Two-way talent tops area

By JOE STEVENSON

jstevenson@nwherald.com

HARVARD - One of Harvard football coach Tim Haak's favorite plays of the season occurred in the Hornets' 53-28 Class 4A playoff loss to Marian Central.

Running back Dan Haeflinger barely had caught his breath from a 77-yard touchdown dash when Marian running back Kevin Conway broke free on a long run. Haeflinger, somehow, found the extra gear to catch Conway, one of the fastest players in the area.

"He's competitively fast," Haak said of Haeflinger. "When he wants to, he runs you down."

Haeflinger displayed that kind of competitiveness all season, sometimes even off the field.

"I guess I get it from my dad, Rich," Haeflinger said. "It's even a fight at the dinner table to get food. I hate losing at anything."

Haeflinger rushed for 2,003 yards and scored 33 touchdowns for the season, both highs among players in the area. The 6-foot-4, 218-pound senior also led the Hornets with 108 tackles as Harvard (6-4) made the playoffs for the first time since 1997.

Haeflinger, a player who left the game for only a handful of plays all season, is the 2004 Northwest Herald Football Player of the Year. He also was named the Northwest Herald Wrestler of the Year last February.

Haeflinger was selected by the Herald sports staff with input from local coaches. Cary-Grove quarterback Brian Mitz received strong consideration, but the volume of Haeflinger's numbers, on both sides, made the difference.

Haeflinger, Mitz and Marengo's Dan Miller, the members of the All-Area first-team backfield, had 10 varsity seasons between them. Haeflinger played as a freshman; Mitz and Miller were three-year varsity players.

Haeflinger is the first Hornets player to be named Northwest Herald Football Player of the Year since Shawn Condon in 1988.

"Overall, it was a very successful year," Haeflinger said. "Our offensive line knocked people off the ball pretty well. It was no secret what we were going to do, and we still averaged 300 yards rushing."

Haeflinger benefitted from one of Harvard's biggest lines ever. All five linemen weighed more than 200 pounds.

"It felt really good [blocking for Haeflinger]," guard Chris Vermett said. "He gave us a lot of credit too. He's very thankful of that. We did what we had to do, he'd hit the hole and that was it."

On the occasions he was not engaged with a defender, Vermett enjoyed watching Harvard's hammer finish a run.

"It was awesome to just see [defenders] fall over," Vermett said.

Haeflinger fumbled only once in 302 carries and his lowest rushing game was 139 yards against Burlington Central.

Marengo coach Greg Halverson noticed a different runner this year when the Indians faced Haeflinger.

"He did a lot more than I thought he could," Halverson said. "He was 50 percent better than last year. He increased his speed. Last year, he just bowled you over. This year, he had some real good skills and made some great moves."

Haeflinger did speed and agility training with Dave Davis at McHenry County Strength and Sports Center.

"It was a good place to go to work on quickness and speed," Haeflinger said. "You feel that much more confident that you can make those plays."

Haeflinger is being recruited by several colleges. Haak recently heard from NCAA Division I-AA Illinois State, while D-I Northwestern and some Ivy League schools also have inquired. D-II Winona State also has shown a lot of interest.

Haak believes some school will be very fortunate because of Haeflinger's work ethic and his academic excellence. He is a 4.0 student (on a 4.0 scale) and scored 28 on the ACT.

"He's the best of everything," Haak said. "He's everything a coach, a family or a community could want. Those kind don't come along that often."

By the numbers

A look at Northwest Herald Football Player of the Year Dan Haeflinger's statistics:

Offense

Rushes: 302.

Yards: 2,003.

Yards per carry: 6.6.

Total TDs: 33.

Total Points: 198.

Fumbles: 1.

200-yard games: 4.

High game: 286.

Low game: 139.

Defense

Tackles: 108.

Sacks: 6.

Fumble recoveries: 3.