One of Kansas’ next great wrestlers is helping Maize thrive on the mat

The whistle blew to start the match, and 19 seconds later Kyle Haas had pinned a senior for his 41^st win this season.

Haas is a 182-pound freshman at Maize. He has been wrestling since he was 4, and in the decade that has followed his strength, size and quickness have proven rare. Division I coaches have already taken notice.

He has received letters from universities such as Stanford and national power Oklahoma State. He is 41-0 this season with more than 30 pins. He is the No. 1 182-pounder in Class 5A. But maybe most important, he represents the meteoric rise of Maize wrestling.

“First day I walked in, we were all good buddies, good friends and all good wrestlers,” Haas said. “We’ve been wrestling together for a long time, so there’s no problems in the wrestling room, and if there is, we get it figured out real quick.”

The Eagles last placed in the top 10 at the state tournament in 2014. They finished ninth. Before that, Maize placed third in 2009; it was the highest finish in school history.

Coach Mike Schauer said they were just missing some of the key pieces. Maize has been a force in other sports recently, including football, but Schauer said while his teams may have had athletes, it needed wrestlers.

There are always wrestling dynasties that stand between schools and state titles. Right now that team in Class 5A is Goddard.

Haas and a bunch of fellow underclassmen have put the Eagles in line for a shot in 2018. Although Goddard leads after the first day of the Class 5A regional tournament at Valley Center, Maize is within striking distance.

“We’ve got a handful of kids that are gonna make a lot of noise in the state tournament this year,” Schauer said. “It would have to be an absolutely perfect storm, but it can happen.”

Maize entered the Class 5A regional at Valley Center on Friday with more No. 1 seeds than any other school, including Goddard. Five Eagles earned the top spot in their weight class. Haas is one of them. Sophomore 152-pounder Duwayne Villapando is another.

Villapando entered the regional tournament with a 39-3 record. Schauer said Villapando brings unmatched energy to the wrestling room. With leaders like junior Aiden Campbell and senior Devin Onwugbufor, both No. 1 seeds, the group is as close as it has been since Schauer became coach.

“You can turn your back on ’em,” Schauer said. “We can go to a motel, and I can say, ‘All right, you’re in your room for the rest of the night,’ and know they’re gonna be with each other and behind each other.”

Still, even as a 15-year-old, Haas is the headliner. When Schauer was going through his lineup and mentioned him, all he could say was, “You’re gonna want to watch him.… He’s gonna light it up.”

When Haas’ name was brought up, all Villapando could do was shake his head.

“It’s crazy to see him go out there as big as he is,” he said. “I can’t wait to see him as a senior.”

Haas didn’t expect to be this far along in his wrestling career already. When the letter from OSU came in the mail, he said he was in shock.

More letters and eventually scholarship offers will come. Schauer said he is sure of it, but for now, Haas is focused on the present and excited for the future.

“Our team’s got so much potential,” he said. “We’ve only got one or two seniors, so we’re gonna be pretty set for next year. We’re gonna be stacked.”

This story was originally published February 16, 2018 at 6:42 PM with the headline "One of Kansas’ next great wrestlers is helping Maize thrive on the mat."