Brookfield’s Miller earns revenge in Top Gun match

The 130-pounder beat Berkshire’s Blake Thoreson to reach today’s semifinals.

By ERIC HAMILTON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

ALLIANCE — When he got a look at his bracket for this weekend’s Top Gun tournament, Brookfield’s Dann Miller had one thing in mind: revenge.

The junior, seeded fifth in the 130-pound weight class, was looking forward to a potential quarterfinal match against fourth-seeded Blake Thoreson (Berkshire). It’s significant because Thoreson ended Miller’s freshman season two years ago by knocking him out of the Division III district tournament and denying him a trip to the state tournament.

“I really wanted the rematch so I could get revenge,” said Miller. “I should have beat him last time.”

Miller got his wish by winning his first two matches on Friday, one by pin and the other by major decision. Miller entered the fray with a 20-0 record, while Thoreson was 28-3.

After a 2-2 first period, Miller broke the match open with a single-leg takedown for a 4-2 advantage and went on to score four more points and won the quarterfinal match 8-2 to earn a berth in today’s championship semifinals.

“We both were getting tired and making mistakes, but I was able to catch him on his,” said Miller. “He was getting sloppy and standing up too straight, so I was able to get the single. I really wanted this rematch and it’s nice to get it off my chest.

“I have the Graham kid [Brian Stephens] next, so that will be a tough one, but I’m hoping to get to the finals and hopefully finish in the top three.”

Miller will face Stephens, the top seed, in the semifinals this afternoon. The junior is 20-3 on the season for the defending Division II state champions.

His strong performance at Top Gun has been the highlight of the season so far for Miller, as Brookfield has struggled as a team. The Warriors have a new coaching staff and lost several state qualifiers from last year’s team. The regular lineup includes just eight wrestlers and as a result, the team’s dual match record isn’t up to the normal standards.

“It’s been a confusing and challenging year,” said Miller. “With the way things are, we’re each kind of wrestling for ourselves instead of for the team. I’ve been able to move to the weight I want to this year and am now the leader of the team.”

Miller finished fifth at districts in 2007, just missing a trip to the state tournament in Columbus. He’s doing all the right things so far in order to make sure he won’t miss out in 2008. That includes giving up a lot of his favorite foods and losing a lot of weight each week.

“I eat a lot of fruit,” said Miller. “Pretty much it’s toast for breakfast instead of cereal, PBJ for lunch and fruit. I have to lose about nine pounds a week, so I run a lot and wear sweats all the time. I just work and wrestle as hard as I can.”

In addition to placing in the top three today at Top Gun, Miller has a more personal goal. If he takes third place, he’ll finish one spot better than his uncle Matt Ray did in the mid-1990s when he took fourth at Top Gun for Hubbard.

“That would be neat,” said Miller. “I guess I’d be kind of like the family champion.”