Posted on March 23, 2017.
By Thomas Sellers Jr.
The 2017 TSSAA track season is currently underway. One of the names to watch across the state of Tennessee resides in Millington. Walter Miller announced his arrival in Volunteer State track and field last season with two silver medals in the State Track meet in Murfreesboro. Entering this campaign, the Millington Trojan is one of the favorites to win it all in the 200m and 400m. He’s been keeping his skills sharp with the EDA Flyers competing in indoor AAU track. Miller had a solid showing at the February AAU meet bringing home a second and fourth place finish representing the team named in honor of the late Elijah Alexander. Miller said most people think running is just running whether indoors or outside. “Indoor the tracks are tighter,” he explained. “Outdoor the tracks are wider. Indoor is like like a 200m track. In the 400m you run two laps. Outdoors you only run one lap.” The Trojan senior said this AAU season took on extra importance recovering from a setback suffered during the 2016 football season. Miller was the Trojans’ deep threat and had a few big plays. But the speedster blew out a wheel during one game late in the season. “I think I did pretty good coming back from injury, my hamstring tear,” he said. “It help me push more and work hard. Plus I learned more strategies of running.” Miller used natural gifts to explode on the scene in Tennessee track. He was encouraged to tap into his potential by his family. “We didn’t think about starting off until I moved here,” he recalled. “Then my stepdad told my Mom about it. They met Coach Dennis (Alexander) and started talking about it. My first track meet indoor was at LSU. Then we had started high school.” As a junior, Miller brought home two medals from Murfreesboro. He participated in the Class A-AA 200m and 400m events. He took the silver medal in the 200m and finished fourth in the 400m. His time in the 400m was 50.43 with Stratford’s TreVon Sanders winning the event in a time of 48.65. In the 200m race, the winner was Jeremy McDowell from Maplewood outlasted Miller 21.50 to 21.73. “I know I have to work two-times harder to bring the gold back home,” Miller said. “Set a goal and go after it, you have to be goal oriented.” Miller developed that mindset competing for the EDA Eagles. The founder and director of the Eagles is the man known as Coach Dennis. Alexander has been influential in the Millington community for quite several years coaching Trojan talent on the track. He’s coached a number of state champions and competitors at Millington Central High School, Millington Middle School and SYS. Alexander has invested time in student/athletes like Miller to help them reach their full potential. Coaching the team named in honor of his late son has been extra motivation for him and the children. “It’s a blessing to represent him, Elijah,” he said. “It felt good for me to run for him and Coach Dennis. I know he’s watching over me and Coach Dennis is there to help me out to show me how to run.”
For more information about the EDA Eagles, call Coach Dennis Alexander at 830-5561 or e-mail [email protected].
