The high school football season is in full swing in Southern Arizona. The Star shares our weekly look back at the best of last week while charging ahead toward what we might be able to expect from programs across Tucson and surrounding communities this Friday night.
Team of the week
Marana rallied from down 15 in the fourth quarter to beat two time defending 5A state champion Gilbert Higley in addition to grabbing a state record.
The Tigers avenged their five point loss at Higley last year with a 36-28 triumph. Last season Marana (3-0) started 1-4 and 2-5.
Marana receiver Dezmen Roebuck (1), left, and Colten Meyer (16) celebrate Meyer’s two-point conversion run in the final seconds of the fourth quarter of the Tigers’ win over Salpointe Catholic on Aug. 30 in Marana.
Marana senior receiver Dezmen Roebuck had 10 catches for 131 yards to break the state’s career receptions record. All Sports Tucson reported that the Tigers set it up so that his brother Sean, a back up quarterback, would throw him the record pass, which was a touchdown.
Dezmen has 288 career catches and also the state season receiving record of 121 that he set last year.
Marana junior quarterback Colten Meyer was 26-for-40 for 365 yards.
Last season, Buena’s Michael Lujan (21) muscles his way to the end zone through Ironwood Ridge’s Jose Sanchez (37) during the third quarter of Buena’s Sept. 1, 2023, win at IRHS.
Stat book
Buena junior running back Michael Lujan ran for 201 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries in the Colts’ 49-7 win over Catalina Foothills. Buena senior running back Andres Bonilla also had 156 yards and two scores on 14 rushes at Foothills.
Flowing Wells junior running back Jayden Simmons ran for 145 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries in the Cabs’ 34-6 win over Amphitheater last week.
Flowing Wells’ Jayden Simmons (8) heads to the house with what turned out to be the Caballeros only score of the night in the first quarter at Sunnyside High School on Sept. 5, 2024.
Sahuaro senior running back Isaac Lugo had 170 yards and three scores on 15 rushes in the Cougars’ 39-33 win over Douglas on Friday. Sahuaro senior running back Jermarell Webb also ran for 140 and two touchdowns on 17 carries in the win.
Next level
New Mexico true freshman lineman Sa'Kylee Woodard made the travel squad for the Lobos’ 54-19 loss at Auburn on Saturday. Last season Woodard helped lead Canyon del Oro to the 4A state championship.
Quotable I
“I’m just truly blessed to be in the position that I am. Two hundred-some catches — that’s a lot of catches, and I still have a whole season ahead of me,” Roebuck told All Sports Tucson after breaking the state career receiving record. “I’m just blessed to have good teammates, good coaches and just a whole bunch of good people around me.”
Roebuck moved past current UA freshman Brandon Phelps, who set the record last year while playing for ALA-Gilbert North.
This week’s 18 matchups involving Southern Arizona teams
Quotable II
"Arizona HS football Open 8 watch after 3 games: Here are the eight teams that I feel get in (much of it based on strength of schedule)," — Arizona Republic high school sports reporter Richard Obert posted on X (Twitter) on Saturday. "Liberty, Basha, Hamilton, Highland, Brophy Prep, Chandler, Red Mountain, Marana. ... On the bubble: Perry, Notre Dame Prep, Centennial, ALA QC."
The Open tournament features the top eight teams in the state pulled from the 6A through 4A ranks.
Salpointe's quarterback Matthew Avelar (2) goes down for a sack in the arms of Marana's Christian Berrios (8), left, Justin Elder (56) and Javi Muro (44) in the first quarter in their high school football game, Marana, Ariz., August 30, 2024.
Games of the week
Mountain View (2-1) at Marana (3-0)
Location: 12000 W. Emigh Road
Notable: The Marana schools face off in the Battle of the Boot. Though Marana is fresh from knocking off the defending back-to-back 5A state champions in Gilbert Higley and have won two of the last three Battles of the Boot, Mountain View upset the Tigers last year. Before that, in 2022 and 2021, Marana won BotB and from 2012 to 2014 MV won. Since 2004, MV holds a 6-3 edge. The game is at 7 p.m.
Shannon Martinez plays with the Tanque Verde High School band during halftime in the football game against Phoenix Christian, Aug. 23, 2024.
