, while Devonte Sapp-Lynch led the team with 11 carries for 67 yards and three touchdowns. Brian Smith caught two passes for 52 yards and a touchdown. Robert Sheffield led Tucson with seven tackles and was also credited with a fumble recovery for a touchdown, and Derrick Rakestraw had the game's lone interception.
On the night, Arizona outgained Tucson by a total of 257 to 224. Each team had one turnover on the evening, resulting in a neutral turnover differential. Not many penalty calls were made in this outing, with each team flagged just three times, costing Tucson 20 yards and Arizona 30 yards.
Arizona continues their dominance of this all-time series, which now stands at 10-2 in favor of the Rattlers. The 2024 season series results in a two-game sweep for Arizona, who bested the Sugar Skulls at the Tucson Convention Center by a score of 38-32 on May 11. Tucson's only wins in this series came in the prior two seasons: one victory in 2022 and another last season.
The Sugar Skulls (2-12) will be at home to take on the San Antonio Gunslingers (7-7) on Saturday July 13 for a 6:05 p.m. kickoff. Both teams have been eliminated from playoff contention, with the Gunslingers knocked out after Sunday as a result of Northern Arizona's emotional and historic 25-point comeback win over the Bay Area Panthers. Meanwhile, the Rattlers (10-5) are on a bye next week, but will be back in action the week following when they take their turn against the Gunslingers. That game will take place at Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio on Saturday July 20 to close out their regular season. Kickoff in that one is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. Times listed are pacific daylight time.
Both games, as well as all IFL games this season, will be streamed live on the IFL YouTube Channel. SCtoC will present previews of those, and all, games this season. Those previews will be posted on the board of the home team in each game. Click for our complete IFL 2024 Schedule.
7/7/24 --
GLENDALE, AZ - An intra-state Arizona rivalry was renewed on Sunday evening at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, where the visiting Tucson Sugar Skulls took on the Arizona Rattlers in hopes of dampening their playoff chances. Despite a surprising start in which the Rattlers fell behind by double-digits, they were able to come back with a strong second half to get the better of their rivals. It was far from the complete effort Arizona showed against Iowa last week, but all the same, they ultimately got the job done with the 44-37 win.
Tucson threw the first punch of the evening on a chunk touchdown run by Quincy Patterson, who barreled 39 yards down the middle of the field for the first score of the evening. After a missed PAT by Victor Leventritt, the Rattlers responded with a large play of their own - a 27-yard dart from Dalton Sneed to Jamal Miles, and a successful PAT by Dawson Evitts put Arizona ahead by a point. A quick three-and-out on the ensuing drive would result in a Tucson field goal attempt, which Leventritt converted from 34 yards to regain a two-point lead. The Rattlers met a similar fate with their next drive, which got kickstarted by a great return by Glen Gibbons inside the Sugar Skull ten-yard line. That would go down as a four-and-out resulting in a turnover on downs. Shortly before the end of the quarter, a busted coverage allowed Patterson to toss a pass to a wide open Brian Smith for a 40-yard touchdown. Another PAT miss by Leventritt left the Skulls ahead by eight to end the quarter.
The Rattlers would again find the sledding rough on the next drive, with Tucson's defensive effort forcing a 24-yard field goal miss by Evitts after a nearly seven-minute long drive. The Skulls next drive would feature a similar length - but a different result as Patterson took a six-yard keeper into the endzone, giving his team a 15-point lead. More trouble would ensue for Arizona, as Sneed would have a pass intercepted by Derrick Rakestraw, allowing Tucson the opportunity to add further to their lead. The offense was unable to capitalize, though, forcing a long field goal attempt. In a badly-needed sequence for the Rattlers, Leventritt's 53-yard attempt came up well short, falling into the hands of Miles for a return. Showing some amazing ability of staying on his feet after contact, Miles ended up taking the miss 52 yards the other way for an Arizona touchdown. On the final drive before halftime, Patterson would attempt a series of unsuccessful passes into the endzone, and as the buzzer sounded, the Skulls retained a 22-14 lead heading into the locker room.
