Weiser’s Evan Miller closes the deal to earn Wyomissing Physical Therapy Player of the Week

By Mike Drago Last updated Nov 6, 2024

Evan Miller was the closer for Conrad Weiser’s baseball team in the spring. The left-hander led the team in appearances and shared the league lead in saves.

He closed the deal on the Scouts’ perfect football season Friday, catching a fourth-down pass on a fake punt that allowed Weiser to run out the clock in its 28-27 victory over Unionville.

Prior to that Miller took five straight handoffs as the Scouts attempted to run down the clock on their way to their first 10-0 finish since 1996. Miller, who began the season as a tight end, converted to running back in Week 9 to fill a void created by injuries. He rushed for 94 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns Friday to earn Wyomissing Physical Therapy Offensive Player of the Week for the first time.

When the Scouts saw their top two tailbacks lost for the season during a Week 8 win over Warwick, head coach Alan Moyer and his staff had to shuffle their lineup. One of the keys was moving the 6-1, 220-pound Miller from H-back to tailback.

He was getting a few carries each game from that spot and showed he might be able to handle the switch.

“We recognized that when he did carry the ball, he did very well,” Moyer said. “He’s tough to bring down. He’s got strong legs. When he gets the ball, he runs hard.”

He did after the Scouts got the ball back Friday with three minutes remaining and leading by a point. When faced with a fourth-and-2 at the Unionville 42 Moyer wasn’t ready to give up the ball. He called for a fake punt.

Quarterback Donovan Gingrich, one of the league’s top punters, lined up in punt formation. Miller lined up in the backfield as a punt protector. He circled out of the backfield, found himself uncovered, and took Gingrich’s pass 33 yards to the 9. Gingrich was able to take a knee at that point as the clock wound down.

“I knew it was going to work,” Miller said of the fake, “because they are an aggressive team that likes to fly up and I’m confident in our abilities to get it done on fourth down.”

That particular play out of punt formation is one the Scouts have practiced all season but hadn’t used in a game in four years, Moyer said.

“It worked, so that makes it a great call,” he said. “If it doesn’t work, it makes it a horrible call.”

(The Scouts were successful on two earlier fake punts this year, but on a different play call.)

Miller scored a 3-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the first half Friday to give Weiser a 21-6 lead. He caught a 34-yard scoring passed with 5:47 remaining to give Weiser a 28-19 lead. He finished with three catches for 69 yards.

In his first start at tailback, in a win over Cocalico that clinched the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 title, Miller ran 13 times for 97 yards.

“He doesn’t have blazing speed, but he’s got power and can run downhill,” Moyer said. “He’s not gonna juke anybody, he’s going to run north and south, and we don’t ask him to do anything else. The kid’s running like a horse.”

Miller is an all-around athlete. He started at defensive end as a freshman. His junior season lasted just 12 plays before he was lost for the year with a shoulder injury, which required surgery and caused him to miss basketball season. He’s been utilized only on offense this season in order to help protect his shoulder.

Miller is the second Conrad Weiser player to earn Offensive Player of the Week this season; Davis Keppley was selected last week.

Players considered for Player of the Week honors are nominated by their coaches or by members of the MikeDragoSports.com coverage team.

This is the fourth consecutive season that Wyomissing Physical Therapy has sponsored the Offensive Player of the Week award. At the end of the season an Offensive Player of the Year will be selected.