ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Over the past two decades, St. Peter’s Prep has produced its share of sensational running backs. It’s been a litany of excellence in the backfield, much like Penn State has produced linebackers, Starbucks has produced frappaccinos and the Duggar family produces kids.
One after another, the legacy of great Marauder backs have made their way through the halls at Grand and Warren, names like Mulcahy, Hawkes, Que, Cirino, Souder, Edley, Solan, Brown, Jackson, Griffin, Harris and Oliver, just to name a few. They’ve graced All-County and All-State teams, led the Prep to countless county championships and a handful of state crowns.
If there was one thing you could count on the Marauders having, it was at least one sure-fire stud running back.
Enter Savon Huggins, who when his time is done at the Prep, could very well be the very best of the bunch. Huggins, a junior, has the perfect combination of speed, size, and strength to possibly become the best Marauder back ever.
Huggins has emerged as the Marauders’ go-to guy this year in an extremely deep and talented backfield that includes speed burners Sheldon Royster and Jared Crayton.
It’s almost like Huggins has been groomed for that role since he first entered the hallowed halls at Grand and Warren three years ago. He showed moments of brilliance as a freshman, scoring an 80-yard touchdown on the very first varsity carry he had. He was also spotlighted last year as a sophomore, again showing glimpses of what he could really become.
However, Huggins had to patiently bide his time behind two running backs who eventually signed on with NCAA Division I schools. Two years ago, Shariff Harris was the main man in the backfield and he ended up at the University of Pittsburgh. Last year, Nyshier Oliver was the premier back and he signed with the University of Tennessee.
When this season began, Huggins knew that his role was going to increase considerably.
“I hit the weight room hard and worked hard to get ready,” Huggins said. “I had to focus on my legs, my power, and my explosiveness. I worked hard on my speed. I knew that it would better to be a better all-around back.”
Veteran Prep head coach Rich Hansen knew that Huggins would be ready to take on the increased responsibilities, simply because of his off-season workout regimen.
“He’s gotten a little bigger, a little faster, and a little stronger,” Hansen said. “He’s running with better leverage now. He’s getting more of an opportunity to show that he’s ready to shoulder more of the load. He also knows the offense better.”
Hansen had only one qualm with the 6-0, 195-pound junior.
“The biggest thing Savon has had to learn this year was understanding that he was always going to have to play with some sort of pain,” Hansen said. “We’ve had long conversations about that. Any good running back in the country right now is not operating at 100 percent. Everybody is a little dinged up here and there. The guys who have great success are the ones who can play hurt.”
Huggins suffered a tough hit in the Marauders’ win over Bergen Catholic last month, where he had a temporary memory loss that kept him out of the lineup the next week against Bayonne. He’s also playing with a sore ankle and finger, but he’s still out there.
“If you watch him now, he’s on a mission,” Hansen said. “He’s a very physical runner. He knows he’s going to get banged up, but he’s mentally tougher and he’s taking it. We’ve gotten past that phase.”
Huggins knows that he needs to stay on the field to be successful.
“I definitely set goals for myself this season,” Huggins said. “I set the bar higher. I’m not worried about yardage. I just want to make plays. It will all pay off in the end. I know it.”
Over the last few weeks, Huggins has shown a little bit of everything – and then some.
“He’s been terrific,” Hansen said. “He’s gone over 100 yards in every single game. He’s worked hard on every facet of his game.”
Last week against North Bergen, Huggins displayed his wide array of talents. He rushed for 112 yards on just nine carries and scored two touchdowns, one on a sensational 43-yard run. Huggins also caught three passes for an additional 72 yards, including an eye-opening 57-yard screen pass for a touchdown, leading the way in a 49-16 romp over North Bergen.
For his efforts, Huggins has been selected as The Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Week for the past week.
If there’s one aspect of Huggins’ game that has impressed Hansen, it is his pass receiving skills.
“He’s really worked on that point a lot,” Hansen said. “He worked on his hands, worked on running routes and catching balls. He’s come a long way with that.”
“I want to be an all-around back, not just someone who runs with the ball,” Huggins said. “If I catch the ball, I can be more of a productive player and be more than just one-dimensional. It makes me harder to defend.”
Huggins also likes having Royster (who scored two touchdowns last week, one on a 92-yard kickoff return and the other on a 65-yard run) and Crayton in the backfield with him.
“The competition in practice really helps,” Huggins said. “It makes me push myself to work harder. With all of the backs there, it makes things better and makes us a better team.”
Hansen knows that he has a special relationship with Huggins, having been first introduced to Huggins when he was in seventh grade. The coach and player spend many days traveling together to and from the school, because Huggins lives in Jackson and Hansen resides with his family in Freehold.
“There’s definitely an attachment there and I am definitely hard on him,” Hansen said. “But he’s such a dedicated kid. The other day, the coaching staff was going over films and he just sat there, waiting patiently for me, doing his homework.”
“It definitely helps me a lot,” Huggins said of his special bond with Hansen. “When we’re going home, he can tell me about what I did wrong and how I can get better. I have to always learn from my mistakes and he’s there to tell me all the way home. The relationship just gets stronger and stronger. And I expect him to push me. He’s the coach. It’s what I signed up for, to learn from him.”
“Savon is such an intelligent kid,” Hansen said. “He’s a student of the game. He understands the intricacies of the game and puts it all together.”
Although he’s only a junior, Huggins is already receiving major college scholarship offers. It’s just the beginning.
“At first, I thought all the attention was pretty exciting,” Huggins said. “But I didn’t want to lose my focus on this season. I had to catch myself from being caught up in the excitement. I’m not worried about that now. I know I can handle it later on.”
“He just has to keep progressing and getting better,” Hansen said. “He’s already having a great year this year and I know he’s going to get better. Next year, the sky’s the limit. I think he can even be a better back in college. He has a lot going for him.”
For now, Huggins likes that he’s being placed in the same class with the other great Prep backs of the past.
“It’s definitely an honor and I know if I keep working hard, I can be just like they were,” Huggins said. “I wanted to be a leader like them, be the face of the program. Hopefully, I will be just like that.”
Or perhaps, even better. – Jim Hague

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