Marana High senior Dezmen Roebuck, star of the state’s No. 1-ranked high school football team, is already the most prolific pass receiver in Arizona prep history. He surpassed 300 receptions a week ago; before Roebuck, no one in state history had more than 282.
If the Tigers are as good as they seem — they’ve outscored their first seven opponents 305-72 — they could play seven more games, leading to the Open division state championship game on Dec. 7. By then, if he remains healthy, Roebuck could pass UA freshman receiver Brandon Phelps, the only player in state history with 4,000 receiving yards (he had 4,971 at ALA-Gilbert).
Roebuck could reach 5,000 career receiving yards. The Tigers probably need him to get to 5,000 to keep winning.
This entry is part of longtime Star columnist Greg Hansen's weekly notebook. Looking for more? Find updates and Greg's archive at Tucson.com/Hansen.
Last June, Roebuck committed to play for Jedd Fisch at Washington He is a bit undersized at 5-10, 160 pounds, a 3-star recruit by Rivals.com. Given his numbers, Roebuck should be considered the best receiver in Tucson history, to this stage. But it’s not that easy. The competition is fierce.
A star on offense and defense, Marana’s Dezmen Roebuck jumps for joy after making the game-icing interception in the final seconds of the Tigers’ win over Salpointe Catholic on Aug. 30, 2024, in Marana.
The most prolific game ever by a Tucson prep receiver was Sahuaro’s John Mistler’s 21-catch, 292-yard epic performance in 1975 against Sabino. Mistler was the real deal. He became an All-Pac-10 receiver at ASU (with 153 career receptions) and then played five NFL seasons, a third-round draft pick of the New York Giants.
Not to discount anything that Mistler did, but his 21-catch night in 1975 came against a Sabino team that went 0-10 and lost to Mistler’s Cougars 54-21.
In my opinion, other than Mistler and Roebuck, here are the five leading Tucson receivers based on their college/pro statistics:
• Vance Johnson, Cholla. He caught 104 passes for 1,014 yards at Arizona (he was mostly a running back) and then caught 495 passes for 5,695 yards for the Denver Broncos.
• Eric Drage, Santa Rita. He caught 162 passes for 3,065 yards at BYU.
• Jon Horton, Sunnyside. He caught 134 passes for 2,389 yards at Arizona.
• Brian Poli-Dixon, Sabino. He caught 128 passes for 2,031 yards at UCLA.
• Jay Dobyns, Sahuaro. He caught 103 passes for 1,382 yards at Arizona.
Two others: Salpointe’s Cam Denson caught 214 passes for 3,537 yards in high school, but struggled in college, catching just 17 passes at Arizona/NAU. Sabino’s Matt Bushman caught 125 passes for 1,719 yards at BYU.
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