Berger hopes to soar at Air Force
This is No. 3 in a month-long series of profiles of Arizona high school seniors that signed with four-year colleges. Here's the full list (currently totaling 247) of players from within the state moving on to the next level.
SPOTLIGHT: 2/8/21
Cade Berger knew the Air Force Academy was the right fit for him when he stopped to look at the big picture.
The Perry senior wide receiver had an in-state offer from Northern Arizona, but looked into everything from the atmosphere to the personnel to those he knows that have had personal experiences with the academy in Colorado Springs.
"The culture at Air Force is just something I really want to be a part of," Berger said in an e-mail interview. "The coaches also do a great job of making it feel like a family and putting in effort to learn about my personal life."
Berger received his Division I offer from NAU back in January of 2020. A few months later, the Air Force offer came after communication with Falcons' tight end coach Jonathan Himebauch. Berger announced his commitment to the AFA in December. He celebrated with his PHS teammates last Wednesday as a total of five Puma seniors will be playing football in college.
Berger, who has a grandfather that was an engineer in the Air Force, talked with former Perry player Kyle Patterson about his life and the program at the AFA.
"He's had nothing but great things to say about it," Berger said.
Patterson, a tight end, graduated from PHS in 2019 and caught a pair of touchdowns for the Falcons last season.
Some may notice that the academies "sign" a lot of players. In actuality, scholarship limits are waived for Army, Air Force, and Navy as all students receive full scholarship and stipend packages from the U.S. Government for attending the academy. Service academies don't have athletic scholarships.
While other colleges put out their lists of signees, Air Force coaches aren't allowed to comment about recruits until this summer when they arrive on campus. According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, there are at least 10 wide receivers in this class and a total of 90 recruits (three from Arizona). While that number seems very high, there is more attrition and transfer rates are higher due to the rigors of classes and military training than you see at other Mountain West schools. That applies not just with athletes, but regular cadets.
To prepare for the academic side of things, Berger earned a 3.87 weighted GPA in the fall semester earning him accolades on the Sports360AZ All-Academic Team. Aside from the books, Air Force requires a different type of makeup than your ordinary Mountain West school. The Perry football program has helped build that as well.
"(Head) Coach (Preston) Jones and the Perry program was perfect for preparing me for the Air Force Academy," Berger said. "The discipline and mental toughness that Jones instills in his football players has me ready for life at the Academy."
On the field, it was a challenge for Perry in 2020. The Pumas finished 0-6 and lost by just a touchdown in the opener (vs. Queen Creek) and in the finale (at Basha). There were also two weeks that were lost in between Games 5 and 6 due to a positive coronavirus case in the program which then led to 35 players having to quarantine for two weeks. That canceled games against Casteel and Higley.
Berger led the Pumas in receiving with 26 catches for 287 yards. Injuries on the team took their toll and it was a dropoff from his stellar junior season when he went for 909 yards and scored eight touchdowns. In 2019, he was a Second Team All-6A Premier Region selection.
"It was definitely a rough season with injuries and COVID-19," Berger said. "But the resilience that our team showed despite all of it and the relationships that I made on the football field is something I'll always be thankful for."
Berger also took the handoff for a trick play that made one of the top highlights of the week on Channel 12's Friday Night Fever.
In addition to football, Berger competed in track running the 100 and 200-meters while also doing the long jump. He's certainly a speedy, big-play threat and shows leadership ability as he was a captain for the Pumas.
One of Berger's favorite memories while at Perry came in 2019 when the Pumas edged Red Mountain in a wild 68-67, quadruple-overtime win. In the fourth OT, Red Mountain went for two following its score, but was stopped. In that game, Berger caught five passes for 78 yards and a third-quarter touchdown.
In 2020, Berger averaged 19.9 yards on his kickoff returns and was named to the First Team-All CUSD as a kickoff returner.
Air Force began spring practices last week and is meeting three times a week through March 6. This Thursday will feature the first one in pads. The Falcons finished a COVID-shortened season at 3-3. Air Force led the Mountain West in third-down conversions (48.5 percent) and time of possession (32:30). In its last full season, the AFA went 11-2 in 2019 and won the Cheez-It Bowl in Phoenix.
