MASON, Ohio– Mason High School middle linebacker Jack Haglage is always looking for his next target.
“Be the hammer and not the nail,” he says.
That physical mentality is one of the reasons he’s been able to lead the Comets defense to much-improved play after an 0-3 start.
Comets head coach Brian Castner credits Haglage for taking ownership of the defense.
“Jack is an attitude and effort guy,” Castner said. “He’s a young man that does a lot of things the right way. There are not many times I can really feel he’s done anything that’s disappointed me. Everything he has is one hundred percent great attitude, and one hundred percent great effort. I’m not lying one bit, his attitude and effort are solid.”
Haglage’s quality on and off the field has earned him a scholarship offer to play football at the Naval Academy, a place he said is a perfect fit.
“Going to the Naval Academy is an honor,” he said. “So it wasn’t anything that I could really pass up. You know, the military and playing football are two things that are really huge for me. So those two ideas really meshed. (I have) A lot of family members (who served). My dad’s uncles were in the Marines, my dad served in the Army Reserves, so it’s kind of something that I’ve always wanted to do.”
He said the military and football are very similar in regard to discipline and structure, so he knows attending the Naval Academy is the right choice to build his future.
“It definitely sets up my future the most for sure than just going to a traditional college,” Haglage said.
Coach Castner said his star ‘backer had been a shining example of how to be a Comet.
“It has trickled down,” Castner said. “Some others on that defense have watched him play over the past two years, and they emulate what he is as a leader. And as a young man, just showing up every day on time and being that person that’s gonna give a hundred percent. You gotta pull him back and so the other kids, the other players see that, and you can see that it rubs off. I think that’s a big reason that we’ve turned it around a little bit as well.”
Now, as he rounds the corner on his senior season, Haglage isn’t quite ready for it to end.
“This is one of the things I look forward to every single day,” Haglage said. “Just being around some of my best friends. Every single week that’s all we talk about, that next Friday night football game. When I’m at school, I can’t wait to get out there and just be around em. It’s a huge part of my life, and I’m not really looking forward for this thing to end.”
