Editor’s note: Over the next 10 days, the Star is counting down the top high school football players in Tucson.
Up first: Sabino dual-threat quarterback Cameron Hackworth.
Name: Cameron Hackworth
Rundown: Hackworth is a 5-foot-9-inch, 160-pound junior quarterback at Sabino High School.
Who he is: Sabercats coach Ryan McBrayer what kind of quarterback he was getting when Hackworth enrolled in 2020.
As a quarterback for Tucson Youth Football’s Southwest Rams, Hackworth was a well-known player in the youth football scene in Arizona.
The freshman studied under star quarterback A.J. Skaggs as a Sabino freshman, then took over a sophomore. Hackworth led Sabino to an 8-3 record as a sophomore, passing for 2,174 yards and 26 touchdowns with just four interceptions. He also led the Sabercats in rushing with 737 yards and nine touchdowns.
“He had a ton of hype in youth football, winning all these championships. Any time you get a kid who has that kind of hype, you wonder how they’re going to be as a person when things get hard or if he has to take a backseat to somebody,” McBrayer said. “But he had a bunch of success and (then) he’s a sophomore having success before he can even drive (a car) — and he came back even hungrier than ever. … He’s not satisfied as a ‘super sophomore,’ he wants to push to the next level.”
Hackworth, who has studied NFL stars Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Aaron Rodgers in the last year, called last season “a very good learning experience.” He and the Sabercats will open the 2022 on Friday, when they host Coolidge.
“I got to see those Friday night lights for the first time, experience high school defenses, and it taught me a lot about facing opponents,” he said. “Watching film also helps, practicing during the week — overall, it was just a good learning experience, and it made me a better player for this year.”
Sabino qualified for last year’s Class 3A state playoffs as the No. 9 seed, then upset eighth-seeded Show Low 29-20 on the shoulders of Hackworth’s 200-yard, three-touchdown performance. American Leadership Academy-Gilbert North ended the Sabercats’ season a week later.
“We didn’t like the feeling we had when we lost that game, so we know we have to come back harder this year,” he said. “We can’t go into the playoffs thinking, ‘Oh, we had a great record, look at all these teams we beat, now we can slow it down.’ No, we have to keep the tempo up and keep going and prepare for the playoffs.’ … This year, we want that state title.”
Proof he’s good: Hackworth’s statistics pop, but his ability to read defenses, time throws to wide receivers and adjust on the fly make him one of the top performers in the city.
“He’s got all the athletic talent in the world. He can put balls in spots that not many guys can do,” McBrayer said. “But what really sets him apart is the mental game.
“Explaining to a 16-year-old why we’re throwing the ball to different spots, where we want the defense to be, and instead of just running plays, he’s done a good job of setting up his receivers and running backs and linemen to be successful, because he knows when a play is supposed to hit and how it’s designed to hit.”
Hackworth says the team goal is to win a state championship; personal goals are to pass for over 4,000 yards and rush for over 1,000.
Sabino quarterback Cameron Hackworth passed for 2,174 yards and 26 touchdowns as a sophomore while leading the Sabercats with 737 yards and nine scores on the ground.
He said it: “He’s able to do what coaches dream of. We draw up a play and when things break down or go wrong or get messed up, he’s able to take a negative play and turn it into a positive play. He makes us look smart, which I appreciate a ton. He makes things happen that a normal athlete wouldn’t be able to. He takes what works on paper, and adds another dimension to it, which makes him special.” — McBrayer
