Last year, the Miller football team made waves by facing national high school football powerhouse DeSoto from the Dallas-Forth Worth Metroplex as one of its non-district games.
The Bucs are making a splash again.
After playing the Eagles, a regular state championship contender loaded with top prospects, in San Antonio’s Alamodome, this season DeSoto is making the trek to Corpus Christi where they will face Miller at historic Buc Stadium.
DeSoto and Miller will clash on Saturday, Sept. 13, Week 3 of the Texas high school football season. Game time is slated for 6 p.m.
The Eagles open the season ranked No. 10 in the state according to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Class 6A poll. Miller debuts at No. 9 in Class 5A DII.
“It is great for the community and for South Texas to get a team the caliber of DeSoto to want to come down here,” Miller head football coach Justen Evans said. “We want to expose our kids to a high level of competition and figure out who we are and be ready when it is time to play. We don’t want to get a false sense of ourselves.
“We play a tough nondistrict and there are none tougher than DeSoto. We are excited for the challenge.”
It is the second time in recent years the Bucs have brought a recognizable state heavyweight to play at Buc Stadium after hosting Class 4A power Waco La Vega in 2021. El Campo also had one of the top running back recruits in the nation when they faced Miller at Buc Stadium, in current Texas A&M player Rueben Owens.
“Last year we played DeSoto early having to cover those guys and play against them prepared us for 5-star recruit Michael Terry (of Alamo Heights),” Evans said. “It was invaluable for coaching and we got better for that. Our standard is to play in December. Everybody is good that deep in the playoffs. This game is going to help us prepare and get ready.”
DeSoto has several of the state’s top college football prospects led by four-star receiver Ethan “Boobie” Feaster, who reclassified and will be a senior this year and has committed to Southern Cal. Defensive lineman K’Adrian Redmond is also a top 20 recruit in Texas for the Class of 2027, while many others including defensive end DJ Rumph and running back SaRod Baker also hold numerous offers.
The Bucs will turn to new faces in 2025 with a new starter at several key spots, including quarterback and running back, while senior Roderick Taylor and a mostly young receiving corps will be asked to make a larger contribution.
Evans is hopeful of a big crowd at Buc Stadium with the contest being on a Saturday evening and will not be up against any other high school football games in the Coastal Bend.
The Eagles, from District 11-6A, grabbed a 57-21 win against Miller last season on their way to an 11-3 mark and appearance in the regional final.
The Bucs also ended their campaign 11-3 with a loss to Boerne in the regional final.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Save the date: Miller to host high school football powerhouse DeSoto at Buc Stadium
Reporting by Quinton Martinez, Corpus Christi Caller Times / Corpus Christi Caller Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
