ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 17, 1995 TAG: 9512170004
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
SHAYNE GRAHAM'S RIGHT FOOT has lifted the Cougars to new heights the past four years.
It's not often a kicker is named the top offensive player on an all-star football team.
However, Pulaski County's Shayne Graham isn't your typical kicker. He has made a name for himself nationally with his right foot and has been one of the big reasons Pulaski County has been one of Timesland's dominant teams the past four years.
That's why Graham is Timesland's offensive player of the year as selected by The Roanoke Times' sports staff.
The defensive player of the year is Giles' Brandon Steele. Honors are nothing new for Steele, who two years ago was the Sizzlin' Sophomore defensive player of the year.
Joining these two in taking top honors for Timesland football are Bath County's Steve Isaacs, the coach of the year. As for Sizzlin' Sophomores, William Fleming running back Lee Suggs (offense) and Patrick Henry linebacker Mike Stevens (defense) moved to the head of the class. Suggs also is an All-Timesland first-team selection after leading the area with a 144.4-yard average in eight games.
Graham is one of four Pulaski County players on the All-Timesland first team. The others are defensive lineman Matt Hull, linebacker Ryan Brockmeyer and center Brian Queen.
Salem, which finished 10-2 after losing to eventual Group AA Division 4 champion Amherst 36-29 in overtime in the Region III championship game, is represented by offensive lineman Dan Baker, defensive lineman Rusty Howell and defensive back Seth Moore.
Giles also has three first-team choices. The Spartans team that lost 28-6 to eventual Group A Division 2 champion Powell Valley in a semifinal is represented by Steele, running back Kevin Slusser and offensive lineman Alex Webb.
Liberty, one of two teams that beat Amherst County during the regular season, is represented by quarterback J.J. Coles and wide receiver Gregg Reynolds, who was the Timesland Sizzlin' Sophomore offensive player of the year in 1993. The two combined on 38 pass plays for 643 yards.
Cave Spring, which dominated the Sizzlin' Sophomore team in 1993, has offensive lineman Mike Mitchem and defensive lineman Jimmy Fusco on All-Timesland this year. Martinsville is the other team with multiple selections - running back Manti Venable and punter Jess Wade, both juniors.
William Byrd's Michael Berry, one of five repeat choices along with Graham, Steele, Fusco and Reynolds, is the only one to change positions. Last year, he was All-Timesland punter, and this fall he was chosen as a receiver.
The offense is completed by Radford lineman Kelly Underwood.
Other All-Timesland defensive players are: lineman Devonne Claybrooks of Bassett; linebacker Matt Williams from Group A Division 1 champion Bath County; backs Steven Hunt of Blacksburg, Delvin Joyce of Fieldale-Collinsville and Scottie Brubeck of Christiansburg; and return specialist Michael White of Fort Chiswell.
Graham put himself in the National High School Federation record book with 38 career field goals, second only to Phillip Doyle of Birmingham, Ala., with 43 from 1983-86. Graham had 17 for the year, tying him for fifth on the single-season list, and his 165 career extra points ranked fifth all-time.
The federation also is entering him under a new category, kicking points, where his total of 279 might be the best ever. It will be listed that way until claims are made otherwise. With Doyle not listed among the career extra-points leaders and Jason Fernandez, the leader in conversions, not on the list of top career field-goal kickers there is reason to believe no one will have more kicking points than Graham.
A secret about Graham, whose last-second kick as a freshman propelled Pulaski County to a Group AAA Division 6 semifinal victory, is he remains petrified at the pressure awaiting him as a kicker.
``I have a bottle of Pepto Bismol along during pregame,'' he said. ``I'll have to battle the same nerves [in college] and if I ever go pro.''
Graham certainly doesn't fit the physical profile of a kicker because, despite his thin stature (6 feet, 172 pounds), he's no weakling. He spends at least three days a week in the weight room during the summer.
``The other days, I'm either out running early in the morning or doing the sideline steps [in the stadium] 25 times. We have a good program to work on the [strength] for the top part of the body. That's important, because when you kick, the whole body comes into motion. The abdominal muscles twist and the back muscles rotate around the shoulder.''
