Warren's Kokrak third, two shots back

Former Hubbard golfer Alex Antonio shot a second round 76.
BEACHWOOD (AP) -- Marty Miller hesitated when asked the biggest tournament he's ever won.
He did not hesitate when asked if he was prepared to win the 100th Ohio Amateur championship.
"I'm not going to back down from anybody," Miller said Wednesday after shooting his second consecutive 3-under 68 to take a one-shot lead over Jason Gerken. "If I'm at the top of my game, I think I can compete with anybody."
Only eight players broke par under ominous skies and an occasional sprinkle at Canterbury Golf Club in suburban Cleveland. Ten players were subpar in the opening round.
Miller has won the Middletown city championship three times but outside of club championships and some country tournaments, he has yet to win on the big stage.
Seeks biggest win
Taking the Ohio Amateur -- which counts Arnold Palmer, John Cook and Ben Curtis among its winners -- would definitely be the biggest victory for the 24-year-old former Wright State golfer.
"Just stay in the moment and not worry about anybody else," Miller said of his game plan in the final two rounds. "I know what I can do. I need to stay within my limits and play good, solid golf."
After bogeying three holes and posting six birdies in the opening round, he had far less of an adventure in the second round. He didn't make a bogey and needed just 26 putts -- five fewer than in the opening round -- to get to 6-under 136.
He hit several lengthy putts, rolling in a 35-footer from off the green at the 13th, which was converted from a par-5 to a par-4 for the tournament.
"He made everything," playing partner Wes Homan Jr. said. "A few times it looked like he was going to make a bogey, but he always made the putts. On 15, he was down in front and rolled his first putt about 12 feet by. He made that coming back -- and it was a tough putt, too."
Gerken had the day's low round with a 67.
Contended before
A recent graduate of Princeton University, Gerken is no stranger to contending at the Ohio Amateur.
He fell one stroke short of making a playoff at the 2002 tournament at Sylvania Country Club won by Kevin Kornowa. A year later, Gerken finished second to Steve Paramore at Aurora Golf and Country Club, cutting a six-shot deficit in the final round but coming up short.
Gerken posted five birdies, including a 30-foot putt at No. 6 and a chip-in from off the fringe at the 605-yard 16th.
He said he, like Miller, planned to turn pro later this summer. But he couldn't pass up one more chance to finally nail down an Ohio Amateur.
"I've been playing tournament golf for 12 years," the Logan native said. "I get to see a lot of guys again who I've been playing with and against for years. I've been on the East Coast for the last four years, so I don't get to see a lot of the guys from Ohio State or Northwestern or other schools."
Kokrak has 68
Xavier golfer Jason Kokrak from Warren -- who also threatened to win the 2002 Ohio Amateur as a 17-year-old -- shot a 68 and was another shot back at 4-under 138.
Andy Miller of Xenia, one of five players who shared the lead after opening-round 68s, had a 72 and was alone in fourth at 130. University of Akron golfer Blake Sattler from New Philadelphia, a first-team All-Mid-American Conference player, shot a 70 and was at 141.
The field's oldest player, 61-year-old Alex Antonio, formerly of Hubbard, had two double-bogeys on the back nine and lapsed to a 76, as did another first-round co-leader, Jason Ferrante of Dublin. Both were at 144 along with Mark Telerico (73).