Marana earned its first win of the year in a 39-38 shootout over Yuma Catholic on Homecoming night at Tiger Stadium Friday night.
The win was much needed after Marana started 0-2 following season-ending injuries suffered by star receiver Sean Roebuck Jr. The school is also dealing with the tragic news of one of its students found deceased on campus this week.
All of this made Homecoming have a different feel, but a win helped the Tigers and their school.
“It was amazing for our team. I think this is going to set us up for a lot of success,” senior receiver Jaxsun Sharp said about the win.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Shamrocks (1-2) added a field goal, extending their lead to six.
Both teams exchanged fumbles early in the fourth quarter. Marana would be the one to capitalize on the turnover. Smith III ran in for his third touchdown of the night from one yard out. The two-point attempt was no good.
Yuma Catholic drove down the field and answered the game-tying touchdown with one of their own. Stallworth found the end zone again on a 2-yard run. The extra point was blocked, leaving the Shamrocks with a 38-32 lead with over two and a half minutes left.
On the final drive, huge plays from Marana’s playmakers Howell and Jeffrey Smith III helped the Tigers get all the way down to Yuma Catholic’s 6-yard line.
With 16 seconds to go on fourth down, Isaac Flores threw it up, and Sharp made a toe-tapping grab to tie the game at 38 with 11.6 seconds left. Jacob Cards made the all-important PAT to put the Tigers ahead.
“We call him ‘Big Play Jaxsun ’; he’s always making big plays for us,” Marana coach Phillip Steward said about Sharp. “When the game was on the line, I didn’t hesitate.”
“That was a good team, a playoff team, and to go to the playoffs we got to beat teams like that.”
The Tigers got the best of the Shamrocks in both of their matchups last season. Winning 47-14 in the regular season and 34-27 in the 5A playoffs. The evenly-matched teams continued their series with Marana managing to go 3-0 against a quality program in a span of a year.
Marana junior Tyler Conkey came up with an interception for the Shamrocks on the first drive.
A few plays later, Conkey caught a 14-yard pass in the flats from senior Scott Reese for a Yuma Catholic touchdown. The extra point was no good.
The Tigers marched down the field on their second drive thanks to two big chunk plays from Sharp. Smith, a junior, capped the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run, putting Marana up 7-6.
Yuma Catholic took the lead right back from Marana with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Reese to senior Kruz Hancock.
The Shamrocks added on to their lead with a field goal, going up 16-7 entering the second quarter.
In the early minutes of the second quarter, Smith rushed in for his second touchdown of the night from 2 yards out. The extra point was no good.
Yuma Catholic started to take control of the game.
Scoring another touchdown, this time an 8-yard run from junior Levi Stallworth, gave them a 10-point lead. The Shamrocks also came up with their second interception of the night, this time by sophomore Colton Rush.
The Shamrocks couldn’t capitalize, turning the ball over on downs, keeping the score 23-13 going into the half.
After trading punts to start the third quarter, Marana woke up.
First, it was senior Jesse Howell catching a 44-yard pass from Flores, a sophomore, for the touchdown. Junior Carter Meyer joined in on the fun, snagging the ball and running it back for a pick-6. The two-point attempt was no good, giving Marana its first lead since the first quarter.
“I think the coaching staff did a really good job, seeing what they’d seen in the first half and made some really good adjustments,” Steward said about the turnaround in the second half.
Yuma Catholic answered right back with an 11-yard touchdown run to junior Jaden Johnson, swinging the lead back to the Shamrocks to start the fourth.
What’s Next?
Marana will open region play at Canyon del Oro (2-1). The Tigers handled the Dorados 24-3 last year.
“It’s going to be fun. They’re going to be coming; we got a target on our back,” Sharp said. “I think we’re still the big dogs down here, to be honest with you.”
Sharp referred to Marana being the team to beat in the 5A Sonoran region, looking to win it five consecutive years.
Yuma Catholic aims to get its first home win of the season against Buckeye Verrado.
Both games kick off at 7:00 p.m. Friday.
Recommended for you
