Moffat County boys basketball players net league, state honors
Andy Bockelman/Craig Press
Moffat County basketball players fought through the winter, and whether or not the season went as far as they wanted to, the powers that be took notice of the Bulldogs’ talent.
The boys hoops program hosted its awards banquet last week, with both seniors Ian Hafey and Bryant Carlson earning All-Conference First Team, while Carlson also gained All-State Honorable Mention.
It’s the second consecutive year for Carlson to be on the All-State list, leading the Bulldogs in both steals (45) and assists (90), ranked third in the 4A Western Slope League in the latter category. Carlson also ranked fifth in the league in three-pointers (39) and seventh in successful free throws (59), and was one of Moffat County’s most prolific scorers this year.
His coach and father, Mark Carlson, noted that Bryant is still weighing the options for college ball after four years of suiting up for varsity.
“I don’t think I’ve coached a kid that was, A. That competitive, or that, B. Put that much effort into the game,” Mark said. “He was kind of my rock coaching and somebody that I could trust, somebody that pushes these guys every day in practice, good or bad.”
His 346 points was competitive with Hafey, who had 371, as well as leading the team and the league in rebounds with 231.
Besides being the conference’s third-highest scorer, Hafey — nicknamed “The Tractor” — was also the WSL’s only player to have 10 double-doubles this year, tied for fifth in the stat within the 4A class.
In other league numbers, senior Alejandro Tarango was the second-best blocker on the Western Slope with 27 blocked shots. MCHS boys went 9-14 overall and 5-9 in league play, placing seventh in the 4A WSL.
Several MoCo seniors also earned Academic All-State for their work on the court and classroom: First Team for Evan Beaver, Hudson Jones, Zaylan Kirby and manager Mara Beckett, and Honorable Mention for Hafey.
Coach Carlson also presented commemorative basketballs to all the seniors — including Logan Bickford and Brayan Tarango — with photos of the season.
“This group of seniors, I just want to say thank you,” he said. “We’ve known each other a long time and built some really good relationships. Every one of you guys has super-bright futures and I’m happy to have been a part of that.”
The MCHS girls basketball program will host its awards night April 10.
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