In this age of specialization, the multi-sport athlete is threatening to go the way of pay phones and typewriters. Borderline extinction.
Then there’s St. Augustine High School’s Isaiah Hasten.
The sinewy 6-foot-3, 175-pound Hasten has played four varsity sports — football, basketball, track and field, plus volleyball. His favorite, by far, and where his collegiate future lies, is in football.
Come 7 p.m. Friday at Southwestern College, fifth-seeded St. Augustine (9-4) faces second-seeded Mission Hills (9-3) for the CIF San Diego Section Division I championship. Take in the game and you won’t have to strain the eyes to find No. 11.
The senior is Saints’ go-to wide receiver (1,071 yards, 11 TDs), their lock-down cornerback (five interceptions) and their punt returner (a long of 42 yards).
Outside of family and friends, Hasten’s biggest fan might be Mission Hills coach Chris Ha.
“I so enjoy watching him play and one of the reasons is he’s so unassuming,” Ha said. “There’s no bells and whistles. He doesn’t draw attention to himself with antics. He just puts on his uniform, is on the field the whole game and just plays, down after down. I just think the world of him as a football player.”
Hasten lives in El Cajon and attended Granite Hills High School his first two years, playing all four varsity sports as a sophomore.
His spring schedule, juggling volleyball and track and field, where he was a hurdler and high jumper, made for some long days. He often arrived at school at 7:30 a.m. and wasn’t finished with his last practice until 8 p.m.
He lugged two backpacks — one for books, the other for sports attire and food.
“The backpacks had a lot of food compartments,” he said.
Hasten stuffed them with PB&J and turkey sandwiches, energy bars, an assortment of nuts, plus snacks.
He likes playing multiple sports for the purest of reasons.
“I just like always having something to do,” he said. “Sports, that’s always been my outlet.”
He thinks the athleticism developed from one sport carries over to others.
“I think the biggest thing for me is learning different ways to move my body, staying in shape, and (improving) reaction time,” he said.
Transferring to St. Augustine, the all-boys Catholic school, was a family decision.
“We loved the idea of the environment there,” said Aaron Hasten, Isaiah’s father. “The education. Everything about it has been appealing.”
Football is in Hasten’s blood. Aaron Hasten played at Valhalla High School and Grossmont College. At 42, he still plays flag football, slinging and catching es, which he has done for nearly two decades.
When Isaiah was 13 or 14, he played in a flag-football league with his dad, father connecting with son on TD es.
“He was killing it,” said Aaron. “And they weren’t taking it easy on him.”
Hasten’s mother, Michelle, has played in women’s flag football leagues.
Quipped Aaron: “She’s jacks people up.”
Hasten is old-school, eschewing gloves. His father doesn’t wear them, either.
“I put them on one time, caught the ball and it didn’t feel good,” Aaron said. “I’d rather trust my hands. We joke that there are no gloves allowed in the house.”
Isaiah has played football every year since he was 4 or 5. While he’s a two-way starter, wide receiver is his favorite position.
“I know I’m an athletic kid,” he said. “If I get the ball, I can make something happen.”
There’s a saying that big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games. Never was that more evident than in St. Augustine’s 28-27 semifinal overtime win on Friday against Madison.
Trailing 7-0 in the first quarter and having done little on their first two possessions, Saints was backed up on its 7-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Brady Palmer hit Hasten on a 10-yard slant, then Hasten zipped past one of the safeties and was gone on a 93-yard TD.
“The kid just outran everybody, which he does a lot,” said Saints head coach Ron Gladnick.
Trailing 21-13 in the fourth quarter, Hasten caught three es for 50 yards on the game-tying drive, including a 4-yard TD.
About coming through in the clutch, he said: “I gotta do what I gotta do.”
Thus far, Hasten has received scholarship offers from Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D., and Western New Mexico, both Division II programs.
“He’s a Division I football player,” said Gladnick. “And I’m going to work until somebody believes that.”
Hasten was a backup on last year’s St. Augustine basketball team that won the Open Division title. Despite not yet practicing on a Saints team that again will be one of the section’s best, he’s expected to push for a starting job once he suits up.
Saints basketball coach Mike Haupt and Gladnick agree on one thing. As much as they like Isaiah Hasten the player, they like Isaiah Hasten the person even more.
In his 29th season as a football coach, Gladnick said: “When I tell you he’s one of the best kids I’ve ever coached, that’s who he is.”
“He’s an unbelievable athlete,” said Haupt, in his 30th season as Saints’ head coach. “He’ll make a great play and just hand the ball to the referee. There’s no hype around him at all. He’s obviously happy about what he does because he celebrates with his teammates. But there’s no, ‘Hey, look at me!’
“He’s one of the best kids we’ve ever had at this school.”
