Haste to join power Marian program

Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Max Haste signs his national letter-of-intent to attend Marian University last week. He is pictured with his parents (Jeannie and Ollie) and principal Jason Chew (back, left) and coach Greg Barrett.
Banner Graphic/JOEY BENNETT

ROACHDALE – Familiarity is good for any student going off to college as a freshman, and for North Putnam senior Max Haste there will be plenty of recognizable faces around as he goes to Marian University this fall to play football and study business management.

His brother, Jake, is a member of the Knights’ baseball team and Putnam County natives Tyler Lotz (Cloverdale) and Joe Masters (South Putnam) are already members of the Marian football team.

“It will be good to have people there I already know,” Haste said. “I have talked to the coaches and I really like them a lot.”

Haste has been a part of a successful North Putnam program, and was looking for a successful college program when he chose Marian.

“They’ve done really well, and I want to be on a winning team,” the 6-3, 220-pound tight end said. “They run and pass about 50-50, and they want to use me both as a blocker and also as a pass catching threat. They like both my size and my hands.”

Haste found himself in many different positions besides tight end for the Cougars last fall after gradually moving into bigger roles as his career moved along.

“My freshman year I didn’t get to play very much,” he said. “My sophomore year I started playing on special teams, then my junior year I started at tight end for us.

“I played a little wide receiver and some fullback that year, then this year I was all over the place,” Haste added. “That was fun.”

Haste will be one of 37 freshman, along with three transfer students, joining the Knight program this fall.

On signing day, Knight coach Mark Henninger described Haste as “a dual-threat tight end who can stretch the field in the pass game.”

Haste has been honored by every conceivable level for his exploits this fall, in which he caught 49 passes for 770 yards and caught three touchdowns. He was named first-team all-state by the Associated Press, as well as receiving all-Putnam County, all-Western Indiana Conference, all-Region and all-Wabash Valley Football Coaches Association.

He will compete in June in the WVFCA All-Star Game in Terre Haute.

North Putnam coach Greg Barrett has coached several players who went on to compete at the next level, and sees success for Haste at Marian.

“I’m excited for Max,” Barrett said. “He’s put the time in, and he’s a big kid with good speed and good hands. They’re excited about him there because they can use him in many different ways, such as blocking back, or an H-back or in passing routes.”

Barrett thinks Haste and Marian are a good fit.

“He has known for a year or two that he wants to go there,” Barrett said. “He’ll do really well there.”

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