The No. 13 holds a special place in New Castle quarterback Marino Graham’s heart.
It’s more than just the number the freshman chose to adorn his Red Hurricanes uniform or the age he was when his career on second-year New Castle coach Fred Mozzocio’s team began with preseason workouts this past summer.
“My dad, he had been a Miami Dolphins fan growing up,” Graham said. “So, now, I like the Dolphins, too. That’s why my name is Marino.”
It’s beginning to look as if Marino’s father, Michael, might have had the right idea when naming his son.
Graham announced his presence Friday night as one of the WPIAL’s most promising quarterbacks, completing 14 of 21 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown, while also carrying the football 13 times for 110 yards and four scores to lead New Castle to a 34-14 victory over visiting Montour in a critical Class 4A Parkway Conference matchup at the Red Hurricanes’ venerable Taggart Stadium.
Although his namesake wasn’t much known for making plays with his legs, Mozzocio said Graham’s ability to lead his team at an early age is certainly reminiscent of Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino, an Oakland native who rose to prominence with Central Catholic and Pitt before retiring in 2000 as the NFL’s all-time leading passer after 17 seasons in Miami.
“He’s all he’s built up to be,” said Mozzocio of Graham. “A special player, a special night, the biggest stage around and he showed everybody what he could do. He couldn’t wait to get out here today. He was really excited. He was fired up. He knew coming in he was going to have a big night.”
After Montour sophomore quarterback Brandon Bennett connected for a 28-yard touchdown pass to freshman Archie Collins to hand the Spartans (4-3, 1-1) a 7-0 first-quarter lead, Graham got right to work in dominating the rest of the contest.
The 5-foot-10, 150-pound Graham got his team on the board with a 14-yard touchdown run and handed the Red Hurricanes (6-1, 2-0) a lead they would not relinquish with a 2-point conversion pass to Chase Lemmon with 10:56 left before half time.
Graham then added a 12-yard touchdown run with 2:34 left in the second quarter before breaking off a 3-yard run for a score in the third. His 75-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth, which he followed with a 10-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Chase Lemmon on a fourth-down play with 8:08 left in regulation, ultimately put the game out of reach.
Just a week earlier, Graham scored the go-ahead touchdown on a run late in New Castle’s 18-12 upset of perennial WPIAL power Aliquippa. It was the first time the Red Hurricanes had beaten the Quips since 1987.
“It felt like a great win,” said Graham of defeating Montour. “We came in the game knowing we needed to earn some respect. A lot of people said we only beat Aliquippa because their quarterback was out.”
Graham’s favorite target against the Spartans was sophomore wide receiver Kai Cox, who caught 8 passes for 95 yards. Lemmon also was active in the New Castle passing attack, catching 4 passes from Graham for 46 yards.
“I love Marino,” Lemmon said. “Marino is a dog. He’s 14 years old, but he never had no problem with being 14. He’s always been a dog his whole life, an underdog, he’s a smaller guy, but it’s just about heart. It’s not about what’s outside, it’s about what’s inside and he’s got heart.”
Although Graham said he didn’t enter preseason camp as New Castle’s presumptive starting quarterback, Lemmon and his teammates have had no trouble believing in their young quarterback.
“He was 13 working out with us at one point,” Lemmon said. “He turned 14 and after the first game, I put all my trust in him. I wasn’t worried.
“It proves to everyone that our offense can do it. It can come out and score.”
And that is certainly predicated upon the continued success of Graham.
Mozzocio said he easily became acquainted with just how much potential his quarterback possesses.
“About midway through the summer you could just see him getting better and better and better,” Mozzocio said. “We did a lot of 7-on-7 stuff and you could just see it. We knew he had the legs to do it. We knew he could run and his speed and his quickness and everything there. We were a little worried, being a freshman, just recognizing coverages and reading defenses, but you see what he does. He’s special.”
Graham now has thrown for 882 yards, 11 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions over his first seven games of WPIAL football. He also has rushed for a team-high 658 yards and 11 scores.
“I think I can build on my passing game a lot,” said Graham, who has been playing quarterback since he was in fourth grade. “Of course I can build on my feet, but I need to learn how to pass way better than I do.
“It’s slowing down a lot for me. I try to stay as focused as I can on the field. I don’t ever get nervous or anything. It’s just all normal to me now. The first couple of games it was rowdy.”
Montour coach Lou Cerro also was impressed with New Castle’s young signal-caller.
“He’s a big-time player,” Cerro said. “The kid’s really good. He makes plays. He doesn’t get rattled. He’s tough. He’s going to be a handful for the next four years, I can tell you that.”
Cerro, though, also has some young players who have bright futures.
In addition to his first-quarter touchdown catch, Collins also returned a fourth-quarter kickoff 84 yards for his team’s only other score.
Collins had four catches for 49 yards, while Bennett threw for 181 yards.
Bennett completed 6 passes for 120 yards to junior wide receiver Zander Stern, but his three interceptions were critical to ensuring any Spartans comeback attempt.
Travis Whetzel, Cox and Gianni Molina each had interceptions for the Red Hurricanes.
“At this point in the season, young is not an excuse,” Cerro said. “You’re only young up to a point. You’ve already played seven football games. It’s time to take yourself to the next level.”
With a commanding lead in the Parkway Conference standings, it appears that is exactly what New Castle is poised to do.
“We’re only [going] up,” Graham said. “We knew that we could show our talent tonight. We’ve just got to keep stacking good practices and I think we can win a WPIAL championship.”
John is a copy editor and page designer at the Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at jsanta@unionprogress.com.