When you start at the top, you have to stay at the top. That is the No. 1 goal right?
It has left South Adams senior Nick Miller and his Starfires in a big spot. How do you make sure your impact stays great against any schedule?
Winchester and Lewis Cass, by those program standards, are having down years. Bluffton, still strong, is likely the third-best team in the ACAC.
So do weeks one through three of South Adams dominance mean as much?
Blitz thinks they do because of the pressure the Starfires bring no matter the opponent.
The first third of the season, especially Friday night in a 60-7 win over Bluffton, it was Miller who been a major catalyst.
“He is incredible. Probably the best player to go through our football program ever,” Moser noted on his thoughts of Miller after Friday’s win. “Can’t say enough about him. Guys just feed off his energy. He’s not necessarily a vocal leader but he just works so hard and plays so hard, guys just feed off him.”
See, Miller is an interesting guy. Big personality and smile but once he straps on his helmet, he is coming to hit you hard whether he is playing defensive end or cracking your tackle attempt on a rush or reception. That is what he did with stellar success on Friday night.
Offensively, Miller had the ball just five times, but gained 124 yards and scored on three of those touches. Defensively, he shined even brighter, with an unofficial eight tackles and 1.5 sacks while consistently bringing heavy pressure on Bluffton quarterback Lukas Hunt.
And when Nick Miller brings pressure, he doesn’t just make you rush your throws. Nick Miller hits you to alter that throw. And Nick Miller hits hard.
“It just takes a lot of conditioning; I have to be in shape. I just kept driving,” Miller said wit a grin after the win. “On the football field I get mad quick. I try to keep it calm.”
“He is so fun to coach, so fun to be around,” Moser added. “He is a D1 recruit and he can take a chewing from a high school coach, which I love about him. He has a great personality and when he is in the game, guys feed off his energy. His love of the game is so evident when he is out here.”
More impressive from Miller on Friday was the fact that he didn’t have a full week of practice under his belt. He practiced, in fact, just on Thursday to take it easy on a rolled ankle. He rolled it again when he came back to practice, but got it taped up and got right back to it, including Friday’s masterful performance.
As the school’s all-time leader in tackles for loss, sacks and receptions, Miller has been building up for his senior season for a long time. Not many other guys at any school, in any conference of any size can boast starting both ways for four years of high school football. It is why Outside the Huddle named him our preseason top area player.
And with each passing week, Miller is making good on that praise. Friday night’s menacing performance, owning the Bluffton backfield, is just another chapter in Miller’s still growing legacy.
These opinions represent those of Blitz and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Blitz on Twitter at Blitz_OTH
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