Athlete praised for refusing name in records
by Rawly Bransom, Sports Editor

   They always say records are made to be broken.
   Yet what happens when a record breaker turns down the record and asks for it to be taken off the books?
   Such a choice shows us the meaning of courage and honor and what is missing from the higher levels of modern sports.
   Professional and collegiate sports were once full of heroes. Look simply to Roger Staubach to see the perfect example of courage, tenacity, honesty and honor on and off the field.
   But today we hear more about athletes hitting people with cars, making drug deals and allegedly raping women.
   Our heroes are so jaded and sports are such a running joke in our society that one impressive act by a high school senior made national news.
   Nate Hasis is a 17-year-old quarterback for the Springfield Ill., Southeast football team. Southeast is a part of Central State Eight Conference in Illinois.
   Here is his story.
   On Oct. 25 Hasis played his last district game of his high school career.
   Late in the fourth quarter, Hasis threw a 37-yard pass for a touchdown that gave him the district record.
   The problem comes a few minutes before the final pass. With one minute to go, Southeast was losing to Cahokia 42-20.
   Southeast coach Neal Taylor called a timeout and went to talk to Cahokia coach, Antwyne Golliday.
   There they made a deal to let Cahokia score an uncontested touchdown, and then let Southeast do the same with Hasis throwing the ball.
   It all happened to plan, and Hasis walked away with the record. At least he did on that day.
   Within the next few days, Hasis learned of the deed between the coaches.
   He then wrote the following letter to league officials.
   “It is my belief that the directions given to us in this game were made in ‘the heat of battle’ and do not represent the values of the athletes of the Southeast football team. In respect to my teammates, and past and present football players of the Central State Eight, it is my hope that this pass is omitted from any conference record.”
   Taylor, who has known Hasis since he was in the seventh grade, will no longer comment on his actions during the game.
   It is suspected he will either resign his position as head coach or be fired after the criticism he has received at the hands of media as well as school administrators.
   It is important to decide at what point honesty takes a back seat to fame.
   With records being broken everyday, and many of them under dubious circumstances what can we truly hold dear in sports?
   Either way, I’d like to salute Nate Hasis for showing us once again what it means to be a real athlete.