By GARY KAUFFMAN
Winning Fairfield's first-ever sectional football championship means a lot to the players, but there's almost no way to measure how much it means to head coach Bob Miller.
Miller has been involved in Fairfield's football program for 27 years, two years as a player, 17 as assistant and eight as head coach.
Miller had a strong grip on the sectional trophy when he finally got a chance to hold it Friday night, after the 28-27 win over Bremen, and seemed loathed to let it go.
“I told Nora Lynn (his wife) that she may have to sleep on the couch tonight so I can take this to bed with me,” he joked.
Senior Cameron Riley appreciated what it meant for his coach.
“We were doing this for him,” Riley said. “He's been doing this for 27 years. Twenty-six years of losing in the sectional was enough.”
While saying the win meant a lot to him personally, Riley was also willing to spread the glory.
“To be able to share this with the community is really awesome,” he said.
Miller graduated in 1982 from Fairfield High School and in 1986 from Grace College.
This is the 41st season of varsity football at Fairfield and Miller is just the fifth head coach.
Bill Putorti coached the Falcons in 1969, John Weaver from 1970-81, Toby Kidder from 1982-87, Jim Jones from 1988 to 2001 and Miller since 2002.
The Fairfield program was starting from scratch as neither the Millersburg Millers nor New Paris Cubs fielded football teams before the school consolidation in 1967.
The Falcons’ best football season in the first 37 years was a 9-2 under Jones in 1989.
After modest success under Miller for four years, the program has taken off and enjoyed a 41-5 record over the last four.
The Falcons play a Class 2A regional game Friday night at Rensselaer, located in the center of Jasper County. Due to a time difference, kickoff will be at 8 (our time).
The winner draws either Lewis Cass or Fort Wayne Luers for a semistate game Nov. 20.
