This is the second of a three part series of top guards, forwards and centers in Region 9 boys basketball.
ST. GEORGE – Moving from the backcourt to the midcourt, here is a look at the top forwards on each team in the region.
Snow Canyon
The Warriors will look to their forwards to be physical and to crash the boards. Coach James Brown noted the rebounding ability of each of his top forwards. Juniors Tyler Wardell and Hayden Anderson are off to good starts four games into the season. Wardell is averaging seven points and three rebounds per game and Andersen is adding three points and three rebounds per game.
Brown also expects senior Spencer Call to contribute on defense and to knock down the occasional 3-pointer. Look for junior Hunter McArthur to add some length and shot-blocking ability to the Warrior forward corps.
Cedar
Coach Craig Cardon named senior Ryan Armstrong as one of his key forwards and said his biggest contributions are his hustle and leadership, but also said he would surprise people with his ability to score. Armstrong has proved his coach right through four games, averaging nearly 10 points and six rebounds per game.
Cardon also said senior Brock Englestead would play an integral role at the forward position because of his ability to play inside and outside. Englestead has been hampered early on by an ankle injury, but Cardon expects him to be back in January.
Dixie
The Flyers didn’t exactly start the way they would have liked to, losing three of four games. But if there’s ever a time to drop a few games, it’s in the preseason. The two bright spots of the four-game stretch have been the players coach Ryan Cuff would be their workhorses at forward.
Team captain Kyle Hansen has averaged 10 points per game and mid-court sidekick Dakota Bair has added an additional eight points per game. The two seniors are also in the top three leading rebounders for the Flyers.
Canyon View
If the Falcons are to be successful this year, their forwards will have to carry the majority of the scoring load. Fortunately, they return senior Chad Corry, who has led the Falcons in scoring since his sophomore year. Corry averaged nearly 16 points per game and made 32 3-pointers last season and is already averaging about 14 points a game this year with 23 treys in eight games.
Joining Corry in the midcourt is senior newcomer Brady Barrett, a move-in from Pullman, Wash. Barrett came to Cedar City with his father Jared, a new assistant at Southern Utah University. Brady is already an integral part of the Falcon squad and is averaging 11 points per game.
Pine View
One of only four seniors on the Pine View roster this year, Cameron Hughes is contributing a consistent five points per game while providing leadership to his younger teammates like fellow forward Jed Newby.
Newby is one of seven Pine View sophomores and is showing that the future is very bright for the Panthers. Newby is averaging five points and four rebounds per game at the forward position for Pine View.
Desert Hills
The Thunder forwards are mostly underclassmen this year, but will still play an important role for the team. Junior Taylor Houston is leading the way so far for the forwards and is averaging seven points and three rebounds per game. Coach Wade Turley said Houston helps keep the pace up-tempo and puts pressure on opposing teams.
Desert Hills will also look to sophomore Quincy Matthews to carry some of the load at forward. Turley said Matthews put in a lot of time over the summer and worked his way onto the varsity roster. Matthews has shown he is capable through four games, averaging six points and three rebounds per game.
Hurricane
Perhaps the most important position for the Tigers this year is the forward for one simple reason – their go-to player is a forward. Coach Brian Vaifanua said senior Garet Cahoon is the best player on the team this year. Cahoon is averaging nine points and seven rebounds per game in his first year as the go-to guy.
Vaifanua said Cahoon is more of a mid-range shooter, but will be asked to do a little bit of everything this year to help lead the team. In short, Hurricane will go as Cahoon goes.
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