C.O. best running back ever?
Bend High’s Kyle Brown has ran for an eye-popping 30 touchdowns this season. That along with his 1,546 regular-season rushing yards have to put him among the best prep running backs ever in Central Oregon. So who do you think is the best prep ball carrier the area has ever had? One clearly has numbers that stand out amongst the rest, but here are a few to consider:
UPDATED: 11/20/09
Ash Gibson, Mountain View – In 2007, Gibson ran for 2,109 yards and 27 touchdowns (both school records) on his way to leading the Cougars to an undefeated regular season (11-1 overall), their first outright IMC Championship, a state semifinal berth, and he was named the IMC’s Most Valuable Player.
Cory McCaffrey, Sisters – McCaffrey put up video-game type numbers (only if you are a really, really good gamer) while running wild for the Outlaws. The most prolific runner in Oregon High School football history, gaining 8,460 yards in three years. Ranking him 16th on the all-time national high school list. As a senior he ran for a state-record 2,925 yards and 46 touchdowns.
Matt Sieverson, Bend – The Lava Bear turned OSU Beaver shattered records his senior year in 2003 when he ran for 2,726 yards. Averaging over 227 yards a game.
Tommy Hackenbruck, Mountain View – Led the state in rushing in 1999 with 1,961 yards and was named state offensive player of the year. He had 3,008 career rushing yards and 78 pass receptions.
Andy Michaelis, Bend – Joined Hackenbrock in the year of the C.O. running back when he ran for 1,783 yards in 1999.
Brandon Turley, Bend – Turley ran for just under 2,000 yards (1,938) in just 10 games in 1996. He had an amazing 8.2 yards per carry average.
How about some input? I’ll post some more on the subject soon.
i’m gonna have to put a big vote in for Mr. Cory McCaffrey of Sisters.
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Don’t forget about Chad Paulson from Mountain View. He played late 80′s to early 90′s!
Good call on Chad Paulson, i did forget about him. he was a stud @ OSU!
Nice post & nice blog. I love both.
I believe there are waaay too many variables involved to give one specific athlete the title of ‘Best Running Back Ever in Central Oregon’…
‘Final Yards’ and ‘Total Points Scored in a Season’ are great measuring sticks in terms of accomplishments on the field, but what about ‘Minutes Played’?
Some coaches may get caught up in the ego of individual stats, and while I feel the young men listed in this article worked very hard for their accomplishments, what portion of those numbers are ‘padded’?
Example: Kyle Brown. He rushed for over 1500 regular season yards on 23+/- carries a game averaging over 9 yards per carry and 30 TD’s… and yet he missed 1 1/2 games with injuries and rarely played more than 3 quarters per game, (sometimes missing an entire 1/2) as Coach Walker would give other players an opportunity to mature on the field. This is a testament to the integrity Coach Walker has for the game, the opponant, and his deep respect for the athletes. (seriously, this is not a paid endorsement for Coach Walker!)
My point is that while the statistics on all of these athletes is impressive, the question in my mind is; “How many of those yards were ‘required’ to get the win”?
Again, I am not taking anything away from any of these fine young men, and I recognize that this is simply a forum to discuss those who have stood above the rest in Central Oregon High School Football. Each and every one of these athletes deserve high praise for their hard work, sacrifices and accomplishments on and off the field.
HavnFn,
good points. the main goal of this post and this site is to recognize those who deserve attention for their great efforts. i see this kind of talk as one way of doing that.
I added Ash Gibson to the list, i had missed him and he certainly deserves to be up there.