LaPorte's Miller ready for run at state

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Matt Miller ran in the shadow of one of the best distance runners this area has ever produced in LaPorte's Mike Fout, but he learned a lot from his lanky teammate.

"By winning the sectional, regional and semistate, I'm getting to feel what Mike felt -- it's pretty cool," says Miller.

There's another fast guy out there who might as well be a teammate of Miller's in David Osborn from Chesterton. Miller and Osborn have raced each other eight times this season. Saturday, they will make it nine as the two speedsters vie for an individual state championship.

"It's definitely good to know Osborn is going to be right there whenever we race against each other," says Miller. "When the postseason begins, I have somebody to run with. It's great to get that kind of competition all the way through the tournament. It prepares us both for Terre Haute."

Miller figures he has a better kick than Osborn, but says the Trojans' top runner really knows how to push the middle miles. Miller's coach, Tim Beres, agrees.

"That's pretty much where David has beaten Matt, when he gets an early lead on Matt and tries to demoralize him in the middle of the race."

Miller used to shoot hoops for the Slicers but dropped the ball so he could put in more miles.

"I was named MVP of the JV basketball team my sophomore year, but gave it up," says Miller. "I had a very good season as a sophomore in cross country (5th in the DAC) but after basketball, when track season rolled around; I was out of shape. My junior year, I ran throughout the winter and had a much better track season."

Beres figures Miller to be ranked about sixth in the state coming into the race, but he believes if his senior has a day, he can win the state championship just like Fout did last year.

It won't be a walk in the park at LaVern Gibson.

"North Central has a freshman (Futsom Zeinasellassie) who on paper looks like he can't be beat," says Beres. "The Shields twins (Drew and Aaron) of Fishers are excellent runners. As a freshman, Fort Wayne Carroll's James Martin was runner up to Fout; he was injured earlier in the season but looks to be coming on strong. Tyler Byrne from downstate (North Harrison) is tough."

But don't count Miller out; he has a secret weapon -- intestinal fortitude.

"I'm not really that fast of sprinter," says Miller. "I think I just have a will to win."

Beres expounds.

"If you look at last year's 1,600s and 3,200s from track season, you'll see that Matt won a ton of photo finishes," says Beres. "That's something you can't teach. He's race savvy. In cross country, Matt knows when to make a pass. And when he passes, he passes hard."

Beres recalls a perfect example of Miller's competitive spirit which occurred during the regular season.

"The day before the Culver Invite, Matt came to practice as white as a ghost and shivering with a bad case of the flu. I basically sent him home. Later that evening, he tried to go to the team meal. He curled up in a ball on the floor and slept for a couple hours and then went home. His dad called me, saying he wasn't going to drop off his son the next morning for the meet. He was too sick.

"Matt showed up at 5:30 a.m. I asked him what he was doing. He said, 'I'm gonna run.' "

Miller nipped Osborn by a half second that day.

Last year, Osborn only beat Miller one time; that was at the state finals. If Miller has a shot at winning state, so does Osborn