MABEN — Miguel Graham will be plenty comfortable at Holmes Community College.
The current pipeline from East Webster High School to HCC added another player to the list Tuesday when Graham signed to play football in Goodman. He will join East Webster High football teammate and cousin Ledrick Patterson.
Graham is a three-year starter for the Wolverines. He spent the past two seasons as a wide receiver and defensive back.
Graham follows in the footsteps of former Wolverines Tanner Roberson, who plays at Jacksonville State, and current HCC outfielder Reggie O”Briant.
“Knowing those guys are together (Patterson and Graham), they”re gonna be more comfortable than they would be by themselves,” East Webster High football coach Jimmy Carden said. “They”ll once again feed off each other and do a good job. They would do a good job if they were at separate schools, but it”ll be easier for them both being at Holmes.”
Graham, who entertained walk-on offers from East Mississippi C.C. and Copiah-Lincoln C.C., said the chance to play with Patterson was a “coincidence” considering the impact they had for East Webster”s football and basketball teams.
When he received an offer from HCC, Graham was relieved to have the chance to play with Patterson, who lives on the same road.
“I knew I could go down there and have someone I knew,” Graham said. “He keeps me laughing. It”s been that way since junior high.”
Graham had 71 tackles and a team-high nine interceptions last season, helping East Webster win Class 2A, Region 2 and advance to the second round of the state playoffs.
Graham also had 13 catches for 214 yards and four touchdowns, but Carden is confident Graham will be a natural fit at safety or cornerback.
“I think he probably led our division in interceptions,” Carden said. “He breaks on the ball well, jumps well, and has good smarts. I don”t think he got burned all year long.”
At the beginning of his junior year, Graham got the news he wouldn”t inheriting the quarterback job from his predecessor and cousin, Johnthan Banks. He”d backed up Banks in 2008 and shined in relief whenever the Wolverines built big leads.
But a rebuilding season in 2009, system changes, and a young offensive line saw Carden move the team”s best receiver, Patterson, to quarterback. In the next two seasons, the Wolverines switched systems twice before settling on a I-formation, triple-option attack last season.
The heavy dose of running meant Graham, who was primarily the team”s backside blocking receiver, wouldn”t see that many passes.
The success of East Webster”s ground game — the Wolverines rushed for more than 300 yards game — provided even fewer opportunities for pass plays.
When first asked to make the move entering the 2009 season, Graham was receptive but felt he wasn”t prepared because he had to learn the plays and how to block on the perimeter.
“Ledrick ran our option better than anyone else,” Carden said. “Our best weapon was running the option offense. But Miguel is a role-player. He was a tight end, played wide receiver, wherever we needed him the most.
“When he gets to Holmes, he”s not gonna care where they play him.”
Graham”s biggest impact on offense came in the Wolverines” final game against Calhoun City in the third round of the 2A playoffs. With the East Webster trailing 23-21 and its offense needing to drive the field in a two-minute drill, East Webster abandoned the power-I look for a spread offense with Graham at quarterback. He responded by completing 3 of 4 passes for 65 yards, including a pair of third-down conversions to get East Webster to the Calhoun City 19. But Graham was intercepted with a little more than a minute left.
“That was an offense we”d worked on all year,” Carden said.
In the summer, Graham said he”ll continue to lift weights so he ready to go in July when he arrives in Goodman. He will join a program that went winless in 2010 and has a new head coach, Jeff Koonz.
HCC intercepted only three passes last season and gave up 20 touchdown passes, both of which ranked second to last in Mississippi Junior College Athletic Association Region 23.
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