Aloha prep breaks ex-Outlaw McCaffrey's rushing record

Former Sisters High School standout running back Cory McCaffrey was on hand Friday night when Aloha's Thomas Tyner broke the ex-Outlaw's Oregon high school record for most rushing yards in a season.

Tyner gained 161 yards in Aloha's second-round 6A playoff loss to West Salem High School (59-46) to give him a single-season best of 3,402, bettering McCaffrey's 2006 season total of 3,335.

Tyner set the state's all-time single-season rushing record on a 50-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. He also scored six touchdowns in the game, giving him a state-record 47.

Tyner's father, John, invited McCaffrey to join the family at Friday's game. After the game, McCaffrey congratulated the 6-1, 210-pound Tyner for his record-setting season.

"It meant a lot for him to be there Friday night," said Tyner, who will play at Oregon next year. "I really appreciated that."

Though Tyner is bigger and faster than McCaffrey, there are a lot of similarities both on and off the field. Both were state sprint champions (McCaffrey at 4A, Tyner at 6A), both were honor students and both rarely played a full game, as their teams often held commanding halftime leads.

In McCaffrey's senior year, in a game against La Pine he rushed for 167 yards and five touchdowns in seven carries - in the first quarter.

When the games were on the line, however, both were in the game from start to finish. In his junior season with the Sky-Em League title on the line (versus then-top-ranked Marist), McCaffrey carried 30 times for 419 yards as the Outlaws won. 

This season, Tyner rushed for a single-game record 644 yards and scored 10 touchdowns as Aloha defeated Lakeview, 84-63.

It goes without saying that with more playing time, both would have put up even more significant numbers.

Former Outlaws Head Football Coach Bob Macauley said he had the best seat in the house when McCaffrey played. He was there for each of McCaffrey's record-breaking yards.

"Cory had the full repertoire of moves," said Macauley, now principal at Glencoe High School in Hillsboro. "He was very exciting and I have very fond memories of coaching him."

Macauley was on the sidelines when Tyner rushed for 438 yards against Glencoe in an early round playoff game this season.

"Believe it or not, it was one of our best games ... we held him to 438 yards," said Macauley as Aloha won, 38-35. "He (Tyner) is a real Division-1 player and probably would be one of the top D-1 running backs right now. He has great speed."

As a sophomore, Tyner won the State 6A 100-meter dash in 10.3, the fastest time ever for a 15-year-old.

When asked to compare Tyner and McCaffrey, Macauley said, "you're splitting hairs. These are the two greatest running backs ever in Oregon. Cory's first two steps are much faster, but Tyner has greater open-field speed and has a great cutback."

Tyner finishes second on Oregon's career list with 6,762 yards in 36 games. McCaffrey is the career rushing leader with 8,415 yards in 40 games. Tyner's career total included his freshman season (403), as well as an injury-riddled junior year (1,136 in five

games).

McCaffrey's career total ranks among the top 20 in U.S. high school annals. Derek Henry of Yulee, Fla., set a new national record on November 18. He has 11,612 yards and has scored 148 touchdowns.

McCaffrey gained 2,106 as a sophomore, his then-record 3,335 (14 games) as a junior and 2,917 (14 games) as a senior. Tyner's totals were 1,821 (13 games) as a sophomore and 1,136 as a junior to go along with his senior total of 3,402. 

As a junior, McCaffrey scored 38 touchdowns and totaled 114 for his career as an Outlaw. The state record for career touchdowns is held by Zac Cardwell of Lowell, who scored 115 for his eight-man football team. 

Matt Macauley, who coached McCaffrey when he was at Sisters Middle School, said he wasn't surprised Cory was at Aloha's game.

"He's just a class person," said Macauley, who filmed most of McCaffrey's high school career.

When asked to recall a memory about Cory, Macauley said, "There are so many.

"I was a 'great' coach when I had Cory in the backfield," quipped Macauley. "He had some crazy stats his seventh-grade year I 'coached' him. In six games he played, I only gave him the ball 15 times. He rushed for 663 yards, which averaged around 44 yards per carry.

Macauley said McCaffrey was never tackled on a rushing attempt that season. He scored 19 times, including three on kickoff returns and one more receiving. 

"You can throw those stats out because Cory was a much better person off the field than a football player," said Macauley. "Whatever community he lands in will be a better community with him in it."

After his record-setting career as an Outlaw, McCaffrey moved on to Portland State University where he spent his first two seasons as a receiver. A coaching change enabled him to return to the backfield where he played 16 games and gained 2,018 yards and scored 23

times.

In those games, the 5' 9", 185-pound senior was considered the best-ever running back in PSU history. Before an injury to his achilles as a senior in 2011, McCaffrey was leading the nation in rushing.

Bob Macauley echoed his brother's assessment of Cory, who is finishing his academic studies at PSU.

"He's just a great individual. He was one of the hardest-working players I ever coached," said Macauley. "And he was unselfish. He was very gifted and worked hard to get better. I am very proud of the person he is."