Miller Cardinal footballers trounce Cabool in district playoff opener

The Miller Cardinals had to overcome some adversity before their district opener as it appeared the Cardinals would host their first round game as the 8 seed, but a loophole in the MSHSAA District Points system, the 0-9 Cabool Bulldogs jumped from the 10 seed to the 8 seed following a 36-6 loss to Class 3 Salem, last Friday. That loss not just moved Cabool ahead of the 2-7 Cardinals but also made Miller travel nearly two hours for their district matchup.
The ride was not a factor as the Miller Cardinals were amped out of the gate, piling up a 22-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and 49-0 advantage at the half.
The second half was all turbo clock as its entirety lasted roughly 35 minutes in real time. Touchdowns from Caden Calvin and Brayden Williams gave Miller their highest scoring output of the season in a 61-0 victory.
“We wanted to be 1-0,” Coach Derek Hill said after the victory. “We had left a lot of things out on the table throughout the season and we wanted to put something together to prove the kind of football team we can be no matter the caliber of the opponent.”
Miller’s Jarod Lung had a career game Friday night after a pair of games where he felt like he left something out there.
“I haven’t played well the last couple weeks and it was tough. I came into tonight thinking I really needed to show who I am and what I have and it worked,” Lung said.
The Cardinals improve to 3-7 on the season and face the defending state champions in Marionville, Friday. Miller will travel to Marionville in a win or go home quarterfinal game against the Comets at 7 p.m.