Can the best running back in Hudson County and one of the best in the entire country actually improve after rushing for more than 1,500 yards and scoring 22 touchdowns a year ago?
Sure looks as if Savon Huggins is a better player than he was last year – and he was merely named The Hudson Reporter Most Valuable Player in 2009.
The St. Peter’s Prep senior, who is coveted by practically every single major college in the land, has developed his skills and honed his talents this year. The 6-foot, 210-pound speedster is a smarter runner, a more matured and developed player.
“I tell the offensive line that I should be averaging 9 to 10 yards per carry,” Huggins said. “That’s my goal. It’s not so much running hard, but it’s reading defenses better, reading the blocking better. I do a lot of film watching and studying defenses. Coach [Rich Hansen] says that I’m going to get my carries, but it’s up to me to make the most of them. I’m also not looking for the home run every time I touch the ball, and that has made me productive.”
And then there’s the strategy of being a better runner. Huggins has spent countless hours with former Prep great tailback Paul Que, now the Marauders’ running backs coach, about how to properly ward off would-be tacklers and not take the extra hard shot for a meaningless extra yard.
“Instead of taking the blow, I’m giving the blow more,” Huggins said. “I’ve worked on that. Coach Que has been giving me pointers.”
It’s all part of the maturing process that Huggins has enjoyed. He might have rushed for 312 yards in a single game last year, breaking the school’s single game record, but he had to pay the price for those tough yards.
Now, he’s experiencing the true science involved in becoming a top running back.
“I think it’s all part of playing the position in our system,” Prep head coach Hansen said. “It’s part of the process. The evolution takes time. Without question, Savon knows the offense so well now that he can set himself up with the way he runs. He has all the physical tools you need. He gave the off-season conditioning commitment to get ready. He also has the football IQ in our offense, where he knows what to do.
Added Hansen, “He’s grown leaps and bounds. He’s running smarter. He’s running as fast and as hard as ever before, but it looks effortless. It almost looks like he’s not trying at all. I used to say the same thing about [Denver Broncos’ running back] Knowshon Moreno. He really looked like he wasn’t trying, but no one could stop him. With Savon, it’s a combination of his speed, his strength, and his football IQ that has come with experience. He’s big and strong and fast. But he’s smarter, as well.”
The evidence of Huggins’ maturity and growth as a high school football player came last Saturday, when he rushed for 176 yards on 18 carries and scored five touchdowns, tying his own personal mark for scores in a single game, leading the Marauders to a 54-8 drubbing of Union City.
For his efforts, Huggins has been selected as The Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Week for the past week.
Huggins knows that his job is tougher now that everyone knows who he is – as the No. 1 college football prospect in the state and one of the most recruited players in the country.
“I have to be consistent and productive, but if I do that, it opens up other stuff for my teammates,” Huggins said. “Everyone keys on me, so it gives the others a chance. I want to be able to use that to my advantage. If everyone is following me, then others can get a chance.”
For example, Huggins’ teammate, junior Jared Crayton, marched for 114 yards on only six carries last weekend and scored two touchdowns. Crayton is the heir apparent to Huggins, but Huggins isn’t ready to give up his throne just yet.
“I want to go out with a championship,” Huggins said. “That’s the one thing that’s missing. I want to work hard every single time I get out there, like I don’t have anything. I’m hungry. I want it more than anyone else.”
Hansen knows that Huggins is truly a special and gifted athlete in every sense.
“I think the true mark of when a player is at the top of his game is when he’s able to do the things that Savon is doing,” Hansen said. “I tell him all the time that he has to choose his ammo when he’s playing. It’s up to him how he gets there and whatever works for him is fine with me. No one is perfect, but he’s certainly earned his accolades. He’s worked so hard to get where he is. He’s not perfect, but he’s close to it.”
Hansen was asked if there has ever been a more complete running back at Grand and Warren. He paused for a second, because there has been a downright litany of great backfield performers for the Marauders over the years, a regular Hall of Fame of high school backs all coming from the same school.
But when it comes to the entire package – size, speed, strength, durability, athleticism, and then adding a sprinkle of intelligence into the mix – Savon Huggins just might be the best one ever.
“No question,” Hansen said. “When you put it that way, I would tend to agree. He’s mature, and he’s been goal oriented from the minute he came here. His work ethic, both on the field and in the classroom, is second to none. He has a strong level of maturity. He’s a matrix of what it takes to get it done and a great kid for others to look up to and follow. As a player, as a student, he does everything right.”
Huggins has not fully begun the process of selecting the college where he will take his talents next fall. Sure, he has hundreds of offers, but he’s in the process of narrowing down his choices to a select five or six. Schools like Rutgers, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, and North Carolina are still in the mix. He will visit those campuses when time allows and make a calculated decision.
“I think about it at times, obviously, because it is the biggest decision that I’m going to make,” Huggins said. “But I’m so busy with football and my school work that I’m not even close to making a decision. It’s really a tough thing to go through.”
“He’s meticulously exploring each one,” Hansen said. “He’s researched things so much. His parents are monitoring everything closely and keeping him in check and keeping him focused. It’s a daunting process, but he’s going about it the right way, very carefully.”
But for now, the maturation of Savon Huggins continues at Grand and Warren.
“Things are going pretty well right now, and we want to keep going hard, staying on that roll,” Huggins said. “All of my goals are still ahead of me. But the biggest goal is the good of my team.”
A mature young man indeed. – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.