Fourth-year Miller head coach Jason Smith has had a pair of subpar seasons (3-7 in 2013 and 2-8 in 2015) sandwiched around a successful 2014 campaign when the Cardinals went 9-2 and won the Spring River Valley Championship.
So what’s been the difference in the town known for its strong football tradition?
“As much as talent, I think it’s experience,” Smith explained. “My first year (2012) we’d just graduated 13 seniors and only returned four seniors. That 2014 season when we won nine games we had a lot more experience and then last year in replacing those guys, we had another senior class of just five kids. This year we have 10 (seniors) so it’s really been a rollercoaster. I’ve always thought, especially in small-school football, your season is going to go about as well as your seniors want it to go. We’ve just kind of fallen in that spot where every other year we’ve had large senior numbers and low junior numbers. It’s something that all schools deal with.”
Miller only has one junior, but that’s a worry for the senior leadership next year. This season they have all 10 seniors starting, beginning with quarterback-linebacker Eric Erickson.
“Eric took over at quarterback for us last season and a I really like his toughness and ability to run the offense, Smith said.
All-Conference running back Jake Hunt returns as does Taylor Morris in the backfield. And All-Conference linemen Eddie Forgey and Cade Gunter will lead a strong-group up-front.
The only concern?
“Depth,” Smith said. “We’ve got the 10 seniors, only one junior who’s ever played football before, and over 20 sophomores and freshmen. You put your best 11 out there and I feel pretty good about the 11 we have. But the depth behind them is pretty young so that’s always scary.”
And another concerning factor is the Cardinals Class 1, District 2 competition that includes Ash Grove, Cabool, Marionville, Pierce City, Pleasant Hope, Sarcoxie, and Thayer.
“Ash Grove and Pleasant Hope are dropping down from Class 2 and Thayer is always tough, Smith points out. “Marionville has done a real good job in our district the last couple of years so it’s tough. Especially when it’s a lot of teams we don’t see much of. We don’t see Pleasant Hope, Ash Grove, Marionville, and Thayer, those Mid-Lake Conference schools. So it will be a challenge for sure.”
But Smith knows all too well that the folks in Miller expect winning football….because he’s one of them.
“I grew up in Miller, played football in Miller and always looked up to all those players,” Smith said in pointing out that he was an eighth grader when the Cardinals won the 1994 state championship. “I was fortunate enough that Miller was always good when I was growing up. I won two district championships as I player and I know it’s important to people in town. The fall is a lot more fun when you’re having success. Any coach anywhere wants to do their best but the fact that Miller is my hometown and I’m such a huge Miller fan, I want to be successful for the town.”
So does that bring more pressure to the hometown boy?
“Not any more pressure than any other coach,” Smith says with a smile. “But I missed out on that state championship as a player by one-year. And every year I’ve been coaching that’s been something I want to do. We wanna get back there and be known as one of the top Class 1 schools in the state.”
