By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports
(March 3, 2024 7:30 AM ET) Using a tape measure it is only about six feet from seventh to second place on the Michigan High School Athletic Association wrestling podium.
Northwest High School sophomore Jeffrey Miller made the leap from seventh a year ago to second in wrestling.
He used a combination of weightroom training and added strength to finish 47-3 and second in the state in 2024 at 144 pounds.
Last year he finished seventh in Division 2 at 126 pounds – earning all-state honors as a freshman. He was the first freshman earning all-state honors for the Mounties in 15 seasons.
“I just worked in the weightroom and in the wrestling room with my teammates,” Miller said. “My workouts are cardio based with heavy days and multiple lifting days for endurance.”
It certainly worked as Miller earned 10 more wins this season and gained nearly 25 more pounds – mostly muscle.
He is part of a young Mountie wrestling team that is just going to get better in the coming years.
“We are going to have to rely on a lot of freshmen and sophomores next year,” Miller said. “We thought this year was going to be a rebuilding season … we went further than we thought.”
Miller was the Mounties’ conference, district, and regional champion at 144 pounds. He doesn’t practice wrestling in the off season but says he may do a little more this coming season.
Finishing second in the state may help lure him to summer wrestling tournaments or workouts.
“In wrestling, you have to be mentally and physically prepared,” Miller said. “It all happens in the workout room.”
His first love is baseball where Miller played at the varsity level a year ago. He played shortstop for NWHS last spring.
“I have been playing baseball since I could walk,” Miller said. “I love the gym and baseball.”
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