Ok, this is my update promised to the High School football gurus and the Buckeye supporters here at BTSC.  This is the latest on Braxton Miller from Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio.

On Saturday November 27 @ 7pm, Braxton Miller led the Wayne Warriors against the defending Division 1 State Champion Hilliard Davidson.  Hilliard Davidson had come into the game allowing only two teams all year to score more than a Touchdown.  Through three playoff games Davidson had allowed a total of 12 points.  They had given up 72 points all year.  On top of that they had a 21 game winning streak.

This was to be the stiffest competition Braxton has met this year.  I have to admit I was concerned.  Davidson came into this game with championship experience and a stout defense.  Wayne had two DBs with casts on and cold weather had settled in.  But this game was almost a home game since the Ohio High School Athletic Association determined that the game would be played at Welcome Stadium in Dayton even though Wayne was the lower seed.

Davidson won the toss and decided to defer so they could get their defense on the field first and get a quick stop.  Hilliard Davidson's offense stood on the sidelines and watched Braxton methodically drive the Warriors down the field and score on the opening drive.  Braxton mixed in lasers thrown between coverage and running to pick up crucial first downs, mixed in with gashing runs by tailback Anthone Taylor to engineer 4 touchdown drives on the first 4 possessions of the first half.

The Warriors defense held Davidson to 7 points in the first half and went into the half up 28-7.  Braxton and the Warriors offense made Davidson's defense look ordinary.  They drove the ball down their throat the whole first half with ease.  A defense ranked one of the best in the state was shredded.  Davidson went into the half looking like a punk drunk fighter gasping for air.

Wayne came out in the second half and did what Davidson did all year long.  They sustained long time consuming drives by keeping the ball on the ground.  They would stall inside Davidson’s territory so Wayne punted and played stout defense. Davidson broke a run for 70 yards but the RB was walked down by a Wayne DB at the 9 and had to run 4 plays to get the ball in the endzone, running down the clock. 

Braxton brought the team out and engineered a 70 yard drive all the way down to the 1 yard line.  Up 28-14 with 5 minutes left, a field goal would definitely put the final nail in the coffin.  However for some reason Wayne ran a QB draw designed to go outside (exactly like the last scoring play from the 1).  Davidson was ready and dropped Braxton at the 9.  The defense held after Davidson approached the 50 and the Warriors took over on downs.  The Warriors played keep away and Wayne pulls off a major upset to send them to the State Finals against St. Edwards.

The St. Edwards Eagles present the same challenge Davidson did.  I'm sure Braxton is not going to surprise The Eagles.  HE does however put a lot of pressure on a defense.  You can't sleep on any type of coverage because he can make some throws that almost all other High School QBs can't.  If you cheat to the side he's rolling to he can throw a laser across the field.  If you play off he can fit the ball underneath because the ball gets there fast.

Miller's final statistics weren't eye popping in this State semi-final game: 12 of 16 passing for 134 yards with two touchdowns, and 55 yards rushing and another score, but the way the first 4 drives ate up the clock and runs up the middle softened outside coverage put this game out of reach early.  The Warriors runningback  Anthone Taylor had 182 yards rushing, with a 13 yard TD run and a 55 yard run setting up a Miller TD run. 

If you want to get a look at Braxton, here are some options on TV:

Monday Nov 29 @7pm on SPortstime Ohio (STO) Huber Heights Wayne vs. Hilliard Davidson
Tuesday Nov 30 @ 5AM on SPortstime Ohio (STO) Huber Heights Wayne vs. Hilliard Davidson
Thursday Dec 2 @Noon on SPortstime Ohio (STO) Huber Heights Wayne vs. Hilliard Davidson
Saturday Dec 4 @ 7PM [LIVE] on SPortstime Ohio (STO) Huber Heights Wayne vs. Lakewood St. Edwards