Tucson Sugar Skulls head coach Billy Back celebrated his 46th birthday on Saturday.
To celebrate, Tucson overcame a two-touchdown deficit — twice — to beat in-state rival Arizona Rattlers 42-35 on Saturday at Tucson Arena and handed the defending IFL champion their first loss of the season.
Tucson snapped Arizona’s 10-game winning streak dating back to last season and avenged its season-opening loss to the Rattlers in Glendale. Saturday marked the Sugar Skulls’ first win over the Rattlers in Tucson since 2022.
It’s just the Sugar Skulls’ third-ever win over the Rattlers since joining the IFL in 2019. Tucson is 3-11 against its in-state counterpart.
“That’s probably the best birthday present I’ve gotten,” Back said.
Arizona jumped out to a 14-0 lead after Tucson native and Sugar Skulls wide receiver Drew Dixon fumbled inside the 5-yard line. The Rattlers stormed down the field and converted the turnover into points.
“We made mistakes early on and I just kept challenging the guys to make a play,” Back said. “The guys stepped up and made plays in the game.”
Bones leads the team onto the field for the kickoff of the Sugar Skulls’ last home game of the season against San Antonio on July 13, 2024.
In the final seconds of the first half, Tucson kicker Kevin Macias made a 45-yard field goal to bring the Sugar Skulls within one possession, 21-13, but Arizona grabbed another two-touchdown lead entering the fourth quarter, 35-20.
Tucson quarterback Jorge Reyna and wide receiver Tripp Harrington, who were both added simultaneously three weeks ago, connected on a 30-yard touchdown. After a fourth-down stop by Tucson’s defense on the following possession, Harrington hauled in another touchdown. Tucson attempted a game-tying two-point conversion, but running back Devonte Sapp-Lynch was tackled a yard short of the end zone.
Reyna passed for 142 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, and Harrington was his top target with eight receptions for 61 yards and three touchdowns. Both Reyna and and Harrington, who has four touchdowns in the last two games, previously played for the Rattlers.
“You can’t say enough about Tripp Harrington and the way he has played in the last couple of games for us,” Back said.
With just over a minute left in the fourth quarter, the Sugar Skulls came up with another defensive stop. Tucson defensive back Ahmad Lyons intercepted Rattlers quarterback Dalton Sneed to give the Sugar Skulls a chance to win the game or at least take the lead late. The Rattlers were a combined 1 for 10 on third- and fourth-down conversions on Saturday.
Macias made a 36-yard field goal to take a 36-35 lead with a second left, his third made field goal of the night. It was Tucson’s first lead of the game.
“I told him, ‘If it was me, I’d be kicking it down the third-base line, because I’d be so nervous right now,’” Back said. “My heart was pounding, but that’s why we traded for him. We have the best kicker in the league and Kevin is just solid. Shoot, he’s big-time.”
The Rattlers’ last-second attempt to return a kickoff for a touchdown resulted in their final lateral pass getting picked off by Sugar Skulls running back Jamyest Williams, who ran in for a touchdown to punctuate the upset win.
“To see your team rally back and persevere, it’s a great feeling,” Back said. “This is a good group of guys. They believe in each other. Once we start making plays consistently and stop making mistakes, we’re going to be pretty good.”
The Sugar Skulls’ triumph “helps us a lot,” said Reyna.
“It’s a big morale boost,” said the Tucson quarterback. “It gets everybody like, ‘OK, we’ve got something, so let’s get this train rolling.”
The Sugar Skulls (2-3) will face the Massachusetts Pirates (2-3) on Saturday at 6:05 p.m. Tucson looks to win consecutive games for the first time since 2023.
“It’s a great feeling,” Back said after the win over the Rattlers. “You go up against the Arizona Rattlers on your birthday and they’re an undefeated team that’s playing well. They’re a great team that’s coached well. For the guys to step up to the challenge on your birthday, it’s pretty awesome.
“At the end of the day, it’s our second win of the season. To get it against the Rattlers is pretty good. We’ve gotta put together some back-to-back wins and get on a roll.”
