When Dixie Wooten assembled the Tucson Sugar Skulls' roster for a "championship or bust" season, a win to end the season was expected to be hoisting the United Bowl trophy.
Instead, Tucson's IFL team ended the regular season with a victory, when the Sugar Skulls held off the Northern Arizona Wranglers 56-38 in Prescott Valley on Saturday, but a 6-8 record wasn't enough to qualify for the IFL postseason.
A Bismarck Bucks loss to the Duke City Gladiators knocked the Sugar Skulls out of playoff contention.
For the first time in the franchise's infant history, the Sugar Skulls will not appear in the postseason and are still in search of their first playoff victory. Tucson had a first-round exit in the IFL playoffs in 2019, when it fell to the Sioux Falls Storm.
Tucson finished the 2021 season in ninth place in the IFL standings, and will now look forward to Wooten's second official season as head coach and general manager.
IFL playoff picture:
Sunday, Aug. 29: No. 8 Sioux Falls Storm vs. No. 1 Arizona Rattlers
Saturday, Aug. 28: No. 7 Bismarck Bucks vs. No. 2 Massachusetts Pirates
Saturday, Aug. 28: No. 6 Spokane Shock vs. No. 3 Frisco Fighters
Saturday, Aug. 28: No. 5 Duke City Gladiators vs. No. 4 Iowa Barnstormers
