Brotherhood, family, and determination, sprinkled with a little magic, sums up the season for the Marana Tigers.
Marana’s magical season came to an end as the No. 1-ranked Tigers fell to No. 8 Chandler Hamilton 31-22 in the Open Division quarterfinals Friday night at Tiger Stadium.
Marana, which plays in the 5A conference went into the postseason undefeated at 10-0. With the No.1 ranking, the Tigers were elevated to the Open Division which takes the top eight power-rated teams from the 5A and 6A divisions.
As the Arizona playoff brackets were released, talk focused on the legitimacy of Marana being the No. 1 team in the Open Division.
While the Tigers may have lost Friday night, they showed they were worthy of the placement and the ranking. They competed all game against Chandler Hamilton, a 6A powerhouse that is 10-1.
“They fought hard and that’s what we’ve been doing over here,” Marana coach Phillip Steward said. “I’m glad we were able to be on a big stage tonight and everybody got to see why they had us ranked No. 1.”
Marana Coach Phillip Stewart talks about how proud he is of his 10-1 Tiger team and looking ahead with a strong returning roster after Marana’s 31-22 loss to Hamilton (Chandler). @AllSportsTucson @MaranaFB pic.twitter.com/fkJogQ1HMK
— Lori Burkhart (@loriburkhart) November 23, 2024
On Marana’s first possession of the game, quarterback Colten Meyer threw to receiver Sean Roebuck who sprinted down the right side for a 77-yard touchdown, putting the Tigers up 7-0.
The completion to Roebuck put Meyer over 5,000 career passing yards.
With 9:59 left in the first quarter, Hamilton kicker Jackson Swink hit a field goal getting the Huskies on the board.
Hamilton’s defense stepped up stopping Marana on fourth and goal on the Husky 3-yard line.
At the end of the first quarter, Marana held a 7-3 lead.
Marana extended its lead to 10-3 when kicker Andres Taylor nailed a 33-yard field goal at the 10:11 mark in the second quarter
The Huskies tied the game at 10 when Husky running back Jacob Brown muscled over the goal line for a touchdown.
Jacob Brown muscled over the goal line and Hamilton ties it up at 10 with 6:32 left in the half. @MaranaFB @Husky_Football7 @AllSportsTucson pic.twitter.com/kz6gvzpPiJ
— Lori Burkhart (@loriburkhart) November 23, 2024
Marana regained the lead to 16-10 with 1:23 left in the half off a Meyer pitch to running back Jeffery Smith Jr., who weaved his way into the end zone for a touchdown. The extra point was blocked.
Marana pulls ahead on a pitch play from Colten Meyer to Jeffery Smith for a Tiger TD.
1:23 left in the half – Marana leads Hamilton 16-10. The extra point was blocked. @AllSportsTucson @MaranaFB @Husky_Football7 pic.twitter.com/0Ldg02HqWu
— Lori Burkhart (@loriburkhart) November 23, 2024
At the half, Marana held a 16-10 lead over Hamilton.
How it started ➡️ How it’s going.
At the half – Marana leads Hamilton 16-10. @AllSportsTucson @Husky_Football7 @MaranaFB pic.twitter.com/6U7WP9eR24
— Lori Burkhart (@loriburkhart) November 23, 2024
The Huskies took a 17-16 lead with under ten minutes left in the third quarter when Hamilton quarterback Rich Lucero Jr. threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Roye Oliver lll.
After Hamilton sacked Meyer, a short punt gave the Huskies the ball in Tiger territory.
Capitalizing on the short field, Hamilton added to its lead off of a Lucero-to-Reiss Rinaldi touchdown.
With Hamilton leading 24-16, Meyer threw a 27-yard bomb to Dezmen Roebuck, who shook off a defender to catch the touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone.
Roebuck, a Washington commit, ended his high school career with more than 1,000 receiving yards this season. He is one of the top receivers to ever wear the Marana Tigers uniform.
“I love this team; we did a lot this year,” Dezmen Roebuck said. “We went 10-0. That’s hard to do. I just love my team we came out we fought. We had them. Some of the plays didn’t go our way.”
The Tigers’ two-point conversion was unsuccessful, giving the Huskies a 24-22 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Hamilton added another Lucero-to-Oliver touchdown to extend its lead to 31-22.
With 2:23 left in the game, Marana trying to get a quick score, Meyer escaped the defensive pressure and saw Dezmen Roebuck cutting down the right side.
Meyer threw toward Roebuck, but Hamilton’s Beau Jandreau was able to tip the pass and get the pick to secure the 31-22 win for the Huskies.
Beau Jandreau tips and intercepts Marana QB Colten Meyer with 2:18 left in the game and Hamilton leading 31-22 pic.twitter.com/T9qItcKLtB
— Lori Burkhart (@loriburkhart) November 23, 2024
For Marana’s 14 seniors, the loss to Hamilton will end their high school football careers and Steward couldn’t be more proud of or happy for the senior class.
“I’m more proud of these boys,” Steward said. “These seniors, they stuck with me for four years and the results show what happens when you go to work. I’m proud of them. They had a good season and all I can do is be happy for them.”
A large portion of the Tigers will return next season and Steward wanted his underclassmen prepared.
“That’s why I brought some of my freshmen, sophomores, my juniors,” he said. “I wanted them to experience this so when we come back next year we ain’t got to worry about the emotions of the game.
“They’ve been here before and we know what we gotta do to get back. I’m happy for all of them and for us to get where we trying to go we have to play team like that (Hamilton).” Steward said.
Media Highlights:
A special moment before the start of Friday’s game.
Airman First Class (A1C) Daylin Smith flew from Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks, Alaska, to surprise his brother Jeffery Smith Jr., who is a freshman for Marana. I caught up with the brothers after the game.
Airman First Class (A1C) Danny Smith flew from Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks, Alaska to surprise his brother Jeffery Smith who is a freshman for Marana. I caught up with the brothers after the game. @AllSportsTucson @MaranaFB pic.twitter.com/W1kPgb3iiL
— Lori Burkhart (@loriburkhart) November 23, 2024
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