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    • Bodpegn Miller from Ontario nominated for OPSMA Ohio Mr. Football Award
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    Bodpegn Miller from Ontario nominated for OPSMA Ohio Mr. Football Award

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    ONTARIO – When the clock struck zero on Ontario’s instant classic win over Shelby in the Division IV Region 14 semifinals, there was a mad dash to the Warriors’ sideline.

    It wasn’t the student section storming the field or the coaches and players celebrating. It wasn’t the parents and fans who came to the field to enjoy perhaps the best football game they had ever seen.

    Instead, it was a bunch of young kids sprinting to get in line to take a photo with senior quarterback Bodpegn Miller. They wanted to meet their favorite football player and tell him they can’t wait to follow him when he heads to Columbus to become an Ohio State Buckeye next season.

    But most of all, they just wanted to shake hands with the kid who just achieved an all-time single-game feat. He left everything on the field and was helped off the field by exhaustion after scoring the game’s final touchdown with 12 seconds left in front of a packed Arlin Field with 8,625 fans.

    But what they didn’t know was that they were about to become the Northwest District’s nominee for the prestigious Ohio Mr. Football Award to meet.

    On Wednesday, the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association announced the nominees for Ohio Mr. Football known, and Buckeye Bodpegn was among the finalists.

    “It’s great to be nominated,” Miller said. “It’s amazing and exciting and I don’t think I’ll ever understand how much of a blessing it is. All the hard work my teammates and I put in is why I was nominated. I have to give it my all. I want the honor to my teammates and coaches, because without them making plays and blocking the line for me, none of this would be possible.”

    Although Mr. Football is an individual award, Miller would like nothing more than for his teammates to share in the nomination. That’s how he’s been every day as a four-year starter for the Warriors. From Day 1, Ontario coach Aaron Eckert saw Miller putting his teammates first, making him the true definition of Mr. Football became.

    “It’s great that he’s nominated,” Eckert said. “Someone from Ontario has never been in that position before, so it’s special for him to be able to showcase his talents and receive an offer from Ohio State. Everything worked out for a kid who does everything the right way and is just a very good boy.” , a very good boy, it is fitting and deserving and something great for Bodpegn and his family.”

    Bodpegn Miller is impressing Ontario’s youth off the field

    It wasn’t the first time the younger kids saw Bodpegn Miller in action. He was a must-see week in and week out during a record-setting season and career.

    But it was where they saw him off the field that left an even bigger impact. During a high school assembly before the start of the playoffs, Ontario High School asked Miller to speak to the entire high school to tell his story. He put on his Ohio State T-shirt and gave a powerful speech. When he spoke, they all listened.

    “That was the moment I realized this is all bigger than football,” Miller said. “All these kids look up to me, and I have to make sure I use my influence in a positive way. I know I have to spread the word and make a difference. It’s not about football; it’s about impact. My message was: simple. I started with nothing in Ethiopia, and it doesn’t matter where you start as long as you take advantage of the opportunities in front of you.

    Miller’s story is one of a kind. He was born in Ethiopia before being adopted to the United States by Alan and Deanna Miller.

    Miller knew no English, had no idea what life was like in America and had no idea what American football was. Now he is arguably the greatest football player in Ontario Warrior football history and could be the best high school football player in Ohio for the 2024 season.

    “It sounds too good to be true,” Eckert said. ‘But for a child who does everything the right way and comes from a fantastic family full of wonderful people who earn an honest living. His parents, Alan and Deanna Miller, are a blessing to him, and Bodpegn is a blessing to them. will graduate with a university degree. At some point it could be a movie. It’s one of those stories that people will never believe is true, and yet here we are.

    And a story that Miller can’t believe is even true and can only be attributed to his faith.

    “It’s a great feeling, but the best thing these kids can do is stay humble,” Miller said. “If they stay humble and focused on their dreams and goals and put their trust in the Lord as I do, it will mean a lot to me.

