AJ Miller's hard work pays off for Pickerington North in win over New Albany

PICKERINGTON, Ohio – Inspired by encouragement from Pickerington North’s football coaches, AJ Miller worked tirelessly in the weight room this year to add even more muscle to his already-chiseled 6-foot-4 frame so that he could successfully transition from wide receiver to tight end.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham recruit’s hard work continued to pay dividends for the Panthers on Friday, as the towering, 220-pound North senior made two spectacular touchdown catches and consistently overwhelmed defenders with his blocking at the line of scrimmage to help spark North’s 21-17 come-from-behind home victory over New Albany.

“It was a bit of a tough transition at first, going from wide receiver to tight end, especially learning how to block more in the interior of the field than the perimeter, but I wanted to do what’s best for my team,” said Miller, whose squad improved to 9-0 overall and 4-0 in the Ohio Capital Conference-Ohio Division. “I went from being 6-2 and 180 pounds as a pure wide receiver to 6-4 and 220 this season, and it’s worked out well for me, because I have the body type to play as a college tight end, and I’ve developed into another weapon for my high school team.”

Miller, who already has five touchdown receptions this season after not scoring as a junior, showed off his versatility on both of his scoring catches.

With North, ranked No. 13 in the latest SBLive Ohio Power 25, trailing 14-0, Miller caught a short pass from quarterback Landon O’Connell, muscled his way out of the grasp of two different defenders at the line of scrimmage, and then outraced New Albany’s secondary to the end zone for a 78-yard touchdown.

That play cut North’s deficit to 14-7 with 2:05 remaining in the second quarter, and changed the momentum of the game heading into halftime.

“One of their guys had my legs wrapped, but that’s where all of that hard work in the weight room paid off, because I was able to fight through it and break that tackle,” Miller said. “Even though I’m no longer a wide receiver, I also kept working hard on my speed training while I was putting on weight. I ran some track (last spring) and worked with a trainer, and I was able to use my speed to get to the end zone.”

And with 3:30 remaining in the third quarter, Miller juked his way past a New Albany defensive back with a shoulder fake downfield, and then made a diving 26-yard touchdown catch in the end zone.

Moments later, Jaiden Vital hauled into a two-point conversion pass from O’Connell to make it 21-14, and Miller’s second touchdown ultimately held up as the game-winning score.

“That was an incredible catch by AJ on a great ball thrown by Landon on a windy night,” North coach Nate Hillerich said. “AJ’s grown taller and stronger, and he’s having a breakout year. Despite his size and strength, he’s still one of the fastest guys on our team, and you could see that on both of his touchdown catches.”

Despite the gusty wind conditions, O’Connell was able to complete 11 of his 22 pass attempts for 156 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Panthers opened the second half with a 10-play, 66-yard touchdown drive, which was capped by a 10-yard pass from O’Connell to Derek Ross Jr. with 8:22 remaining in the third quarter.

But the Eagles were able to retain a 14-13 lead when Tommy Roberts III raced in and blocked the extra-point kick attempt.

“We got ourselves in a little hole, but we fought back and scored on that first drive of the second half, and took control at that point,” Hillerich said. “Landon threw the ball very well, especially considering how much wind we had, and Derek Ross made a great catch, too.”

With Illinois recruit Angelo McCullom leading a stout defensive line, North’s defense surrendered only 67 yards in the entire second half.

The Eagles ended three of their five second half possessions with punts, and North senior defensive back Kelly Jackson intercepted the ball at New Albany’s 49-yard line with 1:12 remaining in the fourth quarter to ice the game.

“Jackson’s one of the best defensive backs in the state and he had a huge interception at the end of the game,” Hillerich said. “Our linebackers, Cameron Butler-Woods and Kaiyin Lyles shut down their interior run. This really was a team effort.”

New Albany opened the game with an 11-play, 67-yard touchdown drive, which was capped by a 30-yard rainbow pass down the right sideline from quarterback Braylen Nash to wide receiver Brayden Pettinger.

On New Albany’s third possession, the Eagles drove 51 yards on 14 plays and scored on a 2-yard run by tailback Joseph Owusu-Ansah to grab a 14-0 advantage with 3:32 remaining in the second quarter.

After falling behind for the first time on Miller’s second touchdown catch, the Eagles responded by driving all the way to the Panthers’ 22 on an 11-play possession before settling for a 39-yard field goal by Michael Jordan, which cut their deficit to 21-17 with 11:16 remaining.

New Albany took possession of the ball at North’s 38 on its next possession, after the Panthers failed to convert a fake punt attempt, but the Eagles were penalized for holding on first down and ultimately were forced to punt on a fourth-and-13 play.

“We had an opportunity late in the game after their fake punt, and we took a shot with some throws, but we were unable to convert that chance into points,” said New Albany coach Brian Finn, whose squad dropped to 3-6 overall and 2-2 in the OCC-Ohio. “We’re not a moral victory program. We came here to try to win this game, and we had some success scoring early. But Pickerington North has a very explosive offense and a good defense, and their lineup has a lot of Division I recruits on both sides of the ball.

“I’m disappointed with the result, but not upset with our effort.”

North tailback Dorian Hamilton finished with a game-high 77 yards on 16 carries to help the Panthers run out the clock in the second half.

New Albany’s offense was led by running backs Owusu-Ansah (22 carries, 69 yards) and Will Olah (20 carries, 62 yards).

Nash also was 3-of-8 passing for 65 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

“New Albany’s a great football team and they played with incredible effort,” Hillerich said. “I’m just so proud of our kids, because we had to fight and grit this win out.”

North will wrap up its regular season next Friday with its OCC-Ohio finale at Gahanna Lincoln, which is also 9-0 overall and 4-0 in league play. The Lions, who are ranked fourth in the Division I state poll, are the defending Division I, Region 3 champion.

“That’s going to be a huge game between two state powerhouses,” Miller said. “Gahanna’s a great team and we’re expecting a great game.”