Photos: Sabino outguns Paradise Honors 68-46, wins Arizona 3A high school football championship
The Sabino High School Sabercats came out on top in a track meet with the Surprise Paradise Honors Panthers to win the Arizona Class 3A state championship 68-46 at Mountain Pointe High School, Phoenix, Ariz., Nov. 25, 2023.
Sabino becomes the first team from Tucson or surrounding areas since Pusch Ridge Christian Academy in 2015 to win an Arizona state high school football championship.
Sabino offensive coordinator Sly Lewis hugs Devon Waxwood (12) as the Sabercats celebrate their 3A State Championship win, 68-46 against Paradise Honors at Mountain Pointe High School, Phoenix, Ariz., November 25, 2023.
Sabino High School football coach Ryan McBrayer holds up the Class 3A state championship trophy for his Sabercats after they defeated Surprise Paradise Honors 68-46, earning the first football title by a Southern Arizona school since 2015.
Sabino's Devon Waxwood (12) manages to trip up Paradise Honors' Coleman Burkhart (5) after his catch in the third quarter of the state 3A championship at Mountain Pointe High School, Phoenix, Ariz., November 25, 2023.
Sabino’s Mason Cade (8) outruns Paradise Honors’ Cougar Holt (9) on his way to the end zone in the third quarter of Saturday’s Class 3A state championship game at Phoenix’s Mountain Pointe High School. Cade finished the game 371 yards and five touchdowns on 23 carries in the high-scoring final.
Sabino's Romeo Berryhill (27) dumps Paradise Honors' Cougar Holt (9) in the state 3A championship at Mountain Pointe High School, Phoenix, Ariz., November 25, 2023.
Sabino's Shamar Berryhill (4) holds on trying to slow down Paradise Honors' Anthony Andrew Paredes (32) in the third quarter of the state 3A championship at Mountain Pointe High School, Phoenix, Ariz., November 25, 2023.
Sabino's Kyle Coleman (88) flushes against Paradise Honors' Gage Baker (12) out of the pocket in the state 3A championship at Mountain Pointe High School, Phoenix, Ariz., November 25, 2023.
Sabino's head coach Ryan McBrayer tries to get Zachary Binford-Wiggins (46) to cool down after a series of penalties in their game against Paradise Honors in the state 3A championship at Mountain Pointe High School, Phoenix, Ariz., November 25, 2023.
Sabino's Romeo Berryhill (27), top, and Zachary Binford-Wiggins (46) trip up Paradise Honors' Gage Baker (12) in the fourth quarter of the state 3A championship at Mountain Pointe High School, Phoenix, Ariz., November 25, 2023.
Paradise Honors' Garrison Ast (14) can’t reach the ball, losing a scoring opportunity in the fourth quarter of the state 3A championship game against Sabino at Mountain Pointe High School, Phoenix, Ariz., November 25, 2023.
Sabino's Mason Cade (8) blows by Paradise Honors' Cougar Holt (9) picking up a vital first down in the fourth quarter of the state 3A championship at Mountain Pointe High School, Phoenix, Ariz., November 25, 2023.
Sabino's Savaughn Berryhill (6) sprawls over the line in front of Paradise Honors' Ethan Leach (42) for a touchdown catch in the fourth quarter of the state 3A championship at Mountain Pointe High School, Phoenix, Ariz., November 25, 2023.
Paradise Honors' Cougar Holt (9) gets enough of a seam to make the catch in front of Sabino's Max Trainer (9) in the fourth quarter of the state 3A championship at Mountain Pointe High School, Phoenix, Ariz., November 25, 2023.
Sabino's Zachary Binford-Wiggins (46) gets pulled up short by his shirt against Paradise Honors in the fourth quarter of the state 3A championship at Mountain Pointe High School, Phoenix, Ariz., November 25, 2023.
Sabino's Devon Waxwood (12), left, and Cameron Hackworth (1) celebrate the win against Paradise Honors in the quarter of the state 3A championship at Mountain Pointe High School, Phoenix, Ariz., November 25, 2023.
Sabino head coach Ryan McBrayer gets doused in the final minute of the Sabercats win over Paradise Honors in the Arizona Class 3A championship game Saturday at Mountain Pointe High School in Phoenix. The football championship is the fourth all-time for Sabino, but first since 1998.
Kelly Presnell
Photojournalist
High school football: Sabino's wins 3A state crown, the 1st for any Tucson-area school in 8 yearsMason Cade ran for 371 yards and five touchdowns Saturday to help propel Sabino to a 68-46 win over Surprise Paradise Honors for its first high school football state championship since 1998. It is the first football title for any Tucson-area school since 2015.
The Arizona high school football season comes to a close this weekend, and for teams from Southern Arizona, just one game remains — Canyon del Oro in the Class 4A state championship, a week after Sabino won the 3A crown.