Much can be said about small-town spirit, and even more can
be said about small-town pride. These
two things were key components in bringing some seriously needed talent to
Parowan, UT.
Carter Miller, former offensive coordinator for the Canyon
View High School Falcons football team, has recently been hired to be the head
coach and Physical Education teacher at Parowan High School.
The unspoken dilemma surrounding the new coach was not what
offense to run, who to have help, who should play quarterback or anything
related to any decision that he, himself, needed to make. The biggest decision that was going to be
made was where his two sons, Porter and Hutch, were going to attend school.
Porter Miller was a running back and linebacker for the Falcons last year. He
ended the season in 2nd place for total tackles in all of Utah High
School Football, and led 3AA in tackles by a large margin, and was a key
ingredient to the Falcons’ success in the upcoming season. Hutch Miller is
going to be a freshman this year, and shows great promise on both sides of the
ball, in multiple sports!
What went into this decision to play for their dad? Why were
they worried to leave Canyon View? What made them venture off the clearly
successful course they were on, and start a new adventure relatively late in
their process?
One of the most pungent properties that Parowan has going
for it is the salt-of-the-earth feel of the community. Brigham Nielsen, one of the many former head
coaches for the Rams’ football team said, “there is just nowhere like Parowan,
and that is because of the people.” “The
people” pulled through for the Rams once
again in helping the Miller boys to decide to leave the bigger stage and play
for their dad on the smaller 1A football stage. Both Porter and Hutch said that the key to
that decision was meeting the kids. While
hutch has been in association with many of the upcoming Ram freshman through
basketball, Porter had a harder time getting to know the kids that were going
to be his teammates. He finally ended up
taking a tour of the school and realized that there was a sort of tight-knit
feel that he wanted to be a part of, and bless with his talents.
One of the concerns for Porter going to Parowan is if his
playing style will mesh well with the current mood and attitude of the Parowan
Rams. He has said that he wants his playing style to match that of Brian
Bosworth when he played linebacker for the Oklahoma Sooners. “I’ve got no
problem getting a teammate mad at me during a game to get him to play hard.” Obviously, he wants to be friends with
everyone and treat them well. But, “[He] will do anything to win.”
Hutch’s main concern with coming to Parowan is that he will
continue to be overlooked by coaches and players. He expressed his desire for greatness like
this, “I want to be the best that Parowan has seen in a while. I just got to put in that extra time when no
one else is.” Porter added to this by
saying that Hutch is just a more quiet and coldblooded character than he is,
and this might be why people overlook him.
Hutch agrees, but knows that the best way to get noticed and appreciated
is to make his impact unmistakable while he is in the game.
One thing that Parowan High School has not produced often is
a highly-recruited athlete. Of course,
players from Parowan go to the next level, but not as a higher-profile recruit.
The University of Utah, Utah State, Brigham Young, and Southern Utah have all
been in contact with Porter and asked him to attend camps and workouts. One of the biggest points of criticism that
these brothers have received is that their stock in the college athletic market
has fallen significantly because of this decision to go to a school that has
never even won a State Football Title, and only won one State Basketball
Championship. Their response to this is quite simple, “Rings speak, and we can
win two this year”, referring to the possibility of winning both the 1A
football and 2A basketball state championship.
Porter had also talked to all the college teams in contact
with him, and asked if he would be less valuable to them, “They said that as
long as I keep doing what I do, they don’t care where I play this year.” Being that it is his senior year, he doesn’t
feel that he is putting his career on the line to play for his dad at all. “My
dad will make sure my film gets out there where people can see me.” That is one major benefit to having a dad as
a coach, but it might be the only one.
In speaking about their dad, Carter, they had endless words
about how well he can get along with kids and adults alike. He is known for his playful attitude and
ability to get the most out of nearly any player regardless of their
ability. “He knows that a team is only
as strong as its’ weakest player, and he will do everything he can to lift that
player”, said Porter about what his dad brings to the table for the Rams.
Undoubtedly, the town of Parowan is full of hype about the
additions to their hometown Rams, and it seems the sports gods have smiled upon
them and blessed them with some of the best talent and coaching that Utah had
to offer them. In Parowan, the clock has
landed on “Miller-Time”.
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