    “It is a special and unique story that my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, wrote. The strength and encouragement to do this and the ability to keep a cool head and remain humble through it all is because of Him. I didn’t do it by myself.”

    Miller’s funny start to love for football

    Like any growing toddler, Miller bonded with a particular movie. Normally, children watch cartoons hour after hour, day after day. The same movie over and over again. For Miller, it was Adam Sandler’s The Water Boya football comedy.

    “It might still be my favorite movie, even now,” Miller said with a laugh. “There was something about that movie and the way the water boy went out and fired people up got me going and made me fall in love with football. When I first came here, I understood movies and actors and that whole thing didn’t. concept, so when Happy Gilmore came out, and when I saw the movie on TV, I looked at my parents and asked how Adam Sandler could be good at golf too, I thought it was real.

    From that day on, Miller wanted to play football.

    “No matter where you are and what language you speak, the one thing we all understand is comedy,” Eckert said with a smile. “So I’m not surprised he came here and understood that movie. Comedy is a bit like football. You don’t have to talk and understand a lot to learn the game. Throw the football, catch the football, run the football and tackle the guy with the football. I’m glad he saw that movie.

    Love for football leads to historic career for Bodpegn Miller

    That love for the game led to him being statistically the greatest football player in Ontario history.

    He holds single-season program records in rushing yards (1,988 in 2024), passing yards (2,328 in 2023) and completion percentage (63.8% in 2023). He has the second-most rushing touchdowns in a season (21 in 2024), is second and third in TD passes (19 in 2023 and 20 in 2024).

    But it’s his career numbers that are insane. He is the career rushing leader with 6,398 yards, nearly 3,000 yards more than Mike Murry’s 3,524 from 1991-1994. He is the career TDs leader with 54, 20 more than Jake Mochoskay’s 34 set from 2004-2007. He completed 453 of 728 passes for a 59.8% completion rate, second-best in program history behind Ethan Snyder’s 60.9% from 2017-2020.

    But his rushing numbers are even more historic. With 3,601 yards, which also made him the all-time leader in rushing yards, ahead of Campbell’s 3,556. He ranks second in his career with 47 wins, just nine behind Campbell’s 54.

    “Last year we were a little frustrated at this point because we didn’t have a lot of college offers or people looking around,” Eckert said. “What a difference a year can make. Last year he went from a very good player to, in my opinion, the best football player to ever come out of Ontario High School and we’ll let everyone debate where he stands in history of Richland County.” .”

    He is the only player listed on the 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 passing yards list and is one of only four players in program history with two 1,000-yard rushing seasons and the only player in program history with three 1,000-yard passing seasons and the only one with even one 2,000-yard season, let alone two.

    And when you try to talk to Miller about numbers, the conversation comes to a dead end.

    “I don’t really think about that right now,” Miller said. “All I think about is going out and playing football with my boys. The statistics mean nothing to me. I’m just a kid playing football with his friends.”

    Miller and his friends played football at a historic pace. In four seasons, Ontario’s senior class led the Warriors to a 31-15 record, their most wins in a four-year span since they won 35 games between 2001 and 2004. But the 12 wins this season broke the program’s single-season record. The three playoff wins are the most in a single postseason and the first time the Warriors won more than one in the playoffs and made the first trip to the regional championship game in program history.

    And that’s what Miller is most proud of.

    Football taught him some valuable life lessons.

    “It has taught me a lot of lessons and given me opportunities that I didn’t even know were possible,” Miller said. “It led me to Ontario, Ohio, helped me make lifelong friends and taught me the value of being humble. It was an amazing experience.”

    And it’s far from over.

    Miller will graduate high school early and enroll at Ohio State in January. Before that, he will take a trip back to Ethiopia to visit his birth mother and brothers to tell them his story of how he became one of the best high school football players in Ohio.

    A story that will certainly inspire.

    [email protected]

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    X: @JakeFurr11

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