Veteran quarterback Matt Miles propels team to 4-0 start

	H&N photo by Andrew Mariman Klamath Crusaders quarterback Matt Miles pitches the ball to a running back during Saturday’s game against Southwestern Oregon. Miles also coaches the Klamath Union high school baseball team and runs his own business.

April 10, 2007

The right arm doesn't have as much power. The 6-foot, 225-pound frame moves a step slower. The closely cropped haircut is showing some signs of gray.

But despite the physical differences from his days on some of Oregon Tech's last football teams, and despite owning a general contracting business while coaching the Klamath Union baseball team, Matt Miles is still running the Klamath Crusaders offense.

“There's something I haven't gotten out of my system, and I don't know if I ever will get it out of system,” Miles said. “This is something where you're battling. It's nice to look in 10 guys' eyes on a fourth-and-one and feel that adrenaline again.”

Miles, 38, is just one of several players in their 30s who take the field for eight Saturdays each spring. His competitive drive and love of the sport fit right in with the rest of the Crusaders' older players.

“I don't think the love of this game ever leaves, but those guys that are out here in our 30s is why each of us keeps coming out every year,” wide receiver Jason Allen said. “With Miles, you see that kid turn into a 6-year-old boy after he does something good. The fire in his eyes is just like a 6-year-old boy that just learned this game.”

Miles said his playing days are limited, but he has shown he has enough left to lead the first-place team in the Oregon Football League. He threw for 291 yards in a season-opening victory over Columbia River, ran for a 43-yard touchdown to force overtime in a win over Siskiyou, and tossed three scoring passes in Saturday's rout of Southwestern Oregon.

“Matt's just a natural leader. He's a very motivated player,” Crusaders coach Don Nelson said. “He's one of those guys that doesn't do a lot of talking, but he leads by example. He's done a lot for the Crusaders.”

Return to the field

Miles was one of the key components of KU's run-and-shoot offense in the 1980s, and that experience led him to Saint Mary's College in Moraga, Calif., where he started on the Gaels' baseball and football teams as a freshman. He eventually returned to Klamath Falls and played defensive back for OIT until his eligibility ran out.

His return to football came a decade later, when he came back to the Basin from South Carolina. His lumber supplier, Jake Juhl, was a linebacker for the Crusaders and convinced Miles to get back into the game.

“Every time, (Juhl) would ride out on the lumber truck and talk to me about this semi-pro football league,” Miles said. “Anything you do where it's full-contact, you've got to be going 100 percent, and that really turned me on. It got the competitive juices flowing again, and I just love it.”

He admitted his physical tools in his late 30s aren't what they were in his early 20s, but his knowledge of the sport never left.

“Honestly, in this league now at 38, my skills have deteriorated, and I realize that,” Miles said. “I had a career where I played under great coaches. Through their tutelage and their knowledge of the game, I think it's something I can bring to this team.”

Change of pace

Before Miles joined the Crusaders, the team had been successful, winning the 2000 OFL championship. But Klamath had one gaping hole that needed to be filled.

“We never could find a good quarterback,” Nelson said. “Then Matt happened, and it's just been a complete turnaround. He has complete control of that offense; he knows exactly what he's doing.”

Miles solved the Crusaders' main problem, but the transition wasn't seamless for his receivers. Some, like Allen, weren't getting as many passes thrown their way and had to earn his trust. Once trust was earned, the Miles-to-Allen connection became one of the constants in the Crusader passing game.

“I know that Matt's No. 1 expectation of a receiver is if you run crisp routes, you're gonna get the football,” Allen said. “If I run crisp routes, our timing is impeccable, and he finds me.

“I'd go to battle with that kid any day. He's made me look like an all-star for the last five years.”

-By Josh Petrie