High School Football: Red-hot Marana Arizona's No. 1-ranked team, while Tigers to honor 1964 champs

If the Arizona Interscholastic Association has anything to say about it, the Marana High School Tigers are, as of this moment, the top football team in the entire state. 

The AIA's first eight-team Open Division rankings were released earlier this week, and Marana checked in at No. 1. The Open Division is a playoff bracket that features eight of Arizona's upper-echelon Class 6A and 5A teams. The Tigers are the only team from Southern Arizona in that top eight of the first Open Division rankings, though Ironwood Ridge (5-1) and Tucson High (4-1) check in at No. 15 and No. 16, respectively.

Marana (6-0) is ranked ahead of No. 2 Scottsdale Desert Mountain (5-0), No. 3 Gilbert Higley (4-1), No. 4 Chandler Basha (5-1), No. 5 Phoenix Brophy (5-1), No. 6 Mesa Red Mountain, No. 7 American Leadership Academy — Queen Creek (6-0) and No. 8 Peoria Liberty (4-1), which won the Open Division last year. 

"Just seeing that and seeing everyone's reaction to it, it's been good for us," fourth-year Marana head coach Phillip Steward said. "That just shows all the hard work we've been putting in. I tell the boys that this isn't something we did overnight; this is something that we've been building toward.

"It's good that the state of Arizona can see what we've been doing here in Marana." 

Marana edged Higley earlier in the season, two games after opening the season with a win over Tucson power Salpointe Catholic, snapping the Lancers' 23-game winning streak against Southern Arizona teams. Marana star wide receiver and Washington-bound Dezmen Roebuck also set the state record for career receptions. 

If the Tigers can keep it up, Marana is on track to make Southern Arizona football history in 2024. But the Tigers will honor a piece of their own history when they host Casa Grande Friday at 7 p.m. A ceremony will celebrate the MHS 1964 state championship team, which featured Cleo Robinson, a Hall of Fame official and grandfather of Atlanta Falcons standout and Tucson native Bijan Robinson. 

Steward joined ESPN Tucson's "Spears and Ali" this week to talk about Marana's historical season, paying tribute to the '64 team and the Tigers' focus in the final stretch of the regular season. 

How much has the season affected Marana as a school?

A: "The vibes have been good. The boys are really loving it. The impact that they have on the field is giving the school a buzz.

"The student body is traveling to the different games that are (within the) city. Seeing those things, they know they're making a big impact. You get parents to travel, but now you're starting to see the kids and the student body travel to away games. They make it a thing to get to the games.

"It's becoming a popular thing around the school, and I think the boys love it."

What is the identity of Marana football? 

A: "Play hard, play fast and play to the end of the whistle. In some of those games, like the Salpointe game, going into the fourth quarter, we were down by 21.

"So just keep playing until the final minute and keep playing hard. That's been helping us go 1-0 each week. I think that'll be our identity every week." 

Marana junior quarterback Colten Meyer has passed for 2,051 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions with a 75.3% completion rate this season. Meyer ranks 30th nationally in passing yards — third in Arizona. He recently passed for 470 yards and three touchdowns against Canyon Del Oro. What has led to his success?

A: "Man, he's very dynamic. He can make all the throws. Sometimes it bothers me, because he side-arms some of the throws, but he can fit in the smallest windows. After that game, I told him, 'Dude, you're putting up video-game numbers. Like, Whoa.' I didn't realize he had that many yards.

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"He's a really, really good quarterback."

What have you learned about the 1964 state championship team?

A: "I learned that they were really, really good, to be honest. I've seen a lot of the stories that we've been putting out. They were really good in back-to-back years. They went undefeated. But they didn't go just undefeated, they were really good in basketball and track; it trickled down to other sports.

"I tell the boys, 'When you get that win here in football, it goes to other sports,' because most of our kids play other sports. Hopefully we can get a big crowd out there this weekend so we can honor that 1964 team. What's crazy is we're having a great year this year that plays right into the part of honoring them this year. It's been good. Just teaching the boys about Marana.

"We were good in a lot of sports, and to bring back our winning ways has been really well this year." 

Do you ignore the Open Division rankings or do you remind your players about the significance of the mid-season honor?

A: We are continuing to take the game-by-game approach, but I do tell them, 'Hey, we're coming up on history. We're going to do something that a lot of people haven't done in a long, long time.' I just keep that in the back of their minds.

"This is bigger than us, what we're doing. Just keeping them focused on the game-to-game week is what I'm trying to do, but I do let them know about the history they're embarking on. 'Hey, if we continue to do what we're doing, we can do something that people will know ya'll forever. Remember that 2024 team at Marana? They were really, really good.'

"I do tell them things like that, but I keep them focused and don't want them looking too far ahead. I told them those rankings coming out and putting as at number one put a target on our backs, because we still got four games down here in Southern Arizona, and most teams are going to want to knock us off. Keeping them focused week-to-week is a priority for us, because we have to stay focused or we'll slip somewhere down the line.

"If you keep a team around, when you're supposed to beat them, they'll find a way to win. I saw it in college football this past weekend. I told them that we have to take care of business week in and week out, because if you keep one of these teams lingering around in the fourth quarter, they will find a way to beat you and you'll look up and be upset."

Photos: Marana edges visiting Salpointe in the last seconds 27-24 to open their seasons, high school football