No. 4 Marana ended its season 10-2 after losing to No. 5 Scottsdale Horizon 30–20 on Friday night in the 5A state quarterfinals at Tiger Stadium.
Horizon (10-2) advances to the semifinal round, where the Huskies will host No. 9 Scottsdale Desert Mountain (9-3) on Friday. Desert Mountain upset No. 1 Goodyear Desert Edge 13-10 on Friday night.
Desert Mountain defeated Marana Mountain View 42-0 and Ironwood Ridge 43-3 this season.
Colten Meyer @Colten__16 threw for 346 yards to end his career with 9,020 yards passing in only 2 1/2 years of playing. One of the best ever from Southern Arizona. Equally impressive off the field. #azpreps365live @MaranaFB pic.twitter.com/QFUXjzhgxJ
— Andy Morales (@AndyMorales8) November 22, 2025
Horizon dominated Marana, with three players combining for more than 300 all-purpose yards and all three touchdowns.
Bodie Zamorano led the Huskies with more than 200 yards — most of them rushing — and one touchdown. Dylan Brush added 77 yards, and James Klopfenstein finished with 37 yards and two scores.
“That’s what they do, and they did what they did all year,” Marana head coach Philip Steward said of Horizon’s rushing attack. “We had some missed assignments that let them get a few breaks.”
“They’re a run-heavy team,” senior linebacker Greg Webb said. “We played really well against the run over the season. I just think their fast pace is what was getting us.”
Marana countered with a prolific night through the air.
Quarterback Colten Meyer connected with five different receivers and threw for 346 yards, breaking the Southern Arizona passing record. He finished with two touchdowns and one interception.
“I started out as a sophomore coming into a great varsity program,” Meyer said. “We didn’t get the outcome we wanted, but each year we kept improving, and it’s been great with this coaching staff and our fans. I love this program.”
Marana opened the game with a promising drive before turning the ball over on downs on a fourth-and-7 attempt.
“Trying to get my boys going,” Steward said of the early aggressiveness. “Let them know that, ‘Hey, we can do it.’”
Horizon responded with a 13-play touchdown drive starting from its own 18 to take a 7–0 lead.
After forcing a Marana punt, the Huskies struck again, sparked by a 41-yard run from Brush and a 20-yard run from Zamorano. Klopfenstein capped the drive with an 8-yard touchdown run for a 14–0 lead.
Marana was forced to punt again but later stopped Horizon on downs, then answered with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Meyer to Sean Roebuck.
Horizon came right back, using a 50-yard screen to Zamorano to set up Klopfenstein’s second touchdown for a 21–6 advantage.
Marana’s last meaningful drive of the half ended with an interception by Horizon’s Stratton Knee at the Huskies’ 2-yard line.
Horizon opened the second half with a field goal — the first of three after halftime — to push the lead to 24–6.
With the Tigers in need of a spark, Meyer led a 13-play drive ending in an 8-yard touchdown pass to Remy McKinnon. After Horizon added another field goal, Marana went three-and-out and entered the fourth quarter down 27–13.
Horizon tacked on a third field goal before Marana answered with a 9-play, 67-yard drive capped by Jeffery Smith III’s 3-yard touchdown run.
The Tigers forced another turnover on downs and trailed 30–20 with less than four minutes remaining. They followed with a seven-play drive starting at the Horizon 46 and reached the 1-yard line with under three minutes left — but fumbled the snap. Horizon’s EJ Peeples recovered, sealing the win.
“I’m proud of the boys. This senior class was really, really good for us,” Steward said. “Winning 10 straight games, including playoffs — we went 10–0 last year, and then to come back and do it again, really, really tough.”
Some Tigers will now look toward their futures.
“I have a few offers from different schools. I don’t know where I’m going yet,” Webb said. “Just staying in the weight room and enjoying the rest of my high school experience.”
“I haven’t made a decision yet,” Meyer said. “I should be making a decision at the end of November or December, so look out for that.”
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