Buffalo Seminary's Sarah Miller leaves her mark

It isn’t always easy to see the good side of things after a loss.

But as Sarah Miller walked off the lacrosse field for the very last time in her scholastic career she was able to hold her head high because, she knew she was part of a special season.

A senior who spent four seasons on the Buffalo Seminary lacrosse team, Miller was a tri-captain and backbone of a squad that went 9-4-2 in the regular season and could arguably be called one of the most competitive teams in the programs history.

Though Buff Sem is far-and-away the smallest school in the Monsignor Martin Athletic Association, they had a smart, talented team that never gave up.

They scored wins over bigger schools, beating Sacred Heart and sweeping two from Nardin, and were competitive in all but one game-the lone exception was to powerhouse Nichols.

Though her heart was breaking after a 10-6 semifinal loss to Sacred Heart that spelled the end the season Miller smiled and talk about how much this team meant to her.

“Our team has definitely grown tremendously,” she said. “This year we walked on with a small squad thinking ya know, we might not make it to the playoffs, and we made it this year. It was incredible to be here with the girls. We’ve had a really tight bond with everyone.

To be part of this team was just wonderful it was an honor to be a captain on this team. I’ve watched the girls on this team grow tremendously. They’ve come out, they’ve worked hard. Today was not our best showing.
It’s really sad for me, as a senior, to be leaving this team.”

While it was easy for Miller to speak from the heart and talk about how much the team touched her, there are no proper words that can fully describe what Miller meant to Buff Sem lacrosse.

Sure, the Hawks had plenty of talented players this season. Maddy Paulk was brilliant in net.
Victoria Lester proved to be one of the best all-around players in the league and Katy Melber had a deadly shooting-eye.

But as good as this team was Miller was the X-factor that brought all of the pieces together. Miller was the one who, if things were falling apart, could get everyone to refocus.

“She’s definitely the one who, when she is there, everyone is a little more confident in themselves,” said teammate Olivia Knauss. “I think she has that calming voice and she can really rally us all up. She’s gives us these (motivational) speeches on the bus while going out to the games...She’s pretty inspiring and she’s great to watch. She’s a great teacher.”

Miller had the skill to takeover a game, but her greater value was in the kind of leader and calming force she was on the field. A true sign of a great player is when you make those around you better.
Sarah Miller did that.

“I think she’s a really good team player,” said Knauss. “She can take the ball to the net every time, but she doeswork it around. She knows how to settle it down. She (uses) her head. She’s a good leader.”
But in Miller’s eyes she is simply doing her job, nothing more and nothing less. If things got tough Miller said it was a group effort that helped the team get back on track.

“I think the best thing to do was just kind of work through it,” Miller said. “I could only say so much or do so much. It was more the girls who came out and listened to what I had to say, what our coach had to say.
I think it speaks volumes for the team that they were able to take what we said and transform it onto the field.”

Feeling that the stage is set to keep the program strong Miller, who will continue her playing career at Division III  Bates College, has two keys bits of advice for the returning girls.

“Keep up your momentum and ‘leggo’ that was our little saying of the year,” Miller said with a smile. “There’s a Chris Brown song (Look at Me Now) and at the beginning he (says) ‘leggo!’ So we would just kind of screamed it.”