Medford High's Ryan Cafferky: A Nose For Basketball Talent

MEDFORD, MA — Ryan Cafferky was the type of basketball player at Medford High School who was never afraid to stick his nose into the thick of any play if it meant giving the Mustangs a better shot at winning a game. Early this past winter season, that resulted in getting that nose smashed.

"He reached in on defense, got a little too close and got popped," Medford coach John Skerry said. "He was bleeding everywhere. If he is out an extended period of time there, that would have really hurt us. We would have had our work cut out for us to get back to the tournament."

But after a procedure to reset a clean break in the nose, and one game with just a handful of practices missed, he was back on the court with the Mustangs for their victory against Revere wearing a protective mask on his face.

"I immediately got a mask because I was told that I would not be able to play without one," he said. "It cost me a few turnovers, and a little frustration, but I figured it out and played almost the rest of the season with it on."

While Skerry said getting Cafferky to wear the mask in workouts was a constant battle, the incident did not take away any of the feisty point guard’s fight on the court.

"He always had it up around his forehead in practice," the coach said. "We’re there always screaming at him: 'Put your mask on!'

"But he didn’t play any differently with it. Here he is a point guard with a broken nose and he is still leading our team in rebounds and charges taken."

Cafferky also led the Mustangs to a memorable, 58-57 triumph over traditional nemesis Everett on Jan. 25 and a spot in the state tournament for the second year in a row.

"He had the best game of his life against Everett," Skerry said. "He had a lot of long nights against Everett where he was on the court for some real beat downs. So I was really happy him, and for those seniors, to be able to win that game."

Skerry said the four-year varsity player, three-year starter and two-time conference All-Star was one of the main reasons why the program was able to turn things around from the struggles it experienced in Cafferky’s two first two years. The team won nine games combined in those seasons, then put up 23 victories over Cafferky’s final two winters leading the Mustangs.

"The first two years we had high expectations but could not pull through each season despite the talent we had," Cafferky said. "When junior year came, it was a completely different experience for me. We had a surplus of team chemistry and the smooth flow of the game came a lot easier than the first two years of my high school career. Senior year was much of the same. There were a lot of positive accomplishments, and everyone, including myself, was torn when it came to an end."

A member of National Honor Society, Cafferky also ran two years of cross country at Medford High and volunteered as a youth basketball coach on Saturday mornings. He received the school’s Richard J. Phelan Award as the top senior male athlete.

He will attend Endicott College where he plans to study athletic training and possibly continue his basketball career.