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Taylor Maloney is juggling basketball and hockey after completing his football season for the Crocus Plainsmen. (COLIN CORNEAU/BRANDON SUN)
Taylor Maloney is leading a very busy life this time of year.
There aren’t many days when the Grade 12 student at Crocus Plains high school finds himself with spare time on his hands. So much of his time outside of school is dedicated to playing on the Plainsmen varsity boys’ basketball and hockey teams, but the 6-foot-3, 170-pound forward on the basketball court is also still busy shopping himself to prospective football recruiters. While he loves playing both basketball and hockey, it’s in football where his future lies and he knows there’s a lot of work to get recognized by college and university scouts.
"I just kind of got my (highlight) tape out now, so I’m sending that away and seeing where else it can come from," he said.
Maloney has put up great numbers in his last two seasons in the Winnipeg High School Football League’s Kas Vidruk Division. This season, he led the division with 743 receiving yards and was named to the all-star team. He also caught 40 passes for 758 yards in 2011 to lead the division when he was in Grade 11 and made the all-star team that season as well.
Maloney also kicked for the Plainsmen, making 10 of 13 converts and three of five field goal attempts, while also averaging 45 yards on kickoffs and 37 yards per punt. On the return teams, Maloney averaged 36 yards per kickoff return and 23 yards on his punt returns.
Maloney has already started talking to Minot State University, the alma mater of Crocus Plains football coach Kevin Boyd, but he’s going to keep his ears open to offers from different schools as well.
"I’m looking for a good school in general and see where it goes," Maloney said. "I don’t have a preference (between Canada and the United States), but I’d like to go somewhere for sure."
While Maloney has his eyes on his future in football, he’s also happy to soak up as much as he can in his senior season of high school on the basketball court and at the hockey rink.
Over the weekend, Maloney helped Crocus Plains place ninth in the Tri-Star Screen Printing Division at the Brandon Sun Spartan Invitational varsity boys basketball tournament. He has also helped Crocus’ hockey team post a 6-1-1 record in the Westman High School Hockey League, with Maloney scoring three goals and notching seven points so far this season.
Those two sports are eating up a lot of his time, but Maloney wouldn’t have it any other way.
"It’s pretty busy," he said. "You have two practices a day or you have a practice and a game. It’s pretty busy, but it’s better than doing nothing. It’s fun. I like going out there and switching from the court to the field to the ice. It’s pretty good."
» cjaster@brandonsun.com
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition December 11, 2012
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