High school quarterback honors his code
Haasis asks that disputed pass be dropped from record books
Friday, October 31, 2003 Posted: 12:40 PM EST (1740 GMT)
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (AP) -- A high school quarterback has asked officials to erase his record-setting pass because his coach had made a deal with the opposing team to let him complete it.
Nate Hassis' Springfield Southeast High School team let Cahokia High School score a touchdown late in Saturday's game, which Cahokia won 42-20. In exchange, Cahokia made no effort to keep Haasis from completing a 37-yard pass that gave him a record.
In post-game comments Saturday, both coaches acknowledged arranging the deal during a time-out.
The completion gave Haasis 5,006 yards for his career, setting a new record for the Central State Eight Conference and making him one of 12 Illinois high school quarterbacks to pass for more than 5,000 yards.
But in a letter to the president of the conference, Haasis asked that the pass be stricken from the record books.
"While I admittedly would like to have passed the record, as I think most high school quarterbacks would, I am requesting that the Central State Eight does not include this pass in the record books," Haasis wrote.
Hassis said the yardage he passed for in his career "required a lot of cooperation and hard work from my teammates. I do not wish to diminish the accomplishments that were made in the last three years."
The conference is expected to approve Haasis' request at its monthly meeting Wednesday.
Haasis asks that disputed pass be dropped from record books
Friday, October 31, 2003 Posted: 12:40 PM EST (1740 GMT)
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (AP) -- A high school quarterback has asked officials to erase his record-setting pass because his coach had made a deal with the opposing team to let him complete it.
Nate Hassis' Springfield Southeast High School team let Cahokia High School score a touchdown late in Saturday's game, which Cahokia won 42-20. In exchange, Cahokia made no effort to keep Haasis from completing a 37-yard pass that gave him a record.
In post-game comments Saturday, both coaches acknowledged arranging the deal during a time-out.
The completion gave Haasis 5,006 yards for his career, setting a new record for the Central State Eight Conference and making him one of 12 Illinois high school quarterbacks to pass for more than 5,000 yards.
But in a letter to the president of the conference, Haasis asked that the pass be stricken from the record books.
"While I admittedly would like to have passed the record, as I think most high school quarterbacks would, I am requesting that the Central State Eight does not include this pass in the record books," Haasis wrote.
Hassis said the yardage he passed for in his career "required a lot of cooperation and hard work from my teammates. I do not wish to diminish the accomplishments that were made in the last three years."
The conference is expected to approve Haasis' request at its monthly meeting Wednesday.
