Paradise Honors, Sabino face off in 3A championship game in matchup of star QBs
With Paradise Honors High School being in Surprise and Sabino High School in Tucson, it’s rare that these two 3A football teams play each other. In fact, they’ve never played each before in the regular season or the postseason.
That will change this Saturday when they meet at Mountain Pointe High School in the 3A state championship game at 6 p.m. But, it’s actually a rematch, of sorts.
Wait, what?
These two teams faced each other this summer in a scrimmage on Aug. 9. Although it didn’t count as an official game, it turns out, that was a preview of the state final. No. 3-seeded Paradise Honors coach Josh Goodloe knew that if his team wanted to win a state title, it would most likely have to go through Sabino, the No. 4 seed.
“We both wanted to scrimmage quality opponents,” Goodloe said. “We set it up so we could scrimmage each other. And when the AIA switched everything up, we couldn’t scrimmage a 4A team — usually in the past we would try to scrimmage up. We had to go to find a team down in 3A that’s always been toward the top. That’s why I reached out to Sabino.”
It’s the second year the two teams have met in a scrimmage.
“It’s relatively new,” Sabino coach Ryan McBrayer said. “We looked at the teams who are going to be competing for a gold ball there in the end, and they were one of them. Luckily, Coach Goodloe and his staff got the guys together and we made it happen. We try to scrimmage best available, and those guys were high on the list. Now we’re seeing them at the beginning and the very end – full circle season.”
During preseason scrimmages, teams get 10 plays per drive and there is no score kept. But Goodloe and McBrayer were still able to gather some valuable information on their teams.
A lot has changed since then.
There’s no other way to put it: Paradise Honors quarterback Gage Baker has put together one of the most prolific seasons ever from a high school quarterback in the history of the United States. Baker, with 5,523 yards and 84 touchdowns on 76 percent passing, is aiming for the national high school record for most touchdowns in a single season (91) on Saturday.
More: How Paradise Honors quarterback Gage Baker can make national history in 3A football final
The offense is undeniably a funnel for passing as the team only has 526 rushing yards on the season. But when you have someone like Baker under center, why take the ball out his hands?
On the outside, a pair of seniors have wrecked havoc on opposing secondaries. In the slot, Isaiah Thomas — who converted from running back in the third quarter of the second of the game of the season — leads the team in receiving yards with 1,623 to go along with 89 receptions and 26 touchdowns. Josh Morales is the state leader in receiving touchdowns at 27 and also has 1,553 yards on 81 receptions.
It’s a pick-your-posion type of deal for defensive coordinators. Go after one, the other one goes off. And even if you manage to contain the two of them, that leaves senior Coleman Buckhart, who has grabbed 15 touchdowns this season, with favorable coverages.
“He (Thomas) gives us that speed from the slot that we were missing,” Goodloe said. “Josh has been great. He’s started all four years on varsity for me. He’s a possession guy, runs great routes, finds a way to get open. And he knows the offense inside and out.”
The school is searching for its first-ever state title in any sport, Goodloe said. The boys basketball team played in the 2020 state final against Phoenix Saint Mary’s, but that’s the only championship appearance for Paradise Honors — which was established in 2008. The city of Surprise is buzzing too. It’s not often a school from the Dysart district makes it this far.
But, maybe for the first time this season, Paradise Honors will be facing off against a quarterback that can rival Gage’s prowess. That’s because Sabino senior Cameron Hackworth also is one of the best passers in the state.
Hackworth is third overall in Arizona for most passing yards with 3,755. He has 38 touchdowns through the air. But he presents a threat running too as he has 845 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. There’s not many signal-callers who can do it both ways like Hackworth.
“I wouldn’t trade Cam for anybody in the state of Arizona with what he’s meant to this program coming in as a freshman and then starting every game from his sophomore year on,” McBrayer said. “He’s a true dual-threat quarterback. Can run, can throw. Goes in, and locks down receivers as a DB (defensive back). He’s returning punts and kicks for us. The guy is a freak athlete. We’re very excited to have the ball in his very capable hands. He’s a threat to score wherever he’s at.”
While the distribution for the Sabino offense is a little more spread than Paradise Honors, junior wide receiver Shamar Berryhill has stood out so far. Berryhill leads the team with 72 receptions for 1,315 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Sabino, which has a tradition of winning with three state titles in the 1990s under Jeff Scurran and nine total appearances in the championship game, is playing in its first final since 2016.
“It’s very exciting,” McBrayer said. “There’s a very rich history here at Sabino High School, highlighted by a lot of state championship appearances and a lot of state championship wins, national recognition, NFL players, high D-I college players all over the place. Guys who are playing college right now are coming back to watch our guys compete. It’s a very energized feeling around Sabino and the east side of Tucson. Football sets the tone here for all of the school year. It’s been a solid start. It would be a real boost to our school to hopefully bring a gold ball home.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Paradise Honors, Sabino to face off in 3A championship game
