The sun has just dipped below the horizon as Ontario quarterback Bodpegn Miller and a handful of his receivers squeeze the last drops of daylight out of this unusually warm and breezy early-November afternoon.
The dying light has painted the feathery clouds loitering overhead impossibly vibrant shades of purple, pink and orange, a sunset straight out of a Bob Ross painting. It’s an idyllic backdrop for the scene of Americana unfolding on the practice field behind Niss Stadium.
Fleet-footed receivers dart across the lush grass, running post patterns and crossing routes. The 6-foot-4 Miller spins one tight spiral after another into their outstretched arms, hitting each in stride.
“These guys are like my brothers,” Miller said once the daylight finally expires and the training session closes. “We’re a family.”
‘Everyone is Just One Family’
Family means something more to Miller, who was adopted by Alan and Deanna Miller and arrived in north central Ohio from his native Ethiopia in 2012 — when he was 5 years old. He left behind a mother, an aunt, three older brothers and a younger sister.
“It was kind of scary at first. I didn’t really speak English and there were some growing pains while I got used to everything,” Bodpegn said of leaving behind his family and the only life he ever knew. “But I have a loving family here. They were patient with me and they accepted me.”
Deanna Miller graduated from Ontario and met her husband while they were both in the military during a training session in Texas. The couple married and had three children of their own before deciding to adopt.
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