The Journal News du lieu suivant : White Plains, New York • Page 48

Rockland D12 Sunday, September 27, 1992 Rockland Journal-News Graham blossoms into a college star SPECIAL continued from D1 i even though he doesn't get all the work as a running back in Whipple's pro set. "I don't mind splitting time because it keeps us (Graham, Liv-ingston, John Raba) fresh," Sunday, Sept. 27th at 5 pm At PORCHAi GRAHAM: Sets records WILLIS: Wide receiver Strong safety to be. He could be a professional athlete." Whipple is toying with using him on kickoff returns, just to get him in an open field and maximize his speed. After his performance against Buffalo, Graham was named the Sports Illustrated small college Player-of-the-Week.

"Some guys might have walked in here after that and demanded to start or be a full-time player," Whipple said. "Or maybe stopped working hard in practice. Not Roger." The award was nice, but "I got a lot of good-natured kidding from my teammates," Graham said. "They were asking for my autograph and all that." Graham credited his teammates, the coaches and the balanced offensive system for his success, but don't minimize Graham as a quality athlete or a quality person. "Roger Graham is the most talented back I've ever been around in coaching," said Whipple, now in his fifth year as head coach at New Haven.

running back. "My philosophy is to try the kids where they want to play," Whipple said. "We can switch back if it doesn't work out. Most kids just want to play and will play where they get the most time." Graham said, "I thought, 'I can be a running It's what I wanted to do and coach (Whipple) let me try it." So there was Roger Graham, three months out of Spring Valley, asking to play at running back, trying to learn a new system, doing his best to adapt to college like any other student and trying to step up his game to play Division II college football. No one could know or even imagine where it would all lead.

Immediate impact "He had a lot to learn; but he did. He scored a touchdown in his first game," Whipple said of Graham. "Our starting tailback (A.J. Livingston) got hurt a game later aftd Roger stepped right in." In a big way. Last year, he ran for 942 yards on 161 carries, a 5.9 average, he scored eight touchdowns.

He hasn't missed a beat this year and, in fact, has im- COME JOIN THE FUN OToole's Wing Eating Team vs. 3 N.Y. Giant Linemen Graham said. "By the time the fourth quarter comes around, we are still ready to run." Graham will continue to work on certain things, even leg speed. "He's our fastest player; he's a legitimate 4.5 in the 40," Whipple said.

"I'd like to get faster and improve my footwork," Graham said. "I can read defenses better, too, and run pass routes better." And getting better The thought of an improved Graham is scary. He's already New Haven's second-leading career rusher, just four games into his sophomore year. "Looking at him now versus the first day he walked in here, there's just no comparison," Whipple said. "If he keeps improving he can be whatever he wants proved those 1991 numbers.

In four games, the 5-foot 10-inch, 205-pound Graham has carried the football 77 times for 726 yards. That's a 9.5 average. He already has scored 11 rushing touchdowns. Against Buffalo, Graham ran for 298 yards and scored on touchdown runs of 90, 61, 46, 46 and 4 yards. His rushing yardage and five rushing touchdowns were both school records.

He ran for two touchdowns and 200 yards in an 80-26 win over Virginia Union yesterday. "We want to put the football in Roger's hands 20 times a game. He is a game breaker," Whipple said. "People bounce off him and then he has the speed to outrun other players. He's a combination of speed and power." Graham has the big numbers GIANT TOOL SALE kM A i rtlU (1mm aV New Haven has Spring Valley connection OVER 100 BOOTHS THE LATEST WOODWORKING PRODUCTS AND THE LOWEST PRICES! New Techniques Continuous Demonstrations Free Seminars ROCKLAND COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE 145 College Suffem, NY 10901 Oct.2, Noon-6 p.m.

Oct. 3, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 4, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission $7.00 Includes Free One-Hour Seminars (No Registration Required) passes in four games for 284 yards, an average of 18.9 yards per catch.

Willis is also learning to block better in the open field, to run shorter routes and read defenses more effectively. "I love it. I love to beat coverage deep," Willis said. "I had played receiver in pickup games at home and figured I could do it if I got a chance." Porcha is a strong safety at New Haven. "I have nothing bad to say about Cincinnati; it just wasn't for me," Porcha said.

"I wanted to come here because I wanted to play higher than Division III and I knew Spring Valley players had done well here." "The Spring Valley kids are fantastic," Whipple said. Jigs Fixtures Workshop, Sat. 9 a.m.-1 1 a.m. $15.00 (Includes Admission to Saturday's Exhibits) Pro-Registration Required Small Business for the Craftsperson Fri. 3-5 p.m.

$25.00 (Includes Amission to Friday's Exhibits) Pre-Registration Required To Benefit The American Cancer Society CALL 1-800-521-7623 FOR MORE INFO WORKSHOP PRE-REGISTRATION Great Eiws Sunday, October 18, 1992 Blue Hill Plaza, Pearl River, NY nnr I r- i i 1 1 1 i a trai i i i i i "Making Strides Against Cancer" 50K Bik (protective headgear required) 1 0K WalkMove-A-Long A Fall Family Festival 1 1 a.m.-3 p.m. Refreshments Music Entertainment Hayride Plus Meet: Babar, Doug Madeline? The Great Rockland Duck Derby Adopt A Duck Win Fabulous Prizes! By Steve Drummond Staff Writer George Porcha and Tony Willis are just two more in the line of Spring Valley High School football players who have enjoyed success at Division II University of New Haven. Porcha transferred from the University of Cincinnati and Willis and teammate Roger Graham came directly from Spring Valley in 1990. The three follow such other fellow Spring Valley players like Leo Pinkston, the career sack leader at New Haven, and Pierre Fils, the school's leading career receiver. "Spring Valley is the first place we look," New Haven head coach Mark Whipple said of his recruiting plan.

All three current players from Spring Valley have made an immediate impact in the Charger program. Willis came to New Haven as a high school quarterback with a reputation as a great athlete who could make big plays. This word was also attached to Willis in his high school career: erratic. But Willis has been anything but erratic in his three-year New Haven career. "Tony is a quiet guy, but when I 'asked him if he'd switch from quarterback to wide receiver, he broke out in the biggest grin you've ever seen," Whipple said.

Willis had wanted to play wide receiver and has made the most of his opportunity. In a game against Buffalo this season, Willis had eight catches for a school-record 213 receiving yards. "He's just a natural out there," Whipple said. "He can go deep on the football as well as anyone. He's a big-play guy.

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