ONTARIO — The position column on Ontario’s roster provides space for two spots.
It would need expanded to include all the positions senior Gavin Miller fills.
A 5-foot-8 180-pound quarterback and All-Ohio linebacker, Miller also takes snaps at running back and wide receiver. In addition, he’s the Warriors’ punter and on the kickoff team.
Another element Miller brings to the field isn’t listed on a roster — passion.
“Sometimes he can be over-passionate, but he’s a competitive dude,” said Ontario coach Aaron Eckert. “He’s a great high school football player.”
Miller opened the scoring Friday for the Warriors (4-0, 1-0) on a 13-yard QB-keeper. The early momentum fueled Ontario’s 17-7 win over Clear Fork (3-1, 0-1) to open Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference play.
“I give 100 percent every single play and try to go as hard as I can,” Miller said.
His ability to play multiple positions resonates with Ontario’s offensive identity. Through four games the Warriors have continued to operate with a two-quarterback system — sharing snaps between Miller and junior Sean Tanner.
“I love playing both positions (QB and running back),” Miller said. “It’s a nice tool to have in our (offensive) tool bag.”
Eckert said both Miller and Tanner bring different skillsets to the field.
Friday leaned more toward a run-first style, with Miller taking a majority of the snaps at the helm of the offense.
“We’ve also got a lot of confidence in Sean (Tanner),” Eckert said. “We’ve got multiple backs we believe in, we’ve got multiple receivers who can make plays and I really like where our offensive line is going.
“We have a luxury right now of being able to pick and choose what we want to do and be multi-dimensional offensively. We get a lot of kids in the game and a lot of kids have roles and it creates a great bond between the guys.”
Photos by Hayden Gray
Warriors keep a week-by-week focus
A MOAC title can’t be achieved in Week 4. But that doesn’t mean Ontario isn’t hungry to bring one home.
The Warriors are one of four teams now 1-0 in MOAC play, joining Shelby, Marion Harding and Marion Pleasant.
“For us it’s about honing our focus down to one week at a time and doing our best job we can,” Eckert said. “Then ideally, you come out at the end of the season and hopefully that is the outcome, not necessarily the goal.
“I like where we’re at. Obviously you can’t start any better than 4-0, but we’ve got some things to clean up. We didn’t play a clean game all around, but I like the way we’re playing football right now.”
Miller said the win over Clear Fork, a team many consider in-the-mix for a conference crown, provides a major momentum boost moving forward.
“Our goal is to take it all the way,” he said.
Clear Fork at Ontario scoring summary:
- 3:01 1st quarter: (ONT) Gavin Miller 13-yard run.
- 10:03 2nd quarter: (ONT) Max Ciroli 57-yard run.
- 4:53 3rd quarter: (CF) Marcus Hoeflich 23-yard run.
- 0:30 4th quarter: (ONT) Jaxon Craze 34-yard field goal.
Photos by Hayden Gray
Colts will learn from loss
The Colts’ lone score came with less than five minutes left in the third quarter. But the 23-yard TD run from Marcus Hoeflich still gave Clear Fork a fighting chance down 14-7 with more than a quarter to play.
Flashing back to the second quarter, the Colts faced fourth-and-goal from inside the Ontario 5-yard line down 14-0, but couldn’t convert.
“That possession before the half was big, not coming away with that (a score),” said Colts’ coach Aaron Brokaw. “That was something we had in our back pocket and we didn’t execute it very well.”
Brokaw said the loss will be a teaching moment for the Colts, who will host Pleasant (2-2, 1-0) next week in Bellville.
“You’ve got to have perseverance,” he said. “You’re going to meet adversity in every game and in life that’s going to happen. You’ve got to be able to respond to it.”