March 17, 2020
By: Dwayne Page
Bill Miller, a senior at DCHS and a star Tiger soccer player signed a letter of intent with Milligan College on Monday to play collegiate soccer for the Buffaloes next season after he graduates in May.
Joining Miller for the signing were members of his family, coaches, and fellow players.
Milligan College, located near Johnson City, Tennessee, is one of the South’s premier Christian liberal arts colleges and offers more than 100 majors, minors, pre-professional degrees, and concentrations in a variety of fields, along with graduate and adult degree completion programs.
The Buffaloes compete in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national affiliation.
“I am glad to see him going to a good school. It’s a Christian school and he will get a good quality education and play some soccer along the way and do what he loves doing so I am really excited for him,” said DCHS Soccer Coach Dylan Kleparek.
“I really like the school (Milligan). It has a very strong Christian base and in academics as well as soccer so I will get to improve my mind as well as my body,” said Miller.
“In addition to playing soccer, I am thinking about furthering my education in sports medicine. My grandfather is a doctor and my mom is a pharmacist so the medical field is something that has always interested me and this is a way of getting the best of both worlds,” Miller continued.
Although all DeKalb County sports have been temporarily halted with schools closed due to the coronavirus threat, Coach K said he will be counting on Bill once the season resumes.
“Bill is an excellent soccer player and an excellent kid. He plays at outside back. He is a left back now. He was a right back last year but I had to move him over. He usually faces the other team’s best players and he does a great job. They (opponents) usually try to pick on him but he shows them up. He is the kind of guy you want to have around your team. He is a quality individual with great character and a great leader. Bill is also a really hard worker. He came into the program a little smaller than everybody else and had to work really hard to get where he is at but he has put the time and effort in and has shown himself to be an outstanding person and an outstanding player. Bill means a lot to our team and to me. I have coached him since he was little through recreation league and on up,” said Coach Kleparek.
“I have a strong connection with my coach and other teammates and they have helped me to improve and grow, not just on the field but as a person. It is really nice to know that my teammates are behind me and support me on this journey,” said Miller.
Another highlight of his senior year would be for Bill to share the soccer field with his younger brother Cameron, who is also on the Tiger team as a freshman. Cameron, who was diagnosed with Leukemia last year underwent successful Car T cell treatment and a bone marrow transplant with his father being the donor.
“Cameron is getting stronger and hopefully he will be able to get back on the field again with us this year. This is our year to be able to play together and we’re still hoping to be able to do that toward the end of the season,” added Bill.