Word is the Mesa Community College football recruiters at Friday night’s game between Apache Junction and Scottsdale Saguaro had never heard of Sabercat quarterback Tim Ruben beforehand.
The soft-spoken senior did his talking where he usually does - on the field. Ruben threw for 294 yards and five touchdowns in a 55-0 rout that saw Saguaro put up 48 points by halftime.
It seems odd that Ruben isn’t more widely known in college circles after leading Saguaro to the 4A-I state title last season as a junior and an undefeated season so far this year. At 6-feet he’s a bit undersized for a quarterback, and that may be the biggest sticking point.
Saguaro’s offensive line is the team’s strength, but after watching his team fall to the Sabercats, Chaparral coach Charlie Ragle said it was Ruben who really made that team go. He is getting some interest from Penn, but nothing near the attention of some of his teammates.
Saguaro uses a spread offense, and Ruben runs it to perfection. If colleges need a reference, they should simply be directed to any defensive coordinator that has attempted to slow Ruben down this season, because nothing has worked thus far.
Tim Ruben might just be the best all around QB in 4A1. He is the real deal and wherever this kid ends up you can bet he will make the the coach and school will look like geniuses for finding him. He knows how to get the ball to the end zone which is obvious with Saguaro averaging 41 points a game. The Saguaro line is major college size with Bisguard, Kellogg, Merrill and Adams all being recruited by D1 schools but tucked behind it is Ruben has who has been able to do things that most “big” QB’s across the state have not been able to do and that is executing the offense to perfection and getting a “W.” Same could be said for the Saguaro defensive side of the ball that lines up behind the big horses up front, they are a group of athletes from linebackers to the defensive backfield that help keep teams below 7 points a game average. For some reason the college recruiters are not taking note of what has been happening with the program and its success. Keep recognizing these kids, back to back state championships are within reach and with the schools attendance being one of the lowest in 4A1, that tells you the individuals on the team line up every week and dominate their positions.