Marana High School’s football players in the last two weeks have tried to wade through the resignation and then rescinding of that resignation by coach Phillip Steward, and the serious automobile accident experienced by star receiver Sean Roebuck Jr. that cut the senior captain’s high school career short.
Those developments happened within a week of each other earlier this month, derailing the Tigers from their focus of the much-anticipated season opener next Thursday (Aug. 27) against Salpointe Catholic at home.
Marana senior safety Walter Evans-Gonzalez, a captain, said the Tigers will not have their collective minds only on the Lancers or any other opponent on their schedule this season.
“Even though we have to start thinking about football, we’re still thinking about Sean,” Evans-Gonzalez said. “Now, we’re playing for Sean. Now this whole season is for him.
“He got stripped of his beautiful game, and it’s sad because he was like a brother to me. So this whole season is dedicated to him. We’re playing for him. Every tackle, every interception, everything, is for him. We’re gonna come harder than we ever came before.”
.@MaranaFB senior safety @Walt_the_truth8 talks about the recent developments with the program concerning coach Phillip Steward, star receiver Sean Roebuck Jr., and his expectations for his final season in high school. pic.twitter.com/TLLZdnD6Wk
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) August 17, 2026
Roebuck is in stable condition after suffering serious injuries from the accident that occurred last weekend. He suffered a C7 fracture in his spine, small laceration on his liver, broken collarbone, two broken ribs, fractured right eye socket and a broken jaw.
His sister Malaysia Roebuck, who is about to start her collegiate flag football career at Arizona Christian, said Saturday that her brother is in good spirits amid having plastic surgery on his eye. She said he will soon have a delicate surgery on his jaw.
The Tigers, including Evans-Gonzalez, have communicated with the young Roebuck, who was one of the top returning receivers in the state.
“He’s doing great,” Evans-Gonzalez said. “He’s talking. He’s smiling. … He was just laughing like he always is, but he’s good though. He’s doing good … smiling, talking. His family’s doing good. He’s able to move. He’s able to walk a little bit, so he’s doing good.”
Roebuck’s dad Sean Sr. recently resigned as the boys basketball coach at Marana, but he has remained part of the coaching staff of the Tigers’ flag football program.
Sean and Monica Roebuck raised a family of high-level athletes who attended Marana, including Sean Jr., Malaysia, Dezmen (now one of the Big Ten’s top receivers at Washington), Makayla (former wrestler at Jamestown University in North Dakota), and Isaiah (former football and baseball player at Jamestown).
.@MaranaFB junior RB/LB Jeffrey Smith III career totals after starting as a freshman and sophomore —
Rushing: 1,760 yards on 295 carries (6 yards per carry)
Tackles: 121, five for loss
Interceptions: 2 (one returned for TD)
Fumble recoveries: 1
TDs: 32 (28 rushing, three… pic.twitter.com/j4rjnQLB0L— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) August 17, 2026
The family feel extends to all the athletes and coaches at Marana because of the close ties generated by Sean Sr. and Monica.
“It’s very unfortunate,” junior running back/linebacker Jeffrey Smith III said about Sean Jr.’s accident. “It’s a sad situation. I’ve personally played with Sean since I was about eight years old, and it’s just like losing a part of football. Like, my first time playing football was with him, so it hurt and touched a lot of our hearts, everybody’s hearts.
“But we came together. We’re like, ‘You know what? Instead of folding and breaking through all the things we worked for this season, let’s do this for Sean.’ We’ve got a fire under us now. We have something to work for.”
Senior slot receiver Ruben Navarro has increased responsibilities with Sean Jr. out with more passes coming his way and also with having to be more of a leader as a senior.
“I just know that there’s the bright side of everything,” Navarro said. “Like, not all bad things happen to good people. Sean’s gonna make it through. So just staying positive throughout everything and just having a good mindset.
“Just staying focused and just trying to work on Week One (against Salpointe). Just try and cut out all distractions.”
.@MaranaFB senior slot receiver/DB @Rubennavarro_11 discusses the upcoming season for the Tigers, who have experienced a turbulent start with off-the-field developments but continue to be driven to build off three 10-win seasons in the last four years. pic.twitter.com/rGkLKwfWo0
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) August 17, 2026
The ordeal with Steward with his resignation and then deciding to rescind the resignation after meeting with Marana’s brass took the Tigers from the lowest of lows one day to the highest of highs the next.
Evans-Gonzalez, Smith and Navarro spoke at Saturday’s Southern Arizona High School Football Media Day at Jet Sports Training. Steward was unable to attend.
Steward initially resigned over differences with Marana’s administration over the composition of his coaching staff, according to multiple sources.
“That whole week (was) crazy; It was a lot,” Evans-Gonzalez said. “We were down for a couple hours (after Steward resigned). We were like, ‘Wow, what are we gonna do? This is my senior season. What am I gonna do?’ I don’t have a head coach. I don’t know what’s gonna happen.’
“So it was just a lot for the team. But everybody was talking about like, ‘What are we gonna do?’ I tried to keep everybody okay. Like, ‘We’re gonna be good. Everything’s gonna be in place. God has us.'”
Smith said what happened with Steward was unsettling being that Steward is a “father figure to a lot of these kids.”
“He’s a player’s coach,” Smith added. “He’s there for the kids. He’s not there to just represent himself and all that. … I think it’s just the relationship he builds with everybody. He’s just a good man all around and a good coach.”
What happened with Steward initially resigning has left a mark on the team.
“It touched a lot of our hearts,” Smith said. “We’re definitely hurting, but I would say we came together and we knew that we’re not going to let that hold us back. We still put in a lot of work this off season, and we have a lot to prove. So I’m glad that in that make-or-break situation, that we came together and we’re able to work through all that and say what we had to say.
“I was happy (when Steward rescinded his resignation). I was like, ‘We’re back, but we still got that fire under us.’ That just like woke us up. Like, wow, something so big can be taken from us so fast. We’re not gonna take anything for granted no more. We’re nose to the ground. We’re ready.”
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