Dylan Miller jogged back to the sideline with a frustrated look on his face. The diminutive wide receiver was wide open but his quarterback didn’t make eye contact with him. A sure touchdown in his mind flashed right before his eyes.
“I was freaking out because I wanted the ball,” said Miller, who stands at 5-foot-9 and weighs 145 pounds. “My coach saw it too and said, ‘Don’t worry about it. We will run it again.’”
One play later Miller re-entered the game and the same play was called: a 30-yard fly route that took all of eight seconds.
“I was wide open again and I caught it and scored,” he said.
The 17-year-old from Malibu High School has scored touchdowns before, but this wasn’t your average touchdown. And it certainly wasn’t any ordinary high school football game.
Miller had been invited to participate in the 2013 USA Football’s Developmental Games from July 6-12 in Austin, Texas. As a member of the Under-18 U.S. National Developmental team, Miller was one of 175 players selected from across the country featuring many of the top eleventh graders. They were chosen based on outstanding football skills, talent, leadership and character, and divided up into four teams.
USA Football was created in 2002 by the NFL and the NFL Players Association and is the official youth football development partner of the NFL.
Having the opportunity to play for USA Football and attend one of the country’s best high school football camps was an honor and a thrill of a lifetime for Miller. But to go the extra step and score a touchdown in his blue team’s 42-14 victory against the silver team surprised even him and marked the highlight of his young career.
“I didn’t think I was going to score just because everyone was so good,” said Miller. “I was like, ‘How the heck am I supposed to score in this game?’ When I did it was awesome.”
Running a precise route, Miller deceived the cornerback, hauled in the pass and took the ball in for paydirt. The touchdown was just reward for a tough week of practices, which included six days of two practices per day.
“It gave me a perspective of where I was as a football player,” Miller said. “It made me want to get better at least and to get better for the next level hopefully. It takes hard work and work ethic to get you there.”
Malibu coach Ray Humphrey nominated Miller for the chance to attend the camp. Miller first had try-outs at the Oaks Christian School against some of the finest talent in Southern California. More than 200 talented high school juniors came to Westlake Village with the desire to be selected to the national camp in Texas.
After anxiously waiting for more than a week, Miller received an email that informed him of his selection to the elite camp. A formal letter in the mail followed a couple days later. Excitement ensued.
“I thought it was awesome. It was really sweet and I wanted to go,” Miller said.
And off he went representing the black and teal of Malibu High.
The camp featured several competitions and activities designed to assist each athlete’s overall skill development including 7-on-7 passing games, situational scrimmages and two full-length contact closing games.
“It was a great experience. It was by far the best camp that I’ve ever been to,” Miller said. “I’m not an All-American but there were a lot of All-Americans there and I was playing against the best talent.”
Miller’s positive attitude throughout camp and subsequent success in the game squashed any ‘Malibu’ stereotype that might have accompanied him unjustly during the trip.
“Any camp you go to and someone hears that you are from Malibu, they don’t think of anything of you,” said Miller, who caught three passes for 52 yards and the self-fulfilling touchdown. “I went out and played a great game. I showed everyone there something they thought I didn’t have. At the end of the camp I definitely felt I belonged there.”
Humphrey will now turn to Miller for his leadership and dynamic hands to lead the Sharks for the upcoming football season.
“He did a great job. He’s a good young man who deserved to go and he represented our community proudly,” Humphrey said.