With junior back at helm, Wayne rallies past Fairmont

Quarterback Miller missed two games with thigh bruise, but scored twice in fourth quarter.

Staff photo by Jim Noelker Fairmont quarterback Nick Bower is wrapped up by Wayne linebacker Teven Williams (3) on Friday night, Oct. 9, in Kettering.

ENLARGE PHOTO

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By Kyle Nagel, Staff Writer 12:28 AM Saturday, October 10, 2009

KETTERING — On his first play in three weeks, Braxton Miller, the Wayne High School junior quarterback, lined up at receiver.

The long pass to him from freshman backup Javon Harrison sailed wide out of bounds.

“I would’ve caught it,” Miller said with a smile afterwards in his dressing stall, “if it was inbounds.”

Miller would get more chances to make plays. In at quarterback from the fifth series onward, Miller scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to help Wayne top Fairmont 21-14 on Friday, Oct. 9.

During Miller’s absence because of a thigh bruise, Wayne lost two straight. With him back — and with help from Anthone Taylor, who rushed for 164 yards — Wayne drove 70 yards for the go-ahead touchdown, a 2-yard Miller run, with 1:19 left.

The Warriors (4-3) then held off Fairmont, which threw five red zone passes in the final 35.1 seconds (with Fairmont coaches calling for pass interference penalties on some).

The Firebirds, who played part of the fourth quarter with backup Brad Hack at quarterback because starter Nick Bower was weakened by flu, dropped to 3-4.

“We were due,” Wayne coach Jay Minton said of the final drive, which used runs by Taylor and Jalen Mack to set up Miller’s score. “We had been a little lackluster on offense, so it was time for us to put something together.”

Fairmont got the first promising opportunity late in the second quarter after a snap went over the Wayne punter’s head to the Wayne 18-yard line.

Bower then connected with Brendon Cunnington for an 18-yard touchdown pass with three minutes left in the first half for the 7-0 lead.

Wayne’s Tre Moore tied it with a 55-yard punt return touchdown in the third quarter, and Miller gave the Warriors the lead on a 1-yard run with 9:29 left.

Ben Victor, Fairmont’s senior running back, tied the game at 14-14 with 5:23 left following a punt block and recovery by senior Matt Jackson put Fairmont at the 6-yard line.

Then Wayne took over and, with Miller at the helm, drove for the winning score.

“He played like we thought, a little rusty at first,” Minton said of Miller. “But I think he got more comfortable as the game went on.”

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