Sabino High School
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| Established | 1972 | |
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| Type of institution | Public | |
| Staff | General 9-12 | |
| Students | 1,297 | |
| Location | Tucson, Arizona, USA | |
| Colors | Purple and Gold | |
| Mascot | Sabercat | |
| Affiliations | School District: Tucson Unified (TUSD) | |
| Website | http://edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/Sabino/ | |
Sabino High School is located at 5000 N. Bowes Rd. in Tucson, Arizona; it resides on Tucson's extreme northeast side in the community of Tanque Verde, Arizona. The school was established in 1972 and had 32 original teachers. The founding principal was John Mallamo. Originally the school had grades 7-10, however, in 1983, Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) decided to only have grades 9-12 on campus. The first graduating class was in 1974, and contained a total of 8 students. Early students often rode horses to school, which went with the southwestern lifestyle of the surrounding area. The school's building is also identical to Santa Rita and Sahuaro High Schools located in southeast Tucson. All three schools were established during the rapid growth of Tucson's eastside in the 1960s and 1970s. The school is named after nearby Sabino Canyon.
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[edit] Sports
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Although Sabino is a relatively new school, it has a rich sports tradition, mainly in the sport of football. Apart from football Sabino has also won team state championships in baseball (1997), men's (2003) and women's soccer (1996), swimming and diving, and track and field, and individual state titles in wrestling and tennis. The school is also known for having one of the largest high school marching bands in the country. The band has regularly won state titles and national acclaim. Sabino's mascot is the Sabercat.
[edit] Football
Sabino football has been the driving force of the school's athletic program and the primary source of notoriety. Sabino's football team has won a total of three 4A state championships, all in the 1990s. They have also appeared in 6 state title games. The program has produced many college football players, and multiple NFL players. Known as the "Team of the 90's" and "The Program", Sabino enjoyed an unprecedented level of success from 1990-1999.
[edit] The Early Years
Sabino, as is the case with most fledgling programs, struggled through its first two decades. Coached by Don Holley in their first varsity seasons, The Sabercats struggled for wins, culminating with an 0-20 record in Coach Holley's last two seasons. Those struggles were soon forgotten with the arrival of Arizona High School coaching legend Ollie Mayfield, who had led perrenial State Championship contenders at Tucson High School. Mayfield instilled a sense of pride and commitment that spurred Sabino to its first playoff duel, with powerhouse Phoenix Washington, in 1978. Mayfield continued with his successes in 1979, again moving the team into the playoffs with a first round win against Tucson Salpointe, eventually losing in the quarterfinals to the Mesa Jackrabbits in a hard fought game at Mesa Westwood High School. Those teams generated several All-Star, All-City and All-State selections, thus creating the foundation for those who would follow. Mayfield had set Sabino well on the path of its winning ways with 3 year totals of 23 wins and 12 losses, the latter being primarily attributed to his first season.
[edit] The 1990s
The arrival of coach Jeff Scurran marked the beginning of an era and set in motion the transformation of Sabino into a football powerhouse. This transformation was sometimes literal, as seen with the 1989 alteration of the auto repair garage (a classroom for a popular Sabino course) into an 10,000 square foot state-of-the-art strength and conditioning facility (See Keys to Success). Many saw this investment as a sign that the school and community was ready to commit to winning.
With heightened expectations, the Scurran-led Sabercats went on to play the state title game at Sun Devil Stadium in 1990, 1992, 1997, 1998, and 1999 winning the 4A championship in 1990, 1992, and 1998. Making the playoffs in all but one year (1991), the team never lost a first round playoff game. They advanced to the state semifinals in 1993, 1995, and 1996 and lost in the state quarterfinals in 1994. Sabino challenged out-of-state competition annually and traveled to play top teams in Connecticut, Ohio, Hawaii, California, Utah and Montana. In 1999, because of Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) enrollment regulations, the athletic program was required to join the 5A ranks. That year they became the first team in state history to move up a class and make the state title game in the same year. This quieted many critics who believed that Sabino could not compete with the larger 5A schools. Once Sabino moved from the 4A ranks Chaparral High School (Scottsdale, Arizona) became the dominant team in the division, winning 2 straight 4A state titles, and at the same time winning 28 games in a row. Ironically, Chaparral's last loss before the winning streak was a 30-0 drubbing in the 1998 4A state quarterfinals, courtesy of the Sabercats.
The Sabercats had compiled some awe-inspiring numerbers in the 1990s; 102 wins (.850 winning percentage), a 49-1 conference record, 9 undefeated conference titles, 5 state championship game appearances, and 3 state titles. They obtained a 25-6 (.839) playoff record. All of these were records for the 4-A division. Sabino is widely considered the most dominant team in the state of Arizona during this era.
[edit] Keys to Success
Sabino's dominance in football is often attributed to a combination of a unique commitment to strength and speed conditioning, mental preparation, as well as support from parents, teachers and the community.
