The Tucson Sugar Skulls ended the season on a sour note and dropped the season finale to the Vegas Knight Hawks, 55-18, at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada on Saturday.
The 37-point setback is the largest margin of defeat for Tucson since its 39-point defeat to Bay Area last season.
Tucson ended the second season under head coach Billy Back with a 6-10 record and missed out on the playoffs for the second straight season. The Sugar Skulls are 8-24 under Back.
Vegas, led by former Arizona Wildcats quarterback Jayden de Laura, jumped out to a 27-3 lead at halftime. De Laura tossed two touchdown passes on Saturday.
Vegas wide receiver Quentin Randolph set a franchise record for touchdown catches in a season with 22. His record-setting touchdown gave the Knight Hawks a 34-3 advantage.
People are also reading…
The Sugar Skulls didn’t score their first touchdown until the final play of the third quarter.
Vegas’ win marked the third straight victory against Tucson, which hasn’t beaten the Knight Hawks since their 51-50 win at Tucson Arena last season.
Sugar Skulls wide receiver Jerome Buckner (4) sprawls for extra inches over Panthers defensive back Trae Meadows (1) after his catch in the second quarter of their IFL game, Tucson, Ariz., July 19, 2025.
The IFL playoffs begin this week. Bay Area (13-3) officially clinched the No. 1 overall seed of the IFL playoffs. The other teams in the IFL playoffs from the Western Conference include the defending champion Arizona Rattlers, the San Diego Strike Force and Vegas.
The Eastern Conference representatives in the IFL playoffs are the Quad City Steamwheelers, Green Bay Blizzard, Tulsa Oilers, and Jacksonville Sharks.
The IFL championship will be played at Tucson Arena on Saturday, Aug. 23. Under the three-year agreement, Tucson will host the IFL championship through 2027.
Contact Justin Spears, the Star’s Arizona football beat reporter, at jspears@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @JustinESports
Justin Spears
Sports Reporter