Tanque Verde (2-1) at Palo Verde (2-1)
Location: 4201 N. Melpomene Way
Notable: Over on the East side, current local 2A power Tanque Verde faces the resurgent Titans to open 2A San Pedro Region play. After Palo Verde rallied to beat 4A Rincon/University, it blew out Scottsdale Coronado to win consecutive games on the field for the first time since 2017; last year PV won two games total. TV meanwhile won its last two comfortably — 40-26 over Glendale Prep and 38-6 over Phoenix Cortez. The Verdes play at 7 p.m.
Photos: Sunnyside pulls away late in dropping Flowing Wells 34-7, high school football
The pass slips through the arms of Flowing Wells's defensive back Jack Youmans (13) and into the embrace of Sunnyside's receiver Manny Moreno (1) for a Blue Devil touchdown in the second quarter of their high school game at Sunnyside High School, Tucson, Ariz., September 5, 2024. Sunnyside ended up running away with the game 34-7 over the Caballeros.
Sunnyside's Gio Leyva (24) finds the seam between Flowing Wells's Dominik Soto (5), left, and Alfredo Guzman (20) for a rushing first down in the third quarter of their high school game at Sunnyside High School, Tucson, Ariz., September 5, 2024.
Sunnyside's Adrian Lopez (0) sidesteps over for an extra yard in the arms of Flowing Wells's Alex Thompson (3) in the first quarter of their high school game at Sunnyside High School, Tucson, Ariz., September 5, 2024.
Sunnyside's Damyan Tapia (2) gets the generous hop to grab a fumbled pitch to Flowing Wells's Jayden Simmons (8) and score in the fourth quarter of their high school game at Sunnyside High School, Tucson, Ariz., September 5, 2024.
Sunnyside's Manny Moreno (1) gets hands to the pass but Flowing Wells's Alex Thompson (3) ends up reeling in the long bomb in the first quarter of their high school game at Sunnyside High School, Tucson, Ariz., September 5, 2024.
Sunnyside's quarterback Raymond Duarte (8) under pressure from Flowing Wells's Giancarlo Quintero (55) finds Sunnyside's Manny Moreno (1) in the end zone for a Blue Devil touchdown in the second quarter of their high school game at Sunnyside High School, Tucson, Ariz., September 5, 2024.
Sunnyside's Adrian Lopez (0) tries to stretch to the line after getting tripped up at the five in the third quarter against Flowing Wells at Sunnyside High School, Tucson, Ariz., September 5, 2024.
Flowing Wells’ Benicio Ruiz (1) reaches back to swat away the pass intended for Sunnyside’s Gio Leyva in the third quarter on Sept. 5, 2024.
/Sunnyside's Raymond Duarte (8) tries to evade the pursuit of the Flowing Wells defense on a scramble in the thrid quarter of their high school game at Sunnyside High School, Tucson, Ariz., September 5, 2024.
Flowing Wells’ Jayden Simmons heads to the house with what turned out to be the Caballeros’ only score of the night in the first quarter at Sunnyside High School, Sept. 5, 2024.
Flowing Wells's Alex Thompson (3) absorbs the impact in bringing down Sunnyside's Adrian Lopez (0) in the quarter of their high school game at Sunnyside High School, Tucson, Ariz., September 5, 2024.
Sunnyside's Adrian Lopez (0) trips up Flowing Wells's Tyler Friedenberg (10) as he tries to turn on the corner on a keeper in the second quarter of their high school game at Sunnyside High School, Tucson, Ariz., September 5, 2024.
Flowing Wells's Tyler Friedenberg (10) has to make the tackle after throwing the interception to Sunnyside's Manny Moreno (1) at Sunnyside High School, Tucson, Ariz., September 5, 2024.
Sunnyside's Manny Moreno (1) tiptoes around the dive from Flowing Wells's Quinn Van (24) in the fourth quarter of their high school game at Sunnyside High School, Tucson, Ariz., September 5, 2024.
Sunnyside's Mike Hernandez (6) wraps up Flowing Wells's Benicio Ruiz (1) trying to sweep the end in the fourth quarter of their high school game at Sunnyside High School, Tucson, Ariz., September 5, 2024.
Flowing Wells’s Benicio Ruiz (1) is surrounded by nothing but black and blue trying to run around the end against Sunnyside Sept. 5, 2024.
Sunnyside receivers take throws into the corner, September 5, 2024.
Sunnyside's head coach Thomas Romack signals in the defensive play during the first quarter of their high school game at Sunnyside High School against Flowing Wells, Tucson, Ariz., September 5, 2024.
Flowing Wells head coach Brian Hook talks with running back Jayden Simmons as the Caballeros warm up for the start of the third quarter at Sunnyside High School, Sept. 5, 2024.
