Editor’s note: The Star is counting down the top high school football players in Tucson. Up next: Sabino wide receivers Savaughn Berryhill and Shamar Berryhill.
Names: Savaughn Berryhill and Shamar Berryhill
Rundown: Savaughn Berryill is a 6-foot, 180-pound junior wide receiver and safety; His brother Shamar is a 6-foot, 180-pound sophomore wide receiver and linebacker.
Who they are: Two of five Berryhill brothers, Savaughn and Shamar “grew up around sports,” Shamar said. “It’s always been a great household. We’ve always been in competition and we just make ourselves better all the time.”
The oldest Berryhill brother, Stanley Berryhill III, was a Mountain View High School and UA standout who’s now in training camp with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted rookie.
Seeing Stanley shine “makes you want to work harder, because you see your brother be where you want to be, and I just want to follow in his footsteps, so it’s really cool,” Savaughn Berryhill said.
Shamar and Savaughn Berryhill compete against each other at practice, in the weight room and sometimes during games.
“They’re both talented kids and they play the same positions in the highlighted offense, so there’s some internal and external competition: ‘If my brother is going to get 100 yards, then how can I go for 110? Or how can I one-up him?’” Sabino coach Ryan McBrayer said. “They’re pushing each other hard every day at practice, and our other receivers see that, our running backs see that, and our offensive linemen are excited to see guys break tackles. … Obviously having older brother Stan make it and having a shot in the NFL, that’s who they are competing with. When you have athletes who are talented, but now they have the work ethic, now it becomes special.”
The Berryhill brothers showed Friday why they’re expected to be two of the city’s top pass-catchers this season.
Starting together for the first time since their youth football days, Shamar and Savaughn Berryhill combined for five catches for 144 yards and a touchdown in Sabino’s 42-20, season-opening win over Coolidge.
Shamar was named Arizona Bowl Player of the Game.
With two Berryhills now a part of the offense, Sabino star quarterback Cameron Hackworth, who was No. 10 on the Star’s top players countdown, has options. Sabino is hopeful the two brothers will lead to more touchdowns — and wins.
“We’re both going to be open,” Shamar Berryhill said. “It’s just a matter of who he’s going to throw the ball to.”
Proof they’re good: Shamar Berryhill caught the attention of UA wide receivers coach Kevin Cummings when Sabino participated in a team camp this summer.
The Sabercats shined in a 7-on-7 tournament the following day, beating powerhouse Chandler Hamilton. Shamar Berryhill caught three touchdowns, including the game-winning score.
It wasn’t longer before he had a scholarship offer form UA coach Jedd Fisch.
“It’s a dream come true,” Shamar said. “I grew up watching Arizona, and even though they haven’t really been winning, (so) getting an offer from my dream school is a blessing.”
Said McBrayer: “Any time you get a guy with an opportunity to go to college and have it paid for, that’s what it’s all about.
“That’s why we do the 7-on-7 camps and the circuits with our big men. We try to push them all over the place,” McBrayer added. “We go to Phoenix, NAU, Arizona — just to get in front of these coaches. When it pays off and some kid has the opportunity to achieve their dream, it’s pretty special. … I think Savaughn is about to explode onto the scene.
“Even though he’s been starting for us since his freshman year, he’s turned into a No. 1 legit dude at wide receiver. While Shamar got his first U of A offer, I think a lot of stuff is coming for Savaughn after this junior season.”
He said it: “They’re just super intelligent with their routes. They know how to get open. You can take a route tree, and they’re able to diagnose what coverages are and say, ‘OK, if I run this dig route or a 10-yard out (route), this is how I stem a defender and create another window that maybe another receiver wouldn’t have had.’ That ability to diagnose, find space and make it easier for a quarterback, I know Cam loves it, and I love seeing them get open. It’s a pretty big blessing.” — McBrayer
Photos: Sabino opens high school football season with 42-20 win over Coolidge
Coolidge's Guage Froman (33) tries to drag down Sabino's Caleb Matlock (27) after Matlock picked off a pass late in the fourth quarter, sealing a 42-20 Sabercat win in their high school football game at Sabino High School, Tucson, Ariz., August 19, 2022.
Sabino's Dominik Wayne-Parsons (9) jumps in front of a Coolidge receiver to knock down a pass on fourth and goal and prevent a score in the first quarter of their high school football game at Sabino High School, Tucson, Ariz., August 19, 2022.
Sabino's Shamar Berryhill (4) heads for the end zone after picking off a Coolidge pass in the fourth quarter of their high school football game at Sabino High School, Tucson, Ariz., August 19, 2022.
Sabino's Savaughn Berryhill (6) drags down a reception despite Coolidge's Belclem Namegabe (4) are in the way on a pass play early in the first quarter of their high school football game at Sabino High School, Tucson, Ariz., August 19, 2022.
Sabino's Andres Baca (2) slams into Coolidge's Jalil Bishop (7) on a sweep in the first quarter of their high school football game at Sabino High School, Tucson, Ariz., August 19, 2022.
Sabino's Shamar Berryhill (4) bows his head after his catch-and-run gave the Sabercats the early lead over Coolidge in the first quarter of their high school football game at Sabino High School, Tucson, Ariz., August 19, 2022.
Sabino's Jack Skaggs (24) tracks down the Coolidge running back for a loss in the second quarter of their high school football game at Sabino High School, Tucson, Ariz., August 19, 2022.
Sabino's Jeremy Gigstad (81) is all alone deep behind the Coolidge defense for a catch-and-run score in the second quarter of their high school football game at Sabino High School, Tucson, Ariz., August 19, 2022.
Coolidge's Wanya Brookshire (25) breaks up a pass intended for Sabino's Shamar Berryhill in the second quarter of their high school football game at Sabino High School, Tucson, Ariz., August 19, 2022.
Sabino's head coach Ryan McBrayer tries to get his defense set against Coolidge on a two-point conversion attempt in the second quarter of their high school football game at Sabino High School, Tucson, Ariz., August 19, 2022.
Sabino's Cameron Hackworth (1) lunges for an extra yard and keeps the drive alive in the grip of Coolidge's Jalil Bishop (7) in their high school football game at Sabino High School, Tucson, Ariz., August 19, 2022.
Sabino fans in the student section, The Letterbox, grab a selfie during a lull in the action of the Sabercats game against Coolidge at Sabino High School, Tucson, Ariz., August 19, 2022.
