By Ken Hansard

            The Lamar High Tigers finished last season with a record of 14-1.  But the win that counted the most was the one they captured in the final game of the season, defeating Valle Catholic High School 35-28 in the Missouri Class 2 State Championship, the ninth state championship in the program’s illustrious history.

            Senior Cooper Haun, a running back and linebacker for the Tigers, also made the most of the end of the season.  Haun missed the first half of his junior year due to a broken foot sustained during the Tigers’ summer camp.  The Tigers suffered their only loss of the season during that time.  But when Haun returned, despite not being at full speed, he was still good enough to lead the Tigers to the championship and garner First-Team All-District honors.

            That makes Haun’s goals for his senior football season fairly elementary, “Hopefully I can just stay healthy for an entire season of football and help us get back to the state championship.  I’m also excited about playing one last time with my teammates, friends I have grown up with and played football with since the third grade.”

            In order to make good on those goals, Haun spent a lot of time in the off-season trying to gain back some of the muscle and coordination that atrophied during his time off, “I worked on my speed and strength a lot because I lost most of it due to the injury.”

            As a senior this year, Haun recognizes that he only has so much time left to compete for Lamar – and to leave his mark on Tiger history, “I’m looking forward to our Silver Tiger game, which is our rivalry game and senior night because it’s our last home game ever.”  But before riding off into the sunset, Cooper wants to leave a legacy for all the kids that will follow him, “I see my role as being a team leader and stepping up in big-time spots for our team.  I have goals for my team to win our district, to go to state for the fourth year in a row, and then, hopefully to win our tenth state title.”

            When not starring on the gridiron for the Tigers, Haun also plays baseball in the spring.  Following high school, Cooper’s plan for the future is currently to begin working full-time or possibly to go to tech school to train to become a lineman.