After a long day of football practice with the temperature nearing 100 degrees, Ryan Balentine meandered from the Kino Stadium practice fields to the Tucson Sugar Skulls’ locker room.
With a towel draped over his head to protect himself from the Arizona heat, the All-IFL wide receiver was quick to dismiss the personal significance of the Sugar Skulls’ (1-1) home opener against the Iowa Barnstormers (2-1) on Saturday. Balentine played for Iowa, where he won a United Bowl championship in 2018.
“It’s not personal,” said Balentine. “It’s just another game for me personally.”
Balentine is one of four ex-Barnstormers who will play for the Sugar Skulls in Saturday’s game, which begins at 6 p.m. in Tucson Arena. Wide receiver Sheldon Augustine, defensive back Jajuan Harley and offensive lineman Brandon Haskin all used to play for Iowa, one of the most revered franchises in the IFL.
Tucson coach Dixie Wooten led the Barnstormers to one title in three seasons. He has a different approach to the Sugar Skulls’ first home game in two years.
“You know how coaches are when they say, ‘Oh, it’s just another game?’ Not me,” Wooten said. “I don’t believe in that, because I’ve been there for three years, know a lot of those guys over there and they’re great friends. But when you coach an organization and you’ve had so much success, you want to get on the field and beat that organization. At the end of the day, you don’t want that organization to beat you and have bragging rights.”
Tucson wide receiver Ryan Balentine was a member of the Iowa Barnstormers in 2019, when they beat the Sugar Skulls at Tucson Arena.
Between 2017-19, Wooten posted a 36-8 record with the Barnstormers, resigning after his third season. It wasn’t long before Tucson snapped Wooten up, naming him the Sugar Skulls’ coach and general manager. Wooten still has fond memories of his old franchise.
“They let me be me,” he said. “They allowed me to understand what I needed to do in order to be successful and they always backed me for whatever I did for the team. So it was a great time.
“Even though I left on good terms, … I want to make sure we win that game, so we can have bragging rights.”
Wooten recruited his own players to Iowa, and the success the Barnstormers experienced was primarily due to Wooten’s efforts. The year before Wooten arrived in Iowa, the Barnstormers went 4-12. The next season under Wooten’s direction, the team went 13-3.
“They set me up to have goals and aspirations to become a general manager, so I appreciate Iowa every step of the way. It’s not a situation where I left and hate being there — no,” said Wooten. “I love that place, because it put me in the position where I am now, which is Tucson.”
Wooten brought several of his former players with him to Tucson for the 2020 season, but it was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A year later, Wooten finally gets his shot to beat his former employer.
“I’m the type to keep my emotions inside, so I make sure we practice the same way and do everything the same way,” Wooten said. “My speech to the team isn’t, ‘Let’s beat my old team!’ It’s all about showing film of the Barnstormers to make sure what they have to do to win.
“But with me, I’m putting everything into it, because this is almost like a Super Bowl to me.”
Extra points
Sugar Skulls quarterback Demry Croft was named the IFL Offensive Player of the Week following Tucson’s 55-35 win over the Duke City Gladiators last week. Croft accounted for six touchdowns in the win. Croft is the second player in Tucson history to receive IFL Offensive Player of the Week honors; running back Mike Jones won the award in 2019.
Tucson Arena will be at 100% capacity for Saturday’s game. Fans attending can also receive a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. “We haven’t even seen the stadium yet, so it’s going to be a nice experience to finally play in there and be with the fans,” said Balentine. “Hopefully we can get a win and get that place rocking.”
Quarterback Daquan Neal, who led the Barnstormers to a victory over Tucson in 2019 then signed with the Sugar Skulls for 2020 only to never play in a game, is back with Iowa. In three games, Neal ranks first in the IFL in passing yards (612) and touchdowns (14).
