ONTARIO — As 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’ sidelines.

It wasn’t the student section storming the field or coaches and players celebrating. It wasn’t parents and fans coming down to the field to bask in arguably the greatest football game they had ever seen.

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

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

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

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

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

As much as Mr. Football is an individual award, Miller would love nothing more than to have his teammates share in the nomination. It is how he has been every day as a four-year starter for the Warriors. From Day 1, Ontario coach Aaron Eckert saw Miller put his teammates ahead of himself making him the true definition of Mr. Football.

“For him to even be nominated is awesome,” Eckert said. “Someone from Ontario has never been in that position before so it is special for him to be able to display his talents and pick up an offer from Ohio State. Everything worked out for a kid that does everything the right way and is just a very, very good kid. It’s fitting and deserving and an awesome thing for Bodpegn and his family.”

Bodpegn Miller is making an impact on Ontario youth off of the field

It wasn’t the first time the younger kids had seen 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 middle school assembly before the start of the playoffs, Ontario High School asked Miller to speak to the entire middle school to tell his story. He donned his Ohio State T-shirt and gave a powerful speech. When he spoke, they all listened.

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

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

Miller didn’t know 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 kid who does everything the right way and comes from a fantastic family full of great people who make an honest living. His parents, Alan and Deanna Miller, are a blessing to him, and Bodpegn is a blessing to them. He is going to graduate with an associate’s degree. At some point, someday, it might be a movie. It is one of those stories that people will never believe is true, and yet here we are.”

And a story that Miller cannot believe is even true and can only be credited to his faith.

“It is an amazing feeling, but the best thing that 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, that will mean the world to me.

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

Miller’s funny start to love for football

Like any toddler growing up, Miller attached himself to a certain movie. Normally, kids watch cartoons on repeat hour after hour, day after day. The same movie over and over and over. For Miller, it was Adam Sandler’s The Waterboy, a football comedy.

“It still might be my favorite movie even now,” Miller said laughing. “There was something about that movie and the way the water boy went out there and lit people up just got me going and made me fall in love with football. When I first got here, I didn’t understand movies and actors and that whole concept so when Happy Gilmore came out, and when I saw the movie being played 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 forward, Miller wanted to play football.

“Regardless of where you are and what language you speak, the one thing we all understand is comedy,” Eckert said smiling. “So, it doesn’t shock me that he came over here and understood that movie. Comedy is kind of like football. It doesn’t take a ton of talking and understanding to learn the game. Throw the football, catch the football, run the football and tackle the guy with the football. I am glad he watched that movie. It is poetic justice.”

Love of football leads to historic career for Bodpegn Miller

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

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

But his rushing numbers are even more historic. With 3,601 yards, making him the all-time rushing yards leader, too, sitting ahead of Campbell’s 3,556. He is second in career rushing TDs with 47, only nine behind Campbell’s 54.

“Last year, at this point, we were a little frustrated that we didn’t have many college offers or people looking around,” Eckert said. “What a difference a year can make. He went from a very good player last year to, in my opinion, the best football player to ever come through Ontario High School and we will let everyone else argue about where he sits in Richland County history.”

He is the only player to be listed on the 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 passing yards list and is one of just 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 if you try to talk numbers with Miller, its a conversation with a dead end.

“I don’t really think about that right now,” Miller said. “All I am thinking about is going out and playing football with my boys. The stats don’t mean anything to me. I am just a kid playing football with his friends.”

Miller and his friends played football at a historic pace. In four seasons, the Ontario senior class led the Warriors to a 31-15 record, the most wins in a four-year stretch since winning 35 games from 2001-2004. But the 12 wins this season broke the single-season program record. The three playoff victories 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 is 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 I had no idea were even possible,” Miller said. “It led me to Ontario, Ohio, helped me make life-long friends and taught me the value of being humble. It has been an awesome experience.”

And it is 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 about how he became one of the best high school football players in Ohio.

A story that is sure to inspire.

jfurr@gannett.com

740-244-9934

X: @JakeFurr11