Thomas Haines
Accomplishments: Haines is the first wrestler on this list that hasn't completed his career, but that doesn't hurt his standing. The Solanco stud has built a record of 162-5 with a boat load of tournament victories. Haines is a four-time Lancaster-Lebanon League champ, a two-time District 3-AAA titlist and will be shooting for his fourth state title in March. He also has a pair of Powerade titles, four Escape the Rock belts and captured the prestigious Beast of the East last December.
Did you know: Most wrestling big men — Haines was a 215-pounder as a freshman — spend their fall on the gridiron pounding on their opponents. Not Haines, he feels right at home on the soccer field. The Mules standout started his high school soccer career as a goalie before moving into the striker position because of his cannon-like shot. Haines' love of soccer has added to his mat prowess through being in shape and agility. It will serve him well as a wrestler at Ohio State.
Why here: Every once and a while, a wrestler comes along that has freakish ability and goes against the prototypical athlete at that weight. Haines is that guy. The Solanco standout wasn't the same-old 215-pound freshman, as he could move and had uncanny strength for a wrestler that young. Haines put an exclamation point on his first season by winning state gold, and he's never looked back. He added two more state titles and has done so in dominating fashion. In his 12 state matches, Haines has four pins, a tech fall and five majors. His closest match in the finals was a 7-2 decision to Boyertown's Jordan Wood last season. Haines is on course to become a four-time champ, this year with a move to the heavyweight division, but nothing is for certain. Still, he has made his mark on District 3 and is deserving of his standing.
What they said: “Thomas Haines was a man-child as a freshman. He was overpowering, but it's not like he just put muscle moves on you. He knew what he was going. His power and wide-ranging offense is complemented by quickness and agility. I think his attacking offense will allow him to fit into the college wrestling style.” — Jim Carlson, college wrestling writer for PennLive and The Patriot-News.
(Agree or disagree, take the interactive poll. Leave any additional thoughts in the comments section below the story. Special thanks to Rod Frisco and Jim Carlson for help with this series, as well as Tom Elling's Pennsylvania Wrestling Handbook, which has been an instrumental tool in gathering statistics for this project).