[edit] The Rivalry with Sahuaro
During Sabino's decade of dominance the Sabercats renewed their rivalry with fellow eastside neighbor Tucson Sahuaro. The Cougars of Sahuaro were one of the best teams in 4-A year in and out, even winning the state championship in 1994. After a series of close, hard fought games, the rivalry began to gain stature, and by the early-mid 1990s was on par with the best rivalrys in the state, even challenging the historic matchup of Brophy College Preparatory and Phoenix St. Marys. In 1996 the game was moved to the Thursday before opening day. Labeled "The Desert Kickoff Classic", it was the first Arizona varisty game played every year, and reguraly drew the largest regular season crowd of the year.
In 1997 Sabino steamrolled their way into the state quarterfinals with a 12-0 record. Sahuaro on the other hand had to claw their way to the quarters, making it there with an 8-4 record. The two teams met on a late October Friday night at standing room only Rincon High School. Earlier in the year Sabino clobbered the Cougars 38-7, adding even more hype on the biggest quarterfinal game Tucson had ever hosted. The cougars came out quickly building a 14-0 lead, however, Sabino came back to tie the game at half 28-28. In the third quarter Sabino's first play from scrimmage resulted in a 75 yard touchdown run, putting the Sabercats up 35-28. Sahuaro fought back to tie it once more at 35, but eventually ran out of steam in the 4th quarter losing 49-35 at the end. The game went down as one of the best in Southern Arizona history.
Since Scurran left and the Sabercats moved to the 5-A ranks, the rivalry has lost some of its luster. The game is not labeled anymore, and is not played on the first Thursday of the season.
[edit] Rebuilding
After their dominance in the 1990s, Sabino began a new decade with a new coach; the result was not up to typical Sabino football standards. Doug Holland, a long time assistant under Scurran, led the 5-A Sabercats to a respectable 7-3 record, however the team missed the playoffs for the first time in 9 years. 2000 also marked the end of the Sabercats conference winning streak at 42 games in a row. Holland stepped down after one season and the Sabercats were left without a coach. In 2001 newly hired head coach Gary Bauer led the team to their first non-winning record in 13 years, and alienated a once proud program with students, parents, and the greater eastside community of Tucson. After two seasons, Bauer was fired and the Sabercats soon became an afterthought of Southern Arizona high school football. Since the fallout, Sabino has moved back to 4-A, and under head coach Jay Campos, brought the program back to respectable status. In 2005 they made it back to the state title game for the first time in 6 years.
[edit] Sabino Football Records
| Record | Number | Player/Game |
| Touchdowns (Game) | 8 **STATE RECORD** | Santos Olague vs. Tucson Desert View, 1998 |
| Touchdowns (Half) | 7 | Santos Olague vs. Tucson Desert View, 1998 |
| Touchdowns (Season) | 51 **STATE RECORD** | Nathan Wize, 1997 |
| Touchdowns (Career) | 60 | Nathan Wize |
| Points (Game) | 48 | Santos Olague vs. Tucson Desert View, 1998 |
| Points (Season) | 306 **STATE RECORD** | Nathan Wize, 1997 |
| Points (Career) | 360 | Nathan Wize, 1996-97 |
| Longest Touchdown Run (Scrimmage) | 98 Yds | Nathan Wize vs. Marana Mt. View, 1997 |
| Rushing Yards (Game) | 383 **Southern Az. Record** | Nathan Wize vs. Marana Mt. View, 1997 |
| Year | Record | Coach |
| 1972 | 6-3 (Junior Varsity only) | Don Holley |
| 1973 | 1-7-1 | Don Holley |
| 1974 | 4-5 | Don Holley |
| 1975 | 0-10 | Don Holley |
| 1976 | 0-10 | Don Holley |
| 1977 | 6-5 | Ollie Mayfield |
| 1978 | 7-4 | Ollie Mayfield |
| 1979 | 8-3 | Ollie Mayfield |
| 1980 | 2-7-1 | Larry McKee |
| 1981 | 7-3 | Larry McKee |
| 1982 | 7-3 | Larry McKee |
| 1983 | 7-3 | Larry McKee |
| 1984 | 2-8 | Bob Sicilian |
| 1985 | 5-5 | Bob Sicilian |
| 1986 | 7-4 | Bob Sicilian |
| 1987 | 2-8 | Bob Sicilian |
| 1988 | 3-7 | Jeff Scurran |
| 1989 | 12-1 | Jeff Scurran |
| 1990 | 14-0 (State Champs) | Jeff Scurran |
| 1991 | 7-3 | Jeff Scurran |
| 1992 | 14-0 (State Champs) | Jeff Scurran |
| 1993 | 10-3 | Jeff Scurran |
| 1994 | 8-4 | Jeff Scurran |
| 1995 | 9-4 | Jeff Scurran |
| 1996 | 12-1 | Jeff Scurran |
| 1997 | 13-1 | Jeff Scurran |
| 1998 | 12-1-1 (State Champs) | Jeff Scurran |
| 1999 | 13-1 | Jeff Scurran |
| 2000 | 7-3 | Doug Holland |
| 2001 | 5-5 | Gary M. Bauer |
| 2002 | 8-3 | Gary M. Bauer |
| 2003 | 9-2 | Jay Campos |
| 2004 | 8-3 | Jay Campos |
| 2005 | 10-4 | Jay Campos |
| Total | 236-133-3 |
[edit] External links
- [1]Sabino Band Website
