The Wranglers began this Western Conference showdown with their defense on the field. The Sugar Skulls ran a lot of plays during their opening drive and held onto the ball for what felt like an eternity after numerous penalty flags. Wranglers defensive end Tramond Lofton blocked a field goal attempt, and gave the Wranglers possession midway through the game's opening quarter. The Wranglers got into the end zone with a pass from quarterback Joshua Jones to wide receiver Kobay White. The Wranglers jumped out to an early 7-0 lead over the Sugar Skulls. The first quarter came to a close with Tucson in possession of the football.  

The Wranglers began the second quarter on defense, holding a seven point lead. The Wranglers defense stood tall, forcing the Sugar Skulls to turn the ball over on downs. The Wranglers scored a touchdown in just two plays, jumping out to a 13-point lead in a flash. Jones found wide receiver John Maldonado wide open, and he broke a tackle and strolled in for the 39-yard score. The Sugar Skulls offense responded, nabbing their first score of the game on their ensuing possession. 

Northern Arizona's offense went back out on the field midway through the second quarter with a 13-7 lead over Tucson. The Wranglers and Sugar Skulls traded 4th down stops on the next two possessions, with the game going scoreless for two drives. With the Wranglers back on offense, Jones took a score in with his legs, as he ran for the 12-yard touchdown. On the following possession, Wranglers defensive back Kevin Hyde nabbed an interception, setting the Wranglers up for more points just before halftime. Wranglers kicker Axel Perez nailed his second field goal attempt to extend the Wranglers lead. Head coach Les Moss successfully won an illegal defense challenge that gave Perez the chance to re-kick the first missed attempt.

The Wranglers entered the locker room at halftime with a 23-7 lead over the Sugar Skulls. 

The Wranglers began the second half of this contest on offense, but stalled out at the Sugar Skulls nine-yard line. The Wranglers turned the ball over on downs, and surrendered a Sugar Skulls touchdown on the ensuing possession. The Wranglers offense started to struggle with penalties, putting themselves in a 1st down and 28 yards to go situation. The Wranglers overcame this with two great plays back-to-back. Jones found Maldonado for a 15-yard gain, and then Jones scrambled for 22-yards to pick up the first down. The Wranglers held the ball and the lead, by a score of 23-13 at the end of the third quarter. 

At the start of the game's final quarter, Jones located wide receiver Tosin Oyekanmi for his first receiving touchdown of the season and in the Indoor Football League. The Wranglers extended their lead after a successful two-point conversion scored by wide receiver Gene Coleman II. The Wranglers were in front of the Sugar Skulls by a score of 31-13. On the following possession, the Sugar Skulls answered quickly with a touchdown of their own, cutting the Wranglers lead back down to 12 points. Perez kicked his second successful field goal of the game on the next drive for the Wranglers. 

The Wranglers held a 15-point lead with just over 8 minutes left in the game. The Wranglers made it a little too close for comfort towards the end, allowing the Sugar Skulls to crawl back into it. The Wranglers would surrender two consecutive touchdowns as the offense turned the ball over on downs between the two Tucson touchdowns. The Wranglers found themselves ahead by just three points inside the final minute of the game. Tucson failed to recover their onside kick attempt, and the Wranglers were able to run the clock out in victory formation. 

The Wranglers earned a victory on the road, getting their fourth win in a row, and improving their record to 4-1 on the season. The Wranglers committed seven penalties in a game that had 18 total called. It wasn't the prettiest win for Northern Arizona, but every win is a great win in the IFL. White lead the Wranglers in receiving, gaining 76 yards and one touchdown on four receptions. Defensive back Malik Sonnier lead the Wranglers with five and a half tackles. The Wranglers will be on the road once again next weekend, this time for a Sunday showdown with the San Diego Strike Force. The Wranglers will need to keep their foot on the gas and clean some things up to get the win in San Diego.

The Northern Arizona Wranglers 2024 HOME games, with dates, matchups, and results are listed below. 

Saturday, March 16th, 6:05 P.M. vs Arizona Rattlers                    Loss 51-40

Saturday, March 30th, 6:05 P.M. vs Tucson Sugar Skulls          Win 54-48

Saturday, April 20th, 6:05 P.M. vs Duke City Gladiators            Win 39-23

Saturday, May 11th, 6:05 P.M. vs Bay Area Panthers  

Saturday, May 25th, 6:05 P.M. vs Tucson Sugar Skulls 

Sunday, June 23rd, 3:05 P.M. vs San Antonio Gunslingers 

Saturday, June 29th, 6:05 P.M. vs San Diego Strike Force 

Saturday, July 13th, 6:05 P.M. vs Vegas Knight Hawks 

Single Game Tickets for the 2024 season are on sale now! Visit the link below! 

https://www.ticketmaster.com/naz-wranglers-tickets/artist/2769030 

 For any Season Ticket inquiries, call us at 928-379-5581 

You can also email ticketdirector@nazwranglers.com 

Written by: Tucker Welch 

Edited by: Ed Cole