Sure, Sabino’s victory Friday over the top-ranked high school football team in Arizona’s Class 3A conference was a big one in and of itself.
But it’s what the win meant for the Sabercats’ playoff positioning that makes it that much more impactful — and not just in Tucson.
By way of a 34-29 home win over No. 1 Bullhead City Mohave on Friday night, Sabino was rewarded with the No. 4 position when the Arizona Interscholastic Association announced its bracket for the upcoming 3A state tackle football tournaments Saturday morning.
The Sabercats (7-3) entered the game ranked seventh, meaning it was conceivable they could have dropped lower than eighth with a loss; such an outcome would have most likely meant, barring upsets ahead of them, an entire playoff run on the road.
Instead, Sabino will host its first 2023 state playoff game this coming Friday at 7 p.m. against No. 13 Mohave Valley River Valley. Win then, and the Sabercats will be home for a second playoff game the following week.
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A record-setter at quarterback, and a key component of Sabino defense, too, Cameron Hackworth (1) leaps in to intercept a pass in the red zone intended for Mohave's Nathaniel Villarreal (4) in the fourth quarter Friday night. Sabino was nursing to a lead that it managed to keep hold of, winning 34-29 over the Thunderbirds.
It’s hardly been a perfect season for Sabino; two of the Sabercats’ three losses came over the past four weeks. But none of that would matter if Friday’s win propels the Sabercats to where they may have seen themselves — and others surely have seen them — all along.
Prior to the start of the 2023 season, the Arizona Republic penciled Sabino as its pick to win the 3A title. Coach Ryan McBrayer eluded before the season that competing for a title was part of the conversation.
“There are expectations of them, and they hear those expectations at practice. They hear the expectations in the classroom. They hear the expectations in the weight room, McBrayer told Star columnist Michael Lev back in August. “It’s not just, ‘Let’s roll the ball out and hope for the best.’ We expect them to show up, we expect them to put in work, we expect them to make plays.”
Sabino isn’t alone among Tucson-area teams in the 3A tournament. Pusch Ridge Christian Academy (7-3) secured a first-round home game as the eighth seed. The Lions will welcome Lakeside Blue Ridge to Oro Valley on Friday night at 7.
Sabino’s Shamar Berryhill (4) tiptoes down the line to pick up a couple of extra yards after a sideline catch against Mohave in their matchup Friday at Sabino High School.
Even in losing for the first time in 2023, Mohave (9-1) is still the No. 1 seed for the upcoming 3A tournament.
The 2A bracket was also released Saturday, with one Tucson-area program — seventh-seeded Tanque Verde — getting a nod, and a first-round home game, by way of the Hawks’ 8-2 overall record. Tanque Verde will host No. 10 Parker Friday at 7 p.m. in the playoff opener. The Hawks have now gone eight consecutive games of allowing eight or fewer points to their opponents. That included a 24-6 win Friday at Benson.
Pima (10-0) is the 2A’s top seed, while No. 10 Tombstone (8-2) and No. 14 Willcox are also in as representatives of the Southeastern part of the state.
TOP: Sabino’s bench, including head coach Ryan McBrayer, right, exults after the Sabercats held firm on a Mohave fourth-and-goal attempt. The stop came while Sabino was clinging to a narrow lead in the final minutes of the fourth quarter of their eventual 34-29 win over Mohave Friday at Sabino High School. LEFT: A record-setter at quarterback, and a key component of Sabino defense, too, Cameron Hackworth (1) leaps in to intercept a pass in the red zone intended for Mohave’s Nathaniel Villarreal (4) in the fourth quarter Friday night. Sabino was nursing to a lead that it managed to keep hold of, winning 34-29 over the Thunderbirds.
Elsewhere among teams from Tucson and surrounding areas, the posteason picture at the 6A, 5A and 4A levels will be decided next week, in the final week of regular-season action across the state of Arizona. As for this past Friday, the rest of the local scores:
Class 6A
No. 10 Salpointe Catholic (8-1) 21, No. 11 Saguaro (4-5) 14
Class 5A
No. 19 Marana (4-5) 42, No. 12 Casa Grande (6-3) 9
No. 22 Cienega (5-4) 29, No. 27 Desert View (3-6) 22
No. 36 Maricopa (4-5) 21, No. 10 Ironwood Ridge (7-2) 14
No. 41 Flowing Wells (2-8) 42, No. 45 Nogales (0-9) 0
No. 14 Buena (7-2) 15, No. 20 Sunnyside (4-5) 14
No. 33 Tucson (4-5) 36, No. 24 Mountain View (5-4) 26
Class 4A
No. 27 Amphitheater (7-3) 47, No. 52 Sahuarita (2-7) 0
No. 2 Canyon del Oro (9-0) 42, No. 33 Sahuaro (2-7) 0
No. 35 Empire (5-4) 21, No. 39 Rio Rico (3-6) 14
No. 4 Mica Mountain (8-1) 21, No. 10 Walden Grove (6-3) 7
No. 25 Catalina Foothills (4-5) 14, No. 31 Pueblo (3-6) 13
No. 32 Douglas (5-4) 50, No. 48 Rincon/University (2-7) 7
Class 3A
No. 7 Sabino (7-3) 34, No. 1 Mohave (9-2) 29
No. 11 Pusch Ridge (7-3) 19, No. 14 Safford (4-6) 14
Class 2A
No. 7 Tanque Verde (8-2) 24, No. 24 Benson (4-6) 6
No. 14 Willcox (6-4) 52, No. 36 Catalina (3-7) 14
No. 12 Tombstone (8-2) 40, No. 37 Palo Verde (2-8) 7
Contact Star sports editor Brett Fera at bfera1@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @brettfera
Brett Fera
Sports Editor
