The state record-holder for all-time receptions in Arizona high school football history belongs to Marana star wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck, who set the record in the Tigers鈥 36-28 statement win over Gilbert Higley last week.
Roebuck has 288 catches in four seasons, and the Tigers still have seven more regular season games left this year 鈥 and potentially a spot in the Open Division playoffs considering Marana is 3-0 with wins over Higley and Salpointe Catholic.
Becoming the all-time Arizona receptions leader is 鈥渢ruly a blessing,鈥 Roebuck said.

Salpointe鈥檚 Dinos Drossos stretches the jersey of Marana鈥檚 Sean Roebuck stoping him after a catch in the fourth quarter of their Aug. 30 game.
鈥淛ust to do it at a school I grew up at and went to all the games to watch my older cousins ball out here and me wishing I could play and break some records 鈥 and I did it, so it鈥檚 a blessing,鈥 added Roebuck, who is committed to play for former Arizona Wildcats head coach Jedd Fisch at Washington.
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Roebuck has 288 catches for 3,460 yards and 31 touchdowns touchdowns in his career at Marana. Following his 10-catch, 131-yard and two-touchdown performance against Higley, he is our high school football player of the week.
Roebuck spoke to 鈥淪pears and Ali鈥 on ESPN Tucson, which can be heard on and . Here鈥檚 part of that interview:
How do you make sure to keep everyone focused for the remainder of the season?
A: 鈥淥ur coach really harps on focusing on one game and going 1-0 every week. We know what we can do and how good our team is, so if we just go 1-0 every week, everything will play out for us.鈥

Salpointe鈥檚 Magnus Goodman gets enough fingers on the ball to keep Marana鈥檚 Dezmen Roebuck from hauling in a catch in the fourth quarter on Aug. 30.
What do you think wins over Salpointe Catholic and Higley showed?
A: 鈥淲e definitely showed that we can play with anybody in the state. We showed that we鈥檙e going to play until the last whistle for every game. The fight that we have, the connection that the team has, is great.鈥
What made Washington the school you want to play for?
A: 鈥淐oach (Jedd) Fisch and (wide receivers coach Kevin Cummings) recruited me as a freshman. I had a good connection with them over at Arizona and we just had a good connection all the way up to when they went to Washington. I took my visit and loved the campus, loved the fans, loved the team, the coaching staff and everything. It just felt like home.鈥
What was unique about the connection with Fisch and his coaching staff?
A: 鈥淭hem keeping in contact with me. Most of the other schools didn鈥檛 really harp on asking about my family is and how my day is going. Really, they just showed they care and want me to be on the football team.鈥
Have other schools contacted you about changing your commitment?
A: 鈥淚鈥檝e had a couple, but I feel like my mind is where I want to be. I want to be at Washington, so I鈥檓 good right now.鈥
Which NFL wide receiver do you emulate your game after?
A: 鈥淚 would definitely say Amon-Ra St. Brown. He鈥檚 a guy that I watch every Sunday. He kinda plays similarly to me. He鈥檚 a little bit bigger than me, but we both have a feel for the game and both have the mindset of, 鈥業f the ball is in the air, go up and get it.鈥欌

Last season, Canyon del Oro鈥檚 Elijah Unsworth (60) can鈥檛 drag down Marana鈥檚 Dezmen Roebuck on his punt return on Sept. 22, 2023.
What do you like to do outside of football?
A: 鈥淚鈥檓 a big fisherman guy, so I like to go fishing with my family whenever I can. I also recently just started getting into golf with my coaches and some of my friends. I like to do both of those.鈥
How did you start golfing?
A: 鈥淥ur quarterback, Colten Meyer, he鈥檚 been golfing since he was in middle school. One day, he was like, 鈥楲et鈥檚 go golfing with one of our coaches.鈥 We went, I had a blast and I was actually pretty good. Ever since then, we鈥檝e been going.鈥
What are your favorite golf courses in Tucson?
A: 鈥淲e go to Quarry Pines and Crooked Tree. Those are the only two I鈥檝e been to so far.鈥

Marana High School鈥檚 Dezmen Roebuck jumps for joy after making the game-icing interception on defense in the last seconds of the Tigers鈥 season-opening win over Salpointe Catholic on Aug. 30 in Marana.
If you could golf with any three people, dead or alive, who are they?
A: 鈥淭iger Woods, Kevin Hart and Shaquille O鈥橬eal.鈥
What kind of fishing are we talking about? Deep-sea fishing or catching fish at your local lake?
A: 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 really been to the ocean to fish. Ever since I was little, my dad and grandpa used to take me all the time and we used to fish for catfish. That鈥檚 what I still fish for. We go out to lakes or ponds around town or in Phoenix and catch fish.鈥
What鈥檚 the secret to catching fish?
A: 鈥淢y secret ingredient 鈥 well, it鈥檚 not really a secret ingredient, but you go to Walmart and there鈥檚 these garlic worms. Those work really good. I make my own bait at home: I cut up some hot dogs and put garlic juice on it and let it marinate for a couple of days. That works pretty good, too. I also use shrimp.鈥
Your younger sister, Malaysia Roebuck, is a standout for Marana鈥檚 girls flag football team and led the Tigers to a state championship appearance. How has it been watching the sport grow, and your sister thrive?
A: 鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely grown a lot in 大象APPand the world. It鈥檚 definitely a good thing for females to show they can play football, too. My sister is just a different breed. She grew up playing football with us. Since we were little, she played on the boys team. Everything she鈥檚 doing now, she鈥檚 been doing since she was a little kid. I鈥檓 just so proud of her for what she鈥檚 accomplished so far.鈥

Marana鈥檚 Malaysia Roebuck squirms her way into the backfield past Desert Ridge鈥檚 Ava Feral in the third quarter of their flag football game at Marana High School on Sept. 14.
What鈥檚 the scouting report on your sister? Any similarities to your game?
A: 鈥淪he鈥檚 a bigger, taller, faster receiver. If the ball is in the air, she鈥檚 going to come down with it. If she catches a slant, she can take it to the crib every time. Her speed, the way she catches the ball, the way she tracks the ball in the air sets her apart from every other girl in the state.鈥
Photos from Marana's 26-7 season-opening win in flag football on Sept. 14.
How would you describe the chemistry Marana football has right now during your three-win start?
A: 鈥淢ost of the kids on the team, more than 20 of them, we all grew up together playing football. We have a good connection and we all know that we don鈥檛 have to rely on somebody to do their job; they鈥檙e just going to do it. The coaching staff, they know what kind of players we are and what we bring to the table, so they have full trust in us and know we鈥檙e going to go out and make plays for them.鈥
Contact Justin Spears, the Star鈥檚 Arizona football beat reporter, at jspears@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @JustinESports