Senior hopes Tigers’ mile relay can win state to end prep career on high note
Senior athletes can think of no better way to end their final season of this or that sport than winning a state title. Central senior Dillon Miller has a shot at doing just that.
Miller, along with Gavin Randolph, Noah Buzzard and Braxin Goodson, have a shot at being crowned the Class 2A state champions in the 1,600-meter, or mile, relay at this weekend’s Class 2A State Meet, which will take place today and Saturday at Oklahoma City Western Heights High School.
“That would be school history for us,” Miller said. “It would be something I’ve never done before in my life. Nobody expects it (winning state) for us, so we have a lot to prove — and we have the ability to do it.”
The Central Tigers foursome knew right away last Saturday at the Class 2A Regional Meet at Atoka’s Phillips Field that the mile relay team was heading to state, since they won the event to be the regional champions.
So far this season, Miller, Randolph, Buzzard, Goodson — and at times, Jake Woods filling in for Buzzard — not only won this season’s regional meet in the 1,600-meter relay, but the quartet also came in first place in the mile relay at the Keys Invitational and the Warner Invitational, was runner-up at the Checotah Invitational and at the Fort Gibson Invitational and was fourth at the Inola Invitational.
Miller said the mile relay team’s success is due to two things.
“It’s been the maturity and the heart behind it,” he said. “There’s no complaining or whining about having to run it (a leg in the 1,600-meter relay). We’ve buckled down and have finished our race. We don’t take second to anybody. Our mentality has had a lot to do with it.”
Last season, the Tigers’ mile relay qualified for state, but the foursome was comprised of Randolph, Miller, Nathan Vann and Goodson. That relay team also qualified for state, so Miller said there was never a question if this year’s 1,600-meter relay was going to make state.
“It’s the same (1,600-meter relay) team as last year, so we stood a pretty good chance (at qualifying for state) this year,” Miller said. “We’ve put in a lot of hard work, and we’ve stayed consistent with our times. We’ve been improving every track meet, so I knew we were going to win regionals. There was no thought in the back of my mind that we wouldn’t (win the regional title).”
One thing will be for certain for Miller come the end of Saturday’s second day of action at the Class 2A State Meet. It not only will end the track season, but it also will end Miller’s Central Tigers prep career. To end that career with an appearance at state is priceless for the Central senior.
“I couldn’t ask for anything better,” he said. “Making state, in general, even if we don’t win (state in the mile relay), and being on that level is just something you couldn’t ask for. You couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Miller is hoping to be a part of collegiate athletics, namely in football. If not, he does have a Plan B to fall back on.
“I’ve had several offers from Kansas schools, like Ottawa University and McPherson College, and a couple of Kentucky schools,” Miller said. “Financially, there’s a lot of things I’ve got to figure out. Ottawa was a big one on the table. If that doesn’t work out, I’m just going to do the PTA (physical therapist assistant) program at Carl Albert. I’m hoping to get to do something athletically at the next level for sure.”
