CAMP VERDE — Tyson Buckley is not your average high school quarterback.

First, most people notice his sheer size.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and tipping the scales at around 240 pounds, the Camp Verde junior looks more like an offensive lineman, rather than a gunslinger who one day may set the state record for touchdown passes in a season.

Scottsdale Christian quarterback Jack Miller’s 2016 campaign produced 53 touchdown passes. Although the record still stands, it may not be for long.

Buckley needed only five games this season to break the Cowboys’ all-time record for touchdown passes in a season, throwing five in each of his first four games, then throwing six against St. John Paul II in a 58-0 win.

The effort put him at 26 passing touchdowns midway through the schedule, however Buckley and his teammates would need to wait three weeks before playing a real contest again.

In Week 6 and 7, North Pointe Prep. and Glendale Prep. forfeited, leaving only practice for the No. 4-ranked Cowboys.

But in Week 8, Buckley would give the encore Camp Verde fans were waiting for, completing 12 of 16 passes for 245 yards and a school-record seven touchdowns against NFL Yet Academy in another 58-0 win Oct. 14 to stay undefeated at 8-0.

Entering Friday night’s contest with No. 10-ranked Heritage Academy Laveen however, Camp Verde was unable to match the Heroes’ on the field in a 47-35 loss.

Buckley threw four touchdown passes in the loss, giving him a total of 37 through Week 9.

FOOTBALL IQ

First-year Camp Verde head coach Aaron Gronwald said he has a lot of fun coaching Buckley.

“He is fun-loving kid that understands the work that needs to be put in to be successful,” Gronwald said, adding that the junior gunslinger is very coachable.

“He is very coachable naturally, but his football IQ makes him even more coachable because he is able to comprehend things at a higher level than a lot of high school quarterbacks,” Gronwald said. “Like all student athletes, he has his moments that can frustrate me, or fire me up, but overall, we are blessed to have a quarterback like him.”

Camp Verde junior quarterback Tyson Buckley gets a snap during the Red Mesa game Sept. 9, 2022, in Camp Verde. Buckley has 37 touchdown passes in seven games this season. The Cowboys are 8-1 with two forfeit losses. (Brian M. Bergner Jr./AzPreps365)

LEADERSHIP

In discussing his Buckley’s leadership qualities, Gronwald pointed to the Scottsdale Prep. game earlier this season. Camp Verde was an underdog, and in the first half, Buckley took a few shots and had to be pulled from the game.

But when he returned, a few bumps and bruises didn’t stand in his way. Trailing at halftime, Buckley led the Cowboys to 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to steal a win, 48-34.

“That was only his second game ever as a starting quarterback for varsity. For him to show that toughness and ability to play from behind with pain and adversity, and make more than enough plays to put us on top by the final whistle, is the epitome of leadership on the field to me,” Gronwald said.

CAMP VERDE ROOTS

Despite playing for Flagstaff High School during his first year of high school, Buckley has family ties to the Camp Verde area.

His father, John Buckley, was a quarterback for the Cowboys in the late 1990s.

“Camp Verde has always been in my past. My parents went here, my dad played quarterback here. So it was kind of like, natural. Flagstaff and Camp Verde are two completely different cities, different towns. They aren’t close at all, but I feel I made the switch pretty well. I fit in pretty well here,” Buckley said.

FATHER-SON DUO

John Buckley is currently the offensive coordinator for the Cowboys. Tyson said his dad is a “little more tough on me, which I like,” and that he’s really good “about separating football from family.”

“He’s not a dad on the field, he’s a coach,” Buckley said.

After graduation from Camp Verde, Buckley’s father went on to play defensive back for Northern Arizona University, and was part of the Lumberjacks’ 2002 Big Sky championship run.

“Knowing all the work he has put in over the years to get to this point, it is great as a parent to see his success,” John Buckley said about his son, Tyson. “It can be a challenge having a kid on the team. I definitely have to wear two hats, but when we are on the field it’s a coach and player relationship.”

RECORD

With 37 touchdown passes and one more game remaining on the regular season schedule, Buckley may not get the state record this year…but there’s always his senior season in 2023.

Buckley made sure to point out wide receiver Christian Sanabria, who has 51 catches for 1,045 yards and 19 touchdowns entering Friday night.

“It’s hard to not talk about Christian. On the field, he’s one of the best receivers you can play with. Anything I throw at him, he’ll go get,” Buckley said, adding that his school record for touchdown passes in a season is hardly an individual accomplishment.

“It goes on my record, but I don’t get those touchdowns without my receivers catching them,” Buckley said. “Other than that, it’s a really good feeling to know all the work you put in is paying off.”

THE FUTURE

Gronwald believes Buckley’s ceiling for improvement is sky-high right now.

“Tyson has spoiled us at quarterback a bit. By that I mean that his production has led to some lofty expectations from myself and my staff,” Gronwald said. “We have to remember that he is still a kid, but this kid has the knowledge and ability to blow right through any ceiling that is placed on his development.”

Only time will tell. But for Buckley and the Camp Verde Cowboys, the future is bright.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on Twitter @AzPreps365Brian. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.