With this understanding of the science of the game, is it any wonder Graham is tops on offense?
``'ve never heard of it,'' said Graham, who also was named the top offensive player in the Roanoke Valley District. ``If I were picking, I probably wouldn't choose a kicker because the other guys are on the field a higher percentage of the time.''
Graham has been offered scholarships by Boston College, Virginia Tech, Virginia and North Carolina. He has eliminated Boston College, however, and says if Notre Dame comes calling ... well, he'll just let that go unanswered.
Steele, despite three great years, hasn't had many NCAA Division I-A colleges chasing him. That's probably because of his size (6 feet, 230 pounds) and the fact he plays in Group A and hasn't shown what he can do against the biggest and fastest players.
Steele is one tough dude, though. Before Giles played Powell Valley in a Group A Division 2 semifinal, Steele was declared out of the game with a knee injury suffered the previous week against Radford.
``I had knee surgery Tuesday before the Powell Valley game and the doctor told me I didn't have a chance to play,'' Steele said.
He played until the fourth quarter, when Powell Valley pulled away.
``I want to play college ball. I always hoped my grades would help get someone to look at me,'' said Steele, who combines a 4.04 grade-point average with an 1140 combined score on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT).
He scored a touchdown on an interception when the Spartans ripped Radford 37-0 in the Three Rivers District showdown.
``I didn't expect anything like that. I thought it would be dog-eat-dog. That wasn't my best game,'' Steele said. ``I'd rather be down by a touchdown with the other team driving. That's when I play my best games. It depends on the condition of the game.''
The three All-Timesland running backs - Suggs, Slusser and Venable - combined for 3,749 yards rushing. Berry and Reynolds each had 38 catches as they combined for 1,356 yards and propelled their teams to second place in their respective districts.
Coles was a pleasant surprise this season at quarterback. Last year, he was a wide receiver, but he was moved to quarterback when the player who might have started there transferred to another school. Coles led Timesland passers with 1,241 yards.
While Berry was last year's All-Timesland punter, Wade earned this year's award with a 41.7-yard average. That was better than Berry's 38.5, although Berry's average was hurt by some short kicks that pinned teams deep in their own territory.
Fort Chiswell's White is one of the few players from his school to make All-Timesland in football. He led Timesland with 33 yards per return, and he also was the leading receiver, with 43 catches for 847 yards.
Brubeck and Brockmeyer ranked second and third, respectively, among Timesland tacklers and should battle for the top spot next year as seniors.
Moore, who also stood out at quarterback, leads the Salem contingent. He also was the defensive signal-caller and easily qualifies as one of the top team leaders in Timesland. Baker was a fast-developing offensive lineman, and Howell was one of the Blue Ridge District's hardest hitters.
Bassett's Claybrooks is another top college prospect who is getting a lot of attention. Mitchem was one of the top preseason college prospects. Fusco's size, like that of Steele, has hurt him with major colleges, but he has been the leader in a revitalization of Cave Spring football.
At Fieldale-Collinsville, there were a lot of good players, but Joyce was the best as the defensive back led the Cavaliers to the Piedmont District crown. Underwood follows in the footsteps of his brother, Casey, who also was All-Timesland.
Webb was a big reason Slusser and Reggie Hoston rushed for big yardage at Giles. Queen was a key to Pulaski County's success on offense, despite the absence of a dominant rusher. The Cougars' Hull was a factor on defense, as were Bath County's Williams in the Chargers' state title run and Blacksburg's Hunt.
LENGTH: Long : 154 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: MIKE HEFFNER/Staff. Bath County coach Steve Isaacsby CNB(center) is the Timesland football coach of the year. He is flanked
by (from left) Mike Stevens of Patrick Henry, the Sizzlin' Sophomore
of the year on defense, Brandon Steele of Giles, the defensive
player of the year, Shayne Graham of Pulaski County, the offensive
player of the year, and Lee Suggs of William Fleming, the Sizzlin'
Sophomore of the year on offense. color.