It didn’t take long for Tom Miller to earn his first victory in dirt-track racing. It came in a feature race in just his second full season in 1980 when he was in his early 20s.
“It came in the Expo down in Cortland at the Trumbull County Fairgrounds,” Miller said of the race with his semi-late model 1971 Chevrolet Camaro. “I was really battling it out with another guy who was one of their top racers down there. I can’t even remember his name.
“We went back and forth the whole race. I finally took the lead with a couple laps to go and managed to hold him the rest of the race. He was right on my bumper.”
It was certainly a validating experience for young Miller and a real confidence builder for the future.
“It was pretty satisfying because I beat one of the top guys down there,” he said. “It made me feel like I fit in with that kind of driver.”
— Karl Pearson
Sports
HIS FIRST CHECKERED FLAG...
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Eagles fly to top seed
Having already clinched a share of the Premier Athletic Conference championship — which they can wrap up outright with a win at North on Tuesday — the Geneva Eagles were accorded another honor Sunday.
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SECTIONAL SUCCESS:
- 1. Jefferson 17
- 2. Madison 11
- 3. Perry 8
- 4. Geneva 7
- 5. Conneaut 6
- 5. Pymatuning Valley 6
- 7. Riverside 4
- 8. Grand Valley 1
- 9. Edgewood 0
- 9. Lakeside 0
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Carter lands on her feet at Jefferson
Riley and Abby Carter had a hard time recognizing their mom this past fall without all the equipment and coaching gear in her minivan.
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Scholastic Schedule:
MONDAY, FEB. 6
Boys Basketball
n Calvary Baptist at Grand River Academy
Girls Basketball
n Edgewood at SJP (6:30)
n PV at Grand Valley
n Kirtland at Jefferson
n Perry at Chardon -
Outdoors Insider, with Dale Sunderlin: In search of... song dogs
With deer season coming to an end what are you going to do over the next few months until spring turkey season arrives?
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Battle of Mustangs to GV
Consistency and execution are things all coaches look for in their teams. The Mathews Mustangs have done both to a great degree this season in rolling to the top of the Northeastern Athletic Conference race, while the Grand Valley Mustangs have had too many moments where they didn’t achieve those traits.
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Scholastic Schedule:
SATURDAY, FEB. 4
Boys Basketball
n Conneaut at NDCL
n Lincoln-West at Grand River Academy (5) -
Lakers make it four in a row
Amid a sea of pink and a blaze of red all over the court defensively, the Pymatuning Valley Lakers accomplished something many thought they couldn’t at the beginning of the season: Win the Northeastern Athletic Conference championship.
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Scholastic Schedule:
FRIDAY, FEB. 3
Boys Basketball
n Jefferson at Lakeview
n US at Geneva
n Lakeside at Riverside
n PV at Badger
n Mathews at Grand Valley
n Madison at North
n Andrews at Edgewood
n Perry at Chagrin Falls
n Lake Ridge Academy at Grand River Academy -
An appreciation for the past
In 1958, a mere 54 years ago, the Grand Valley High School and Ashtabula County boys basketball career scoring record belonged to Jim Dodd. The ACBF hall of famer scored 1,377 points in his career as a leading post player for the Mustangs.
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