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 quarterback Cameron Hackworth.
Name: Cameron Hackworth
Rundown: The 5-foot-9-inch, 160-pound Hackworth will start at quarterback as a Sabino sophomore.
Who he is: Hackworth first started playing football at age 6. Initially, he figured wide receiver or running back would be in his future.
Hackworth shifted to quarterback at age 9, “and then I just started to take it seriously,” he said.
“I just like how you control everything and the ball is always in your hands. You’re a key part to the team, but the pressure is always on you,” he said.
Hackworth played in two games as a Sabino freshman, going 4 for 5 for 32 yards and one interception.
Now a sophomore, Hackworth is expected to be one of the top prospects in Southern Arizona. The dual-threat Hackworth, who patterns his game after Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson, will lead a Sabino team looking to build on a truncated 2020 season and make a push for the Class 3A state championship.
“I can throw the ball wherever you want me to, run the ball and I’m just overall a leader to the team,” he said.
Sabino also returns running backs David Cordova and Kenny Blackman along with wide receivers Derek Sanchez, Salpointe Catholic transfer Kam Gambrell and Savaughn Berryhill, who has been teammates with Hackworth since they were members of the Southwest Rams.
“That connection has always been there, so we’re just going to go out there and show what we can do,” Hackworth said.
If all goes to plan, Hackworth and the Sabercats could be headed for a memorable season.
“I think we have a really good shot at winning a state championship,” Hackworth said. “I look to my left and I look to my right, we have a lot of talent all around and I can depend on each one of them to make a play. Even going down to the offensive linemen — those guys are dogs and I know they’re going to protect me. Our relationship is good and I have a lot of trust in every person on our team.”
Proof he’s good: Hackworth would’ve been the starting quarterback during the pandemic-affected season if not for senior AJ Skaggs. Skaggs finished his Sabino career with 4,553 yards and 50 touchdowns, completing 64% of his passes.
Hackworth studied under Skaggs and learned Sabino’s offense.
“There were some places where Cam’s athletic ability and natural talent might’ve led him to play as a freshman. Lucky for us at Sabino, we had (Skaggs) who was not only talented as a quarterback, but a very good mentor and leader and the exact person you want to grow under,” said Sabino coach Ryan McBrayer. “While AJ had complete command of the offense, Cam took a step back and embraced the role of learning. He was asking questions and doing everything right instead of complaining about playing time.”
McBrayer added: “As much as he has the physical tools, he has the mental ability to grasp everything. We felt the confidence he was ready to lead an offense on Friday nights. The mental game was one thing he was able to show and he’s wise beyond his years. Now as a sophomore, he’s ready for it all.”
Hackworth credited Skaggs for teaching him how to be a “good leader.”
“He took me under his wing, taught me all the plays and showed me what to do if things get out of line,” Hackworth said. “What I learned the most is how to be a leader. Just to be the first one to practice and the last to leave.”
Hackworth recently took an unofficial visit to the University of Arizona and attended the Wildcats’ football camp. He has yet to be offered a scholarship.
He said it: “He’s got a very high ceiling as far as what he can do on a football field on Friday nights. Athletically, there’s not many guys that compare to him. If he wasn’t playing quarterback, he might be playing safety or receiver or cornerback — or any other position, so he could start as a sophomore. So he’s got all the physical tools to be breaking records. It’s going to be what box does he fit, when getting those D-I, Power 5 offers at the end of this. But he’s got the physical tools to play at the next level.” — McBrayer
