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 wide receiver Savaughn Berryhill.
Name: Savaughn Berryhill
Rundown: The 6-foot, 190-pound Berryhill will start at wide receiver for Sabino.
Who he is: Tucson-area football fans of all levels have probably heard the Berryhill name a time or two — or 11, which represents the number of siblings in the Berryhill household.
Stanley Berryhill, a former Tucson Falcon and Mountain View High School standout, led the Arizona Wildcats in receiving in 2020.
His younger brother, Savaughn, is blossoming into one of the top wide receiver prospects in Tucson’s 2024 recruiting class.
After finishing his youth football career with the Southwest Rams, Berryhill entered his freshman season at Sabino with hopes of making the varsity roster.
Savaughn relied on Stanley to improve his football skills before practices began. The two would often run the trail that wraps Reid Park and the Randolph golf complex, with the goal of finishing as fast as they could without stopping. When the younger Berryhill first started the Reid Park runs, he finished in 27 minutes. With Stanley’s help, Savaughn has since shaved six minutes off the total.
“He would always push me to run the whole thing and then the on the last stretch, he would always want me to sprint it and then he would sprint it with me,” Savaughn Berryhill said. “He’s always trying to push us to be better and he was always a big role model — and still to this day he is.”
Competition is the Berryhill family’s way.
“My siblings always make me better as a player, because they always think they’re better than me,” Berryhill said. “They all push me to be better.”
Berryhill emerged as a freshman playmaker for Sabino, which is “pretty rare for a freshman,” Sabercats coach Ryan McBrayer said.
Of course, there were growing pains.
“He kind of came in and was shocked by our systems and signs and how we call plays,” McBrayer said. “But as soon as it clicked, he was able to let his physical tools to take over and was able to earn a starting spot as a freshman. That’s pretty damn impressive. The sky’s the limit for him as long as he continues to grow.”
Berryhill conceded that it took him “a few weeks to learn the plays, but once I got the plays down, I was able to go out, play to my full ability, full potential and make plays at practice.”
Berryhill caught four passes for 55 yards over two games before the season was canceled because of Pima County’s coronavirus concerns.
Now a sophomore at Sabino, Savaughn hopes to become the next big Berryhill to come out of the Tucson football scene. He also has a couple goals on his mind.
“Team goals is to win state.” he said. “Personal goals that I have: Not drop any balls this season.”
Proof he’s good: Berryhill took an unofficial visit to the UA two weeks ago, but doesn’t have a scholarship offer yet.
“It was cool, I really liked it,” he said. “I find it really cool, because looking at (Stanley) playing college football motivates me to do that. So, it’s definitely one of my dream schools. I’ve always wanted to play at the U of A, so hopefully I can make that dream come true.”
He said it: “He’s got all the tools necessary to be an elite receiver. ... He’s a big, physical outside wide receiver. As he builds his body up, he could be an inline guy as far as being spread out as a (halfback) or even a tight end. But he’s got fantastic hands and just goes up and gets everything. He’s a special kid and he’ll be all right.” — McBrayer