Arizona began the second half with the ball, when Sneed and Miles dialed up a five-yard touchdown pass. A one-point deficit suddenly turned into a one-point advantage when Evitts kicked a deuce on the following kickoff. Following a big 38-yard rush from Devonte Sapp-Lynch setting up a goal-to-go situation, he would be called upon to run that final yard in for a touchdown to put Tucson back in the lead by six. Arizona responded with an eight-play touchdown drive ending with a six-yard passing score from Sneed to Corey Reed Jr. The Rattlers were able to force a four-and-out right before the third quarter horn, heading into the last 15 minutes with a one-point lead and possession of the ball.
Two plays into the fourth quarter, Miles was able to rip a 28-yard jet sweep the length of the field for a touchdown, extending Arizona's lead to eight points. A wacky kickoff return that followed saw Mike Carrigan fumble inside the Rattler five-yard line, but right on the spot was fellow teammate Robert Sheffield, who picked it up and crossed the goal line to credit the latter with a kickoff return touchdown. Sapp-Lynch then provided a two-point conversion rush to tie the game at 37. Arizona pulled the lead back on a ten-yard scoring drive, with Sneed tossing a short three-yard touchdown pass to Reed Jr. for his second score of the ballgame. Needing a touchdown with time running out, Carrigan caught a pass on second down that he fumbled, with the recovery by Jaylen Perkins of the Rattlers with just under two minutes to go. After an unsuccessful Tucson challenge and two Rattlers rushes forced the Sugar Skulls to burn their full allotment of timeouts, Arizona sealed the game with a third-down conversion pass from Sneed to Miles. Two runs of victory formation later, and the Arizona Rattlers would finalize their tenth win of the campaign, coming back to take down the Tucson Sugar Skulls, 44-37.
Leading the Rattlers to victory, Dalton Sneed completed 15 of 22 passes for 170 yards, with four touchdowns and one interception, adding 20 yards on nine rushes. Jamal Miles caught six passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns and also had a 28-yard rushing score, while Corey Reed Jr. caught four of his targets for 30 yards and a pair of scores. Carl Odom Jr. started at running back for injured Shannon Brooks (Short-Term IR) and rushed ten times for 35 yards and caught four passes for 38 yards. Isaiah Huff led the defensive charge with six tackles, and notably Nih-jer Jackson, normally a wide receiver, recorded five tackles as Arizona's defensive injuries piled up in this one. The big fourth-quarter fumble was forced by Jarmaine Doubs Jr. and recovered by Jaylen Perkins.
Quincy Patterson struggled with pass efficiency in Tucson's loss, with just five completions on 18 passes for 75 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions. Patterson would rush five times for 59 yards and a score, while Devonte Sapp-Lynch led the team with 11 carries for 67 yards and three touchdowns. Brian Smith caught two passes for 52 yards and a touchdown. Robert Sheffield led Tucson with seven tackles and was also credited with a fumble recovery for a touchdown, and Derrick Rakestraw had the game's lone interception.
On the night, Arizona outgained Tucson by a total of 257 to 224. Each team had one turnover on the evening, resulting in a neutral turnover differential. Not many penalty calls were made in this outing, with each team flagged just three times, costing Tucson 20 yards and Arizona 30 yards.
Arizona continues their dominance of this all-time series, which now stands at 10-2 in favor of the Rattlers. The 2024 season series results in a two-game sweep for Arizona, who bested the Sugar Skulls at the Tucson Convention Center by a score of 38-32 on May 11. Tucson's only wins in this series came in the prior two seasons: one victory in 2022 and another last season.
The Sugar Skulls (2-12) will be at home to take on the San Antonio Gunslingers (7-7) on Saturday July 13 for a 6:05 p.m. kickoff. Both teams have been eliminated from playoff contention, with the Gunslingers knocked out after Sunday as a result of Northern Arizona's emotional and historic 25-point comeback win over the Bay Area Panthers. Meanwhile, the Rattlers (10-5) are on a bye next week, but will be back in action the week following when they take their turn against the Gunslingers. That game will take place at Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio on Saturday July 20 to close out their regular season. Kickoff in that one is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. Times listed are pacific daylight time.
Both games, as well as all IFL games this season, will be streamed live on the IFL YouTube Channel. SCtoC will present previews of those, and all, games this season. Those previews will be posted on the board of the home team in each game. Click for our complete IFL 2024 Schedule.
-AS
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