Santee Rolls Past Hawkins for Division III Title
Thanksgiving weekend looked a little different for Santee High senior running back Darnell Miller. He skipped the usual feast, choosing instead to stay sharp for the biggest game of his career — and the plan worked. Miller rushed for 190 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Falcons to a 35–6 win over Hawkins and secure the CIF L.A. City Section Division III championship Friday at Birmingham High.
By Earl Heath | Contributing Sports Writer
Thanksgiving weekend looked a little different for Santee High senior running back Darnell Miller. He skipped the usual feast, choosing instead to stay sharp for the biggest game of his career — and the plan worked. Miller rushed for 190 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Falcons to a 35–6 win over Hawkins and secure the CIF L.A. City Section Division III championship Friday at Birmingham High.
Watching from the sideline — and helping shag kicks — was Miller’s 10-year-old brother, Frederick, a fifth-grader at Twenty-Eighth Street Elementary. Darnell picks him up from school daily and brings him to practice, a routine that keeps the brothers close.
“I’m a shy person, but football has made me more vocal, taught me discipline and to take care of my responsibilities,” said Miller, who also plays guard on the basketball team and runs track in the spring. “This is my last year, so I want to finish strong.”
Miller entered the title game as the state’s leading rusher with 3,296 yards and 43 touchdowns, and he showed why. He opened the scoring with an 11-yard run on Santee’s first possession, then added a 5-yard score in the second quarter and a 9-yarder in the third to make it 35–0. He did it all while outdueling the second-seeded Hawks (10–3).
Santee Head coach John Petty and Principle Patricia Hanson showcase award Photo – Earl Heath
“We jumped on them early,” said quarterback Daynian Alvarado, who scored Santee’s other two touchdowns on runs of 1 and 13 yards. “We wanted to send a message and put the game away.”
Miller sat out the fourth quarter as Santee’s depth and discipline carried them to the finish. The Falcons dominated the postseason, winning each playoff game by an average of 29 points.
Though it was a strong team performance, head coach John Petty made sure to credit his star.
“Darnell is a very hardworking, humble young man and everything you want a captain to be,” said Petty, who also coached Santee to its only other City Section title in 2018. “He’s the first person in the locker room and the last to leave.”
Next Up
The victory advances the Falcons (11–3) to the CIF State playoffs, where they will face South El Monte (10–4) on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 6 p.m.
