Balanced offense propels Sabino to first-round win over Queen Creek San Tan Foothills

“He’s back!”

That’s what several Sabino players shouted when quarterback Cameron Hackworth threw his first touchdown of the seventh-seeded Sabercats’ 49-23 first-round win over No. 10 seed Queen Creek San Tan Foothills in the Class 3A playoffs on Friday.

Hackworth, who was held out of last week’s regular-season finale against Benson with a collarbone injury, completed 17 of 22 passes for 249 yards and three scores. The Sabercats put up 578 yards of total offense.

“He’s getting back into the groove of it. We just gotta keep him upright,” Sabino coach Ryan McBrayer said of Hackworth. “He made some smart decisions, but it’s definitely a good sign to see No. 1 back in our backfield.”

Hackworth was installed into the offense on Sabino’s second drive of the night, after Leaf Moylan, a defensive lineman transfer from Philadelphia, started the game under center. Sabino junior running back Mason Cade had 41 rushing yards on the opening drive, setting up senior tail back Andres Baca for a 3-yard touchdown on fourth down.

Sabino rushed for 329 yards as a team, averaging a stunning 12.9 yards per carry. Cade finished with 10 carries for 213 yards and two scores. Baca added 90 yards on nine carries.

After forcing San Tan Foothills to punt, Sabino inserted Hackworth, where he connected with Arizona Wildcats target Shamar Berryhill for a 44-yard touchdown pass to take a 14-0 lead. Berryhill finished with a team-high five catches for 103 yards and two scores.

“It felt good. That was a confidence-builder,” Hackworth said of the first score. “I’ve got a lot of confidence, but when you go out and do that, it feels like you’re back and ready to go.”

San Tan Foothills responded with a 19-yard touchdown to tight end Elijah Fields, but that would be the only score of the first half for the Sabercats from Pinal County.

On Sabino’s following possession, Cade bulldozed his way through a host of San Tan Foothills defenders and broke off for a 54-yard, Marshawn Lynch-esque touchdown. Cade ended the first quarter with a 58-yard run, and Hackworth threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Brit Roberson to move ahead 28-7.

“Our defense was also getting takeaways and doing their job. They got us some big-time stops and that’s what ultimately does it. They get stops and we just go out and score,” Hackworth said.

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Sabino recovered the ensuing kickoff and went into the halftime break 35-7 after Hackworth’s final touchdown pass of the night. Cade and Baca each scored a rushing touchdown in the third quarter to seal the Sabercats’ win.

“If you look at Mason, he’s a powerhouse. ... We’re excited when we get Mason — No. 8 — and Baca — No. 2 — in the same backfield. It’s a very dangerous combo,” McBrayer said. “If you look back on Baca and Mason’s film, there’s a lot of missed tackles and those guys make it happen.”

No. 7 Sabino (8-3) will now travel to Mesa next Friday at 7 p.m. for a quarterfinal game against second-seeded Eastmark (10-1), which routed the Sabercats 56-19 last month.

“We played them during fall break and we were out school and things were out of the ordinary, so we’re ready to throw our hat in the ring,” McBrayer said.

“Eastmark is a very, very good team and it’s going to take a lot of things to go right for us and 100% effort. They’re up for the challenge and there’s a lot of guys who wish they had an opportunity to go to the second round. These guys took care of business tonight, so we’re going to enjoy this one, but we got a really good Eastmark team coming up.”

Tanque Verde coach Dobyns resigns

Jay Dobyns, the former Arizona Wildcats standout and undercover agent who reinvented himself as a successful high school football coach, has resigned his post at Tanque Verde High School.

Dobyns tweeted a lengthy statement on Saturday saying that he’s “advised those who are part of the TV program of my decision.” The Hawks’ season ended Friday night with a 32-0 loss to Morenci in the first round of the 2A state playoffs.

Dobyns went 15-9 over three seasons at Tanque Verde following a lengthy stint as a Salpointe Catholic assistant. His first Tanque Verde team went 3-0 during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

“It has been wonderful coaching youth and high school sports in Tucson for 25+ years,” Dobyns tweeted. “Much of the ‘wonderfulness’ I’ve enjoyed is due to all the people who touched my life in so many positive ways.”

Dobyns went on to thank Salpointe, where he coached before moving to Tanque Verde; his opponents; and media members.

“You have all made my life better every day you were in it,” he said. “The wins, losses, ups and downs will fade over time. It is the relationships that will last.”