Miller was backbone of C-M’s tough ‘D’

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Nov. 26, 1999 | 9:38 a.m.

Early in the second half of last week's 4A state football championship game, McQueen tailback Chris Carr took a handoff from quarterback Brian Fritz and prepared to make one of his patented cutback moves.

Before the lightning-quick Carr had the chance to take a step, he found himself cut down, courtesy of a flying tackle from Cimarron-Memorial linebacker Taylor Miller.

Though it was simply one big play in a game filled with big Spartan plays, Miller's tackle set the tone for the rest of the half. With the senior leading the way, Cimarron went on to shut down the Lancers the rest of the way, earning a 21-7 win and the state title.

And for Miller, the leader of a Spartans' defense that allowed just 102 points in 13 contests (an average of 7.8 per game), it cemented his selection as the 1999 Sun Defensive Player of the Year.

"I just came out and was trying to make some big plays to get our team going," Miller said of last Friday's second half, in which he had three tackles for losses. "I felt a little more adrenaline in the last game."

Coming into the 1999 season, Cimarron coach Greg Spencer had high expectations for the 6-2, 215-pound Miller. One of only six returning starters from last season's state championship squad, Miller was being counted on to anchor a relatively inexperienced defensive unit.

As it turned out, that meant doing more than racking up team highs in tackles (114), tackles for a loss (15) and sacks (three). It also required him to quarterback the defense, as Spencer often counted on his senior leader to call plays from the field.

"He ran the defense for us," Spencer said. "He saw the offense and made his own adjustments. That's what he's good at."

Miller is quick to credit his coaching staff with helping him with his play-calling responsibilities.

"They prepared me and gave me some guidelines," Miller said. "If (coach Spencer) wanted something, he could send it in. But it was pretty fun having a part of the game in my hands."

Unquestionably one of the toughest prep players in town, Miller's dedication to the weight room paid huge dividends in 1999, as he earned a reputation as a ferocious run stopper and pass rusher.

"He's very focused on what he needs to do," Spencer said. "He's an agressive player and he likes to play football."

With back-to-back shutouts against Cheyenne and Bishop Gorman in weeks seven and eight, the Spartans firmly established themselves as a group that took extra pride in making it tough for opponents to get on the scoreboard.

"We knew that if teams were going to score, they were going to have to work for it," Miller said. "We worked really well as a unit, and there were no weak links."

That was never more evident than in last week's title game, when the Spartans outmuscled a McQueen club long known for its physical style. And for Miller, that game is likely to be his final game for quite some time.

Although several Division I schools, including BYU and Utah, are pursuing him, the senior intends to spend the next two years on a Mormon mission. That means he'll have to wait until at least the 2002 college season before beginning his collegiate career.

But after his final performance of 1999, Miller will have plenty of great memories to make his wait that much shorter.

"It was my last high school game," he said. "I left everything on the field."