QB shows maturity beyond his years

Resslin' Around, by Casey Ressler

Nate Haasis didn't think he was going to be the lightning rod of controversy, but in the process of taking some heat, he helped set an example for not only athletes, but also students in general.

Haasis is the quarterback at a school in Springfield, Ill. He was just a few yards short of setting the career passing record in his conference late in the last game of the season -- a record that took him four years to challenge.

Unbeknownst to him, his coach talked to the other coach late in the game, which was a blowout, with Haasis' team trailing by a wide margin.

It turned out the coaches worked out a deal in which the other team was allowed to score even more points on a touchdown, but in return, Haasis was allowed to complete a pass and get the record, uncontested, on the last play.

Haasis ran the play, which was good for 37 yards, the game ended, and everybody went their separate ways. Immediately, people started talking about the "tainted" record, and Haasis' coach has been chastised from critics around the country.

Haasis didn't think the record was "right," he said. After thinking about it for the rest of the weekend, he had a solution. He wrote a letter to the conference, asking that the last 37 yards of his career total -- that last pass of the game -- be omitted, which would put him in second place for the career.

The record would be nice, he has admitted, but it would have been nice only if he earned it, rather than having it handed to him.

Whether or not the coach should be criticized is purely personal opinion -- on one hand, the record was tainted, but on the other hand, the coach was just trying to get his player a record he had worked four years for.

Haasis' reaction, however, should never be criticized.

The easiest thing to do was to do nothing at all. People would have stopped talking about the "tainted" record eventually, and Haasis would be known as the career leader. But it takes maturity and responsibility to step forward and ask to have the pass omitted from the record books. While it's a lesson in athletics, it is also a good lesson for everyone.

The conference committee is going to meet soon to decide whether or not to consider Haasis' request.

Here's an idea -- give him the record, but not because his coach arranged it.

Give him the record because by asking that the pass be omitted from the record books, Haasis has demonstrated what kind of a person he is, and has set an example for others to follow in the future. He proved to be a leader.

Surely, that is worth more than 37 measly yards at the end of a meaningless high school football game.

Casey Ressler (valleylife@frontiersman.com) is the Valley Life editor. His career passing yardage is 0, which is considerably less than Haasis.