High schools countdown: Sabino running back Kenny Blackman 'can do it all'

Editor’s note: Over the next three weeks, the Star is counting down the top high school football players in Southern Arizona. Up today: Sabino running back Kenny Blackman.

Name: Kenny Blackman

Rundown: The 5-foot-9-inch, 170-pound Blackman will start at running back as a senior for Sabino.

Who he is: He wears jersey No. 6, but Blackman is the fourth Kenneth Blackman of his family tree.

If there’s one thing the Blackman family has in common, it’s their tireless passion for football. The youngest Blackman’s love for the sport started at age 7, when he first started playing football. He then played for multiple Tucson-area Pop Warner teams.

“I was raised in a football household,” Blackman said.

The COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the 2020 high school football season in Pima County after just two games, preventing Blackman from posting a breakout junior season with the Sabercats. In two games, Blackman rushed 13 times for 94 yards and three touchdowns and caught two passes for 64 yards.

Still, “I wouldn’t say last year was a good year for me,” he said. “I thought I played well, but of course there were a number of mistakes that I need to fix.”

The county’s decision to cancel the “rollercoaster” football season amid the height of the coronavirus pandemic didn’t come at a surprise, Blackman said. Tucson-area public schools didn’t begin their football seasons until October and were so delayed that most Southern Arizona teams couldn’t play enough games to qualify for the postseason. Sabino played two games, beating rival Sahuaro 27-23 and routing Empire 61-7.

“We didn’t think we were going to play for a long time,” Blackman said. “It was like, ‘Let’s go on the field, have fun and pray that we have a season.’ At the last second, we got a season and were ready to go, but we started way too late.”

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Blackman spent his offseason polishing his all-around skills as a running back. Sabino coach Ryan McBrayer expects Blackman to become a “security blanket” for sophomore quarterback Cameron Hackworth in the passing game.

“I don’t want to limit myself to just running the ball. I want to be ready for anything. It just makes the offense more potent,” Blackman said.

When Blackman isn’t playing football and attending school, he’s working 20 hours per week at Jack in the Box. He says the fast-food job provides “a glimpse of the real world.”

“You can’t make mistakes and not improve on them the next time without suffering consequences, or you can’t deliberately goof off or else it would cost you money,” Blackman said. “I really just gotta give it all to my parents. They’re always on me about working hard and always having a great work ethic. The schedule is hard, but I got to help out where I can, and I love football.”

Proof he’s good: Blackman began his high school career at Marana before transferring to Sabino for his sophomore year. Due to Arizona Interscholastic Association transfer rules, Blackman was forced to sit the first five games of the 2019 season. He cracked the starting lineup later in the 2019 season, and rushed 72 times for 356 yards and five touchdowns. He also contributed 118 receiving yards on eight catches.

“He took the spot, because of how much he immersed himself into the offense,” said McBrayer. “Physically, he was well-built, built like a rock at a young age and he’s held onto the job all the way through.”

Blackman patterns his game after New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara.

“I try to be as versatile as possible, be valuable in the pass game and valuable in the run game. I would describe myself like Alvin Kamara,” Blackman said. “I try to perfect my game, so I can be fast and powerful and the perfect running back.”

He said it: “Kenny is a guy who can do it all. He’s going to catch touchdowns, run touchdowns — heck, we’ll even see if he can throw touchdowns this year. He’s a workhorse running back and we’re excited to give him the ball, so he can have a spectacular senior season. … He’s an all-purpose back. He’s not a speed-burner or the Reggie Bush-highlight-make-all-these-jukes back. He’s a foot-in-the-ground, one-cut runner who gets down hill and he goes. We always compare guys, but Kenny Blackman is Kenny Blackman, and he just does his own thing.” — McBrayer