Hase captures his second state title

By Alex Hawkins

May 15, 2008

Many athletes graduating from high school will look back and wish they would have tried a little harder to excel at state competitions. Collin Hase, a senior wrestler, doesn’t have to dream about being a state champion. He has achieved that dream...twice.

Hase started wrestling when he was only five years old thanks to his father’s urgings.

“My dad convinced me to go out, and I pretty much fell in love with the sport,” Hase said.

Due to his love for the sport, he has always worked his hardest. Fellow grapplers benefit from this attribute.

“He took pride in being the hardest worker in the practice room, and I can’t remember a day that there was a harder worker than him,” said Kyle Wichman, Hase’s junior teammate.

Though very important, hard work is not everything. Hase said Harry LaMar, his coach, is just one of the many people who have helped him develop as a wrestler.

“It’s hard to choose just one person who has helped me, but if I had to choose, it would most likely be Harry LaMar because he has been my coach since I was five and has always pushed me to reach my fullest potential,” Hase explained.

As a freshman, Hase placed second at state and was named Freshman Wrestler of the Year. After Hase’s very successful freshman year, LaMar realized his potential and helped to prepare him to reach the state championship the following year.

“The main thing I did to help Collin prepare for the state tournament was to teach him to relax and not burn off unnecessary energy in the pre-match,” LaMar said.

Hase faced his federation foe that year in the state semifinals, which turned out to be one of the more memorable of Hase’s career.

“My most memorable match was my sophomore year in the state semi-finals versus Cole Zoglman. He had always beat me in the federation league, but I took him down and pinned him,” he said.

Hase advanced to the state finals match and became a state champion as a sophomore. He was very excited, and a bit overwhelmed, after his first state championship.

“All of the hard work I put into the sport of wrestling paid off when I won my first state championship. It’s hard to describe the feeling of winning state, but it was a great experience because it was just me and the other guy, one on one, and I was the best,” Hase explained.

Hase’s junior year was disappointing because he was upset by freshman Colt Rogers of Smith Center in the semifinals. Hase still earned third place. The next year, he would not be denied another state title, making himself one of Silver Lake’s few two-time winners.

LaMar stated that one of the reasons Hase is so capable of being a state champion is because of his innate wrestling ability.

“You can teach Collin a move between matches, and he will go out and use the technique in the state finals. Most athletes require drilling a move hundreds of times before they use it.

“He also completely trusts his coach. When I ask him to hit a move, he does it, even if he is not good at the move. In other words, he is a very confident individual,” LaMar said.

Earning the state championship meant more to Hase his sophomore year, even though he had a tougher time mentally his senior year.

“My sophomore state championship meant the most because I had finally accomplished what I had worked for. My senior state championship was more difficult because I had come up short the year before so there was more pres¬sure,” Hase explained.

Through all the matches Hase won and all the success he had, he enjoyed the time with the people around him.

“The memories that I will never forget are all the fun times I have had over my four years with teammates, coaches, family, and friends,” he said.

Wichman is just one of Silver Lake’s wrestlers who will remember Hase’s devotion to the team and his practice mentality.

“Every day in practice, he would push you to get better, and at the wrestling meets, he would be at mat side at everybody’s match cheering them on,” Wichman explained.

Hase’s work ethic has paid off through his career, so he wanted to pass on that knowledge to the youngsters who are just beginning their wrestling experience.

“My advice to young wrestlers is to work hard now and to not wait until you’re in high school to start working toward a state championship. Federation is the best time to start dreaming and working for that state championship,” Hase said.

His devotion and love for the sport aren’t over. Next year, Hase will be attending Labette County Community College on a wrestling scholarship.