By Marty Gordon
Quarterback Casey Graham led Christiansburg High School to 10 wins this past season as he set a new school single-season passing yardage record. For his effort, Graham is 2021’s all-county/all-city News Messenger/News Journal player of the year. He was also named the offensive player of the year.
Graham finished the season with 106 passes on 169 attempts with 1,850 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also rushed 39 times for 235 yards with seven touchdowns.
This season was one of the Blue Demons’ best in eight years, and Graham was a big part of it. His coach, Alex Wilkens, said he was instrumental to the success of the Christiansburg football team this year.
“I think our team was a microcosm of his demeanor,” Wilkens said. “He was the unquestionable vocal leader of our team. Casey was a player you knew you could count on day in and day out. Adversity never phased him, and he never shied away from the big moment.”
“I really felt like that was the DNA of our team this year. Our team was not intimidated by anybody, and Casey was a big part of that,” Wilkens said.
Of course, Graham, like most of his teammates, took the Lord Botetourt playoff loss hard. “It was tough,” he said. “We felt like we should have won it and gone farther.”
On Sunday, Graham gave credit for his outstanding season to his teammates, especially his offensive line. “I could not have done it without them,” he said.
For the past two years, he has not played any other sport but football. Previously he also played basketball until a wrist injury shut down his season.
His football ties include an uncle who played on a state championship team at Glenvar, which ironically at the time had a defensive assistant by the name of Wilkens, the same coach who now leads the Christiansburg program.
Several Old Dominion Athletic Conference teams have been in contact with the senior signal caller, but so far, he has not made a decision where he will take his talents next.
