Tucson Sugar Skulls battle former coach Dixie Wooten, Bay Area Panthers in IFL playoffs

The Tucson Sugar Skulls will enter familiar territory when they kick off the IFL postseason Sunday afternoon.

The third-seeded Sugar Skulls will begin their IFL playoff journey against the second-seeded Panthers at SAP Center in San Jose, California. Tucson will compete in the IFL postseason for the third time in four years — and the Sugar Skulls will face off against a coach who was responsible for one of those playoff appearances.

Former Sugar Skulls general manager and head coach Dixie Wooten is an offensive coordinator and co-head coach with defensive coordinator Rob Keefe. Wooten led the Sugar Skulls for three years (two full seasons due to the pandemic) and went 15-16 overall with one playoff appearance. Wooten was fired after last season and was replaced by offensive coordinator Hurtis Chinn.

In the first matchup since Wooten was dismissed, the Sugar Skulls took down the Panthers 34-30 in April on the road, but Bay Area avenged its loss with a 44-42 victory in Tucson in May. Since then, the Sugar Skulls are 5-2 and have back-to-back wins entering the postseason.

One element that bodes well for Tucson: The game is on the road. Tucson is 6-1 in away games this season and 3-5 at home. Tucson could return home next week for a chance to play in the IFL championship if the Sugar Skulls win and fourth-seeded Northern Arizona Wranglers upset the top-seeded Arizona Rattlers.

Chinn said earlier this month that the disparity between the road and home records is “something we’ve been trying to figure out as an organization.”

“We talk about that in meetings,” he said. “One thing they said, and it’s not an excuse, but they really press hard at home and aren’t relaxed, so it’s tough on their psyche. When they’re away, they’re more relaxed instead of wanting to please the fans.

“I always tell them: ‘You please them by winning.’ That’s something that’s unfortunate through this whole season, but we’ve been able to manage and deal with it as we get ready for the playoffs.”

Here’s a complete rundown of Sunday’s matchup between the Sugar Skulls and Panthers in San Jose:

Key player (Tucson): Carrington Thompson, wide receiver

In the first matchup between the Sugar Skulls and Panthers, Thompson hauled in nine catches for 111 yards and three touchdowns. In the second contest, Thompson was held to two catches for 46 yards and a touchdown. Thompson is tied for third in the IFL this season with 21 touchdown catches; he also ranks fifth in the league with 855 receiving yards.

Said Chinn of Thompson: “He comes up with big plays to ice the game or take a lead in those moments. He’s been able to put the team on his back in certain situations throughout the season.”

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Key player (Bay Area): Justin Rankin, running back

The Bay Area standout running back didn’t play in the first meeting between the Panthers and Sugar Skulls but amassed 72 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns in Tucson.

Rankin, who is second in the IFL with 738 yards and 36 touchdowns, is averaging 4.3 yards per carry this season. He is also a two-time IFL Offensive Player of the Week recipient this season. Running the ball and “playing more physical” led to Wooten walking away from his old stomping grounds with a win.

Said Wooten: “They out-physical’d us the first game and we matched them the second game, but knowing whoever wins this game is going to the next round, it’ll be even more physical. That’s the biggest part that I saw from both games, the physicality.”

By the numbers

19: Tucson is tied with Arizona for most sacks in the IFL this season. Sugar Skulls second-year defensive lineman Maurice Jackson is tied for first with seven.

3: Tucson has the third-best defense in the IFL, surrendering 41 points per game. Bay Area has the third-highest scoring offense in the league, averaging 51.7 points per game. The Sugar Skulls have the third-best rushing offense with 1,413 yards, mostly from longtime Tucson running back Mike Jones, quarterback Ramone Atkins and running back Benjamin Jones. Sugar Skulls safety Rashie Hodge is third in the IFL with seven interceptions.

0: Tucson has never won a postseason game since joining the IFL in 2019.

He said it

“It’s a championship mindset since Day 1. I love Tucson and the organization was great. At the end of the day, it’s a business and they had to make a change, and they made a great change with Hurtis Chinn, but at the end of the day, I’m not like, ‘Oh, it’s Tucson, let’s beat them bad.’ No, it’s a game where if those guys come, I go to the hotel, meet up with them. When the game comes around, I’m trying to win and move on to the playoffs.” — Wooten