ALEXANDRIA -- Hayden Bahmuller didn’t set out to break a school record. But that’s exactly what he did Tuesday.
Bahmuller blocked a school-record nine shots in Hanson’s 84-51 boys basketball win over McCook Central/Montrose. Craig Henglefelt held the previous school record with seven.
“Going into the game I didn’t really think much about a blocks record,” Bahmuller said. “We started playing and I had a few on one guy and a couple on another. I was like ‘I have to be getting up there somewhere and getting pretty high.’ ”
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Bahmuller, a 6-foot-7 senior post, wasn’t aware he broke the record until Wednesday. That’s when coach Josh Oltmanns reviewed the highlights and noticed he was shorted two blocks on the stat sheet.
Oltmanns said Bahmuller’s combination of timing his block attempts and not fouling led to his record night.
“He’s learned that over the years and being in the right position at the right time,” Oltmanns said. “He’s really good about where he positions himself defensively to make it hard on those opponents to get those shots off.”
He also stuffed three shots in Hanson’s season opener against Ethan on Dec. 11.
“It kind of means a lot to me,” Bahmuller added about the blocks. “I look to score, but I am not a big scorer on our team. I am more of a defensive player.”
That’s what Oltmanns wants out of him, too. Bahmuller, who also grabbed 10 rebounds against Ethan, will be relied upon for his post presence this season.
“I don’t think Hayden comes into the game thinking he needs to score 20 points,” Oltmanns said. “He’s a huge factor even though we might not need the points necessarily, but he’s a huge presence defensively and gets rebounds. We are just hoping he can continue to keep doing what he’s been doing.”
This fall, Bahmuller played football for the first season since the seventh grade. He lined up at tight end and defensive end, while also bulking up for basketball. He weighed around 210 pounds last season, but weighs 235 pounds now.
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The Beavers return a bulk of last season’s 18-4 team. In addition to Bahmuller, 6-foot-3 Riley Ferry helps him anchor the post. Six-foot-5 Noah Price, 6-foot-4 Ethan Cheeseman and 6-foot-1 Luke Haiar round out the versatile and lengthy starting lineup.
“I think as a team we are well rounded,” Bahmuller said. “We share the ball well and we have a lot of threats to score.”
Bahmuller also competes in track and field and baseball. He placed sixth at state in the discus in 2019, while he plays first base in baseball. He’s undecided on his college plans for next fall.
