By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The Heisman winner is usually the most talented college football player in the nation. Heisman High School Scholarship winners are a different story. One hundred high school seniors - one male and one female from each state - were awarded at least a $1,000 scholarship with the opportunity for more money at the national level. Ellinwood senior Asher Miller was named a finalist for the state scholarship.
"I'm hoping to go to either KU, K-State, or Wichita State and go into biomedical engineering," Miller said. "Every little thing is appreciated, no matter from the smallest scholarship to the largest. It's nice to not have to pay that much in student loans."
To be eligible for the scholarship, seniors must maintain a 3.0 grade-point average or better, be proven leaders within their school and community, and must have participated in a recognized sporting event in grades 9-11.
Miller, the son of Martin and Angela Miller, played basketball and ran cross country and track. He qualified for state three times as a cross country runner, winning a state medal as a top-20 finisher as a junior. He's also qualified for two state track meets and brought home a state medal as a top-eight finisher.
Outside of sports, Miller has participated in the Rake and Run, volunteered as a stage crew for some of the school's productions, and assisted older members of the community.
Of the 100 state scholarship winners, one male and one female from each of six geographic regions move on to a national competition. Each of those finalists will receive $2,000, and one male and one female will each win $10,000 as the national winner.