THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 18, 1996 TAG: 9601180559
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
Up until about 10:45 p.m. Saturday, First Colonial wrestler Eric Miller appeared to have about as much chance of being named The Virginian-Pilot Athlete of the Week as Hulk Hogan.
The sophomore heavyweight had brought an unimposing 3-6 record into the Virginia Duals' ``Top Gun'' tournament at Hampton Coliseum. Miller then suffered pins in his first two tournament bouts, including one in which he lasted just 17 seconds.
The Patriots still advanced to the tournament final against Gloucester. But Miller's prospects for a championship-round victory seemed so bleak - Gloucester heavyweight Jason Valcourt already had pinned Miller last month in the Western Branch Invitational - that three hours beforehand, Patriots coach Joe Bothel scratched Miller from the lineup.
About a half-hour before the final, Bothel changed his mind.
And in six dramatic, tension-filled minutes, Miller revived his own flagging confidence, turned around his team's fortunes and stamped himself as a wrestler to watch for the rest of the season.
With the Patriots trailing by one, Miller rallied from a 2-0, third-period deficit to outduel Valcourt 4-2, an outcome which lifted the Patriots to a 29-27 victory and the inaugural ``Top Gun'' championship.
``I really needed that,'' Miller said. ``I'd been losing a lot of the past two weeks. That match was a real confidence-builder.''
A lack of confidence, it appears, was the main thing keeping Miller out of the ranks of quality wrestlers. Unlike many heavyweights, the 6-foot-2, 240-pound Miller is a terrific natural athlete. He played four sports at Lynnhaven Middle School, worked his way onto First Colonial's varsity basketball team as a freshman and made honorable mention All-Beach District in football.
In practices, Miller looked sharp. In matches, however, it got to the point where Miller hoped the outcome would be decided before he took the mat.
In one bout, however, Miller transformed himself, at least in his own mind, from end-of-the-lineup albatross to championship hero.
Confidence, it appears, is no longer a problem.
``When I went into the wrestling room (for the first time since the tournament), I was doing all these things I'd never done before,'' Miller said.
``I wasn't thinking about anything. I was just wrestling. It felt good. Real good.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Eric Miller
by CNB