By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

MOUNT ULLA — The wrestling accomplishments piled up for Hunter Miller last winter.

South Piedmont Conference champion at 195 pounds, 3A Midwest Regional runner-up, sixth in the state tournament. He was 35-10 with 19 pins.

Wrestling is a sport in which cutting weight is often a factor, while football is a sport where packing on as many pounds as possible is a factor, but there’s still a strong correlation between the two endeavors.

Wrestling footwork and quickness, hand-fighting techniques and leverage knowledge all translate very well to the football field, and Miller’s wrestling skills have started translating in ways that his football coaches have learned to love.

“We look at Hunter and our other defensive end (Kevin Toomer) as luxuries,” West head coach Louis Kraft said. “They’ve had a lot of reps. They’re productive. They’re consistent. We never have to worry about them.”

As a senior, Miller’s football skill has caught up to his wrestling ability. As a 215-pound defensive end he had 11 sacks in West’s first nine games and he hopes to add more before it’s time to get back on the mat.

Amazingly enough, sacks didn’t become an official NFL stat until 1982, but even first-graders know a sack when they see one. Sacks — basically smashing the quarterback before he can throw the football — are Miller’s specialty.

“There’s no secret to my success as far as getting sacks,” Miller said. “It’s just work, hard work, and putting in the time. I’ve learned a lot about how to play defensive end in the last year. Last year, honestly, it was my first year playing defensive end and I was just going after the ball. I’m a lot better at reading quarterbacks now. I’ve got a better plan.”

Miller also recorded 11 sacks last season, but he basically was a pass-rusher. This season he’s added much more effective run-stopping to his helmet-on-fire pass rushes.

Experience has been a big part of his growth.

“In middle school I was a tight end,’ Miller said. “As a freshman and sophomore, I was a linebacker. So last year was my first time as a defensive end.”

Miller’s No. 50 jersey is a reminder of his linebacker days, but he’s more than holding his own in the trenches with the big boys wearing 60s and 70s.

Miller sprained an ankle in West’s loss to Robinson — not much went right for the Falcons that night — but he’s managed the pain and the recovery. He’s back close to 100 percent now.

West needed him to be good in the recent win at Concord that gave West third place in the South Piedmont Conference and a playoff berth, and he came through.

“Concord scored right before the half, so they had some momentum,” Miller said. “But we were able to settle down at halftime. We came out in the second half and did a good job of stopping the run. That’s usually going to be the priority for us — stop the run, If we can stop the run, it helps our DBs control the passing game.”

Miller is one of West’s 24 seniors, although three of those 24 are out for the season with serious injuries.

Miller does all that he can to make up for the teammates who are missing.

“He’s been a great, lead-by-example senior,” Kraft said. “He is a lot more concerned about our team success than any personal success he might have. He’s that kid that you see coming down the hallways with a smile on his face and he’s rarely in a bad mood.”

West had a rough start, was quickly in an 0-3 hole and was 2-5 on Oct. 6.

But with seniors like Miller, the Falcons are trying to keep some long streaks alive.

They still haven’t missed the playoffs since 2001. The next goal—  avoid their first losing season since 1998.

When the playoffs end, Miller will report to the wrestling team. Wrestling probably will be his college sport.

The plan this year is for him to grapple for the Falcons at 215 pounds, That means he won’ t have to cut any weight.That thought makes him smile almost as much as a two-sack night.

“I’ll get to eat a little bit,” he said.