It just seemed like another interview to me. But to my interviewee it may become one of those crystal-clear images that will stay in his memory forever.
It was a rainy Friday night in Roseburg on Sept. 2 and I was covering the Beaverton-Roseburg class 4A high school football game for another publication.
The defending state champion Beavers had just beaten Roseburg 21-14 and since I was on a tight deadline, I rushed down to the field to scribble some quick quotes.
I approached Beaverton quarterback Kris Tyacke, who was on cloud nine after leading his team to the huge road win in its season opener.
Tyacke was surrounded by cheerleaders and proud parents and talked of how united his team was this year. He spoke of his defense, his offense and how excited he was for the upcoming year. This was his time to shine.
Little did anyone know at the time, but 20 days later, Tyacke’s life would change forever.
Beaverton brought a 3-0 record into its Sept. 22 game at home against Metro League rival Glencoe. Tyacke had begun to click with his offense and was confident in his team’s ability to make another run at the state title.
Then on one play, football lost all its importance. Tyacke took off on a quarterback sneak.
He ran.
He was tackled.
He fell awkwardly on his face.
He lay motionless on the ground for 40 minutes.
The 17-year-old junior had broken the fourth vertebra down from the base of his skull as he collided with the ground.
As he laid there on the field, it was reported that Tyacke looked up at his father, Darrell Tyacke, and asked, “Dad, what if I am paralyzed?”
He was. That one play marked the final time he ever stood on his feet.
Tyacke is currently in the intensive care unit at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland and is paralyzed from the shoulders down. He is listed in serious condition.
Immediately after the injury, Tyacke had to endure eight hours of surgery and is currently attached to feeding tubes and lines, as reported by The Oregonian.
When hearing of the news, it made me sick to my stomach.
For those of us who have played high school sports, we know what it’s like to be on the field to make that key tackle, or drill that clutch three-pointer, or knock home the game-winning RBI to help your team win. But when you were playing, did you ever think of it being the last time you would ever stand on your own two feet?
Fortunately — if there is any hope to be had from this incident — injuries such as Tyacke’s are rare.
But wouldn’t you know, six days after Beaverton’s loss to Glencoe on that fateful night, two other teenagers were seriously hurt.
Justin Goe, a 15-year-old sophomore at Rex Putnam, was injured playing in his junior varsity football game on Sept. 28. He came out of the game with his head throbbing. Soon thereafter, he became incoherent and lost consciousness. Goe is staying in the same hospital as Tyacke and is listed in critical condition.
On the same night, 14-year-old Joshua Carlson of Milwaukie also came out of his freshman football game with a headache. And yes, he also became incoherent and ended up collapsing. Carlson was treated for a bruised spinal cord and released two days later.
And then, just last Friday, 17-year-old Matt Murray of Castle Rock High School was airlifted off the football field after suffering a head injury. He is listed in critical condition.
My point in sharing these recent sad tales is not to say that high school football is a horrible thing. It’s not. It’s a great growing experience for young athletes as they learn to unite with a group of teammates.
But hearing of these awful injuries begs the question: How secure are teenagers when they strap on those pads every Friday night under the lights? Does something need to be done to prevent such injuries?
The answers to these questions are not easy to come by. High school football will not lose its importance, and therefore, the only thing coaches can do is teach their players the correct techniques for tackling and blocking.
I have two younger brothers who both currently play high school football, and while they may know the potential for injury is high, I doubt they realize the severity of some of the risks.
But prep athletes probably shouldn’t be thinking such thoughts when they are playing. Because whenever you worry too much about a certain thing, it begins to play with your mind.
Back on that night in Roseburg, Kris Tyacke certainly was not thinking it would be one of the last times he would ever play football again. He did not realize that he may always remember talking into a recorder in the pouring rain — while being able to shake hands with his teammates.
“It’s great to beat a team that has been the best for the past 20 years,” Tyacke said after that game. “But they’re going to get better and better as the year goes on, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them again.”
Beaverton and Roseburg may indeed fight it out for the state title sometime in November, but for Kris Tyacke and his family, there is a much more immediate fight to be had.
The fight for the 17-year-old’s life.