Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, November 26, 1993                   TAG: 9311250216
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DUBLIN                                LENGTH: Medium

SO HE MISSED A KICK - IT DOESN'T HAPPEN OFTEN

Most recently, the Pulaski County High field goal and touchdown conversion specialist took it right on the emotional chin last week in a 21-13 Group AAA Division 6 Northwestern Region victory over Hylton.

Graham was just returning to the sideline during the first half when he was confronted by Leon Crane, a senior and the only holder Graham has had in two seasons of sidewinder-style place kicking.

Crane didn't have much good to say.

"He gave me heck," Graham said.

Graham's offense? He had rushed an extra point kick and hooked it wide left.

"I hated that," Crane said.

Well, nobody likes to fail. But can't somebody give poor Graham, a 5-foot-6, 145-pound red-headed freckle-faced sophomore, a break? To be sure, Graham's errant boot was only the second in 54 PAT attempts this season.

Over two seasons, he's 76-for-78 on conversions. That is a crackerjack percentage at any level of football.

"Wonder how many college kickers are that consistent?" Pulaski County coach Joel Hicks said.

Good question. Take Virginia Tech's Ryan Williams, who was 48 of 53 during the past regular season. Virginia's Kyle Kirkeide went 34-for-35.

Keep in mind that only Graham's kick against Hylton was a legitimate miss. In a 34-0 victory over Heritage, Graham had a PAT blocked. Furthermore, Graham can kick a field goal, too. He's made four of six this year going into tonight's 8 p.m. confrontation with guest Gar-Field for the regional crown.

"He's very consistent," said Kenneth Dobson, who coaches the Pulaski County kickers. "Once he gets a little bigger and stronger, he'll get a lot more aggressive with his kicking."

Graham's growing, there's no question about that. He's already gained something like 4 inches in height and 20 pounds in weight just since last December.

"I knew his father [Tom Graham] and uncles when I was down at old Dublin High School," Dobson said. "They're all 6-footers who are 200 pounds and over. I'd say that Shayne will be a right big boy by the time he gets to be a senior."

Last year was another matter entirely.

"I remember his father came to see me during the summer and told me he wanted me to look at his son kick," Hicks said. "Here comes this little old red-headed kid who probably did't weigh 100 pounds. I'm thinking, I'm going to be looking at him? Then, boom! That foot hits that ball and I went, `Wow!'"

Graham was a Cougar in short order.

Graham and Derick Kemp, a senior, alternated at the position throughout the year before Graham won it outright in the latter half of the season.

Just in time for some of the most famous heroics in Pulaski County football history. Pulaski County was trailing Robinson 10-9 with 10 seconds left in the state semifinals when Graham's 22-yarder, after a couple of enemy timeouts, won the game on an unbelievably cold and windy afternoon.

He was 14 years old.

"I don't care how he old he is," Robinson coach Nick Hilgert said. "I didn't care how old the people who were shooting at me in Vietnam were, either."

Graham handled the situation with a grace hard to believe in somebody that age.

"I couldn't believe it," Crane said. "Everybody was scared to death. [Tackle] Randy Dunnigan was shaking. My hands were so cold that I couldn't close them without them cracking. The trainer put ultrasound on them so I could move them. I couldn't even catch the ball in warmups.

"And Shayne's just standing there cleaning the mud out of his cleats. Coach Hicks came out on the field to talk to us and Shayne came over to see what was going on and Coach Hicks just pushed him away. `You go on,' Coach Hicks said.'"

Graham's a solid guy. He's proved that. And he might just come in real handy when things get tight, as they surely will, as the playoffs progress.

Back at practice, he's just another 10th grader.

"Hey Graham," one of Pulaski County's brawny linemen hollered before running drills one day in practice this week. "Get going. You haven't run any all year."