Imagine you are a successful high school quarterback. It is the last game of your high school career. The other team is obviously going to win, but you still have a chance to set the conference record for the most career yards of any quarterback. But the other team has the ball and time is running out with only 22 seconds remaining. Fans are starting to leave.



Suddenly you see your coach talking with the opponent’s head coach and then with your defense. Next play, your friends on defense all stick their hands in their jerseys while the opponents easily score. While you try to figure out what is going on, the other team kicks off and your team now has the ball.



As you rush onto the field, you hear both coaches yelling “This one is for you!” What do they mean? Then you notice it. The opposition is lined up more than 20 yards away from the line of scrimmage. The ball is hiked, you throw a five-yard pass to one of your most reliable receivers, who runs down the field and out-of-bounds to where your coach is standing. A 37-yard gain! The game ends and you now have the all-time conference quarterback record for career yards.



You can’t believe both coaches made an agreement to let you break the record. You appreciate their consideration, but that night you start thinking about how the previous record holder must feel. After all, he and his team earned every single yard of his record. What do you do?



If you are Nate Haasis, a seventeen-year-old senior at Southeast High in Springfield, Illinois, you write your conference and ask that those 37 yards be removed from your record. After consideration, the conference did so, and the previous record remains unbroken.



In this day when so many in sports epitomize selfishness, it is wonderful to see a young leader who truly understands the most important thing is how you play the game.



This post was created with information from the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Sports Illustrated (subscription may be required).