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MIAMI HERALD | 31 Oct 2003 | ASSOCIATED PRESS

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - 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.