With Arizona high school football season in full swing, the Star shares our weekly look back at the best of last week while charging ahead toward what we might be able to expect from programs across Tucson and surrounding communities this week.
Team of the Week
Marana High School has been through enough hardship and tragedy over the past month and a half to last multiple school years. Desperately seeking just a bit of happiness, the Tigers pulled out a clutch win over Yuma Catholic on Homecoming night for their first victory of the season.
Play of the Week
On two separate occasions, Marana senior wide receiver Jaxsun Sharp has broken Yuma Catholic hearts with a clutch touchdown catch in the final minute. The first was a go-ahead touchdown with 30 seconds remaining in the second round of the 5A Playoffs last season.
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On Friday against the Shamrocks, down 38-32, Sharp connected with sophomore quarterback Isaac Flores on fourth-and-2 from the 8-yard line with 16 seconds remaining. Sharp broke out to the right and found the ball, which the quarterback perfectly dropped in the bucket. Sharp leapt through the air to make the catch, scraping against teammate Jeffrey Smith III to break his momentum, before narrowly sticking his right leg in the paint for the touchdown. The ensuing PAT gave Marana a 39-38 win.
Marana's Jaxsun Sharp pulls up short and skips around Yuma Catholic's Jaden Johnson after a catch in the first quarter of their game on Sept. 11, 2026. Marana won 39-38.
Stat book
Tucson High junior Ezra Spivey made a name for himself over the past two seasons for his ball-hawking ability as a defensive back, recording seven interceptions as a freshman and five as a sophomore. However, on Thursday against Walden Grove, it was his offensive output that widened eyes.
Spivey recorded six catches for 170 yards and three touchdowns, all in spectacular fashion. The junior regularly flirted with securing his catches out of bounds, but managed to stick a foot in the paint every time.
Spivey is currently third in the 5A conference in receiving yards and seventh among juniors.
Mac’s Friday Fact
Sticking with receiving yards, Pueblo junior Jesus Enriquez currently leads Arizona in the statistic, recording 20 catches for 460 yards and eight touchdowns. Nearly half of Enriquez’s production came on Friday in the Warriors’ 56-7 drubbing of Douglas, as the wideout recorded five catches for 208 yards and four touchdowns.
Mica Mountain's head coach Jay Campos watches over the Thunderbolts as they get ready to face Canyon del Oro at home on Sept. 4, 2026.
Quotable
“There was a lot of emotion coming into this game. Last year, we went up to ALA - West Foothills and lost for the first time in a while, so the guys wanted to come out and put our best foot forward tonight. I thought we did a really good job, especially early in the game. We controlled the line of scrimmage and took pretty good control of the game.” - Mica Mountain head coach Jay Campos to AllSportsTucson.com regarding the Thunderbolts’ 49-21 win over the Guardians at home on Friday.
Mac is the Arizona Daily Star's Community Sports Reporter. Reach him via email at mfriday@tucson.com
Mac Friday
Community Sports Reporter
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