Graham rewriting the record books for Coyote track team
Junior runner hopes for a big effort at Friday's Ventura County Championships
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers TO THE LIMIT- Clayton Graham, 17, of Calabasas High says his favorite race is the 800 meter because it requires everything from his body. Graham will compete in several events during Friday's Ventura County Championships at Moorpark High.

He might not be LeBron James, but Calabasas High junior Clayton Graham could probably do a great Sprite commercial.

Two years ago, Calabasas sprint coach Steve Smith caught Graham drinking the soft drink before a track meet, which was against team rules. Graham's punishment was to run in the 800 meter instead of the relay event he was slated to compete in prior to the infraction.

Graham's reprimand turned out to be a blessing, as the Coyote runner is now one of the county's best in the 800 meter. After being brought up by Smith as a sprinter, Graham broke the school record in the 800 during his sophomore season with a time of 1:59.6.

This Friday, Graham is hoping to do even more damage when he runs in the Ventura County Championships at Moorpark High. Besides the 800, Graham also competes in the 1,600 and is on the two-mile and 4x400 relay teams.

"In order to win at the Ventura County Championships, I need to get in a good position to win early in the race," Graham said. "After that, I need my kick to be just right."

Calabasas head coach Donna Watts said Graham's kick- the pace at which he finishes a race- might be the best in the Marmonte League.

"His kick is so good, and most of his competition doesn't even know it," Watts said. "They see this kid and think they can just outrun him near the end of the race, where in fact they don't stand a chance at that point."

Although his kick may be a mystery to some, Watts said other coaches and athletes are well aware of just how good an athlete Graham is.

"I feel he is up there with the other great runners in the league like (Cory) Primm and Hudson (Andrews)," Watts said. "He is always competing hard with them and sometimes beating them, so I don't think he is being overlooked by other coaches or athletes."

Although Graham could possibly be the league's best 800 runner next year, he's hoping his team can be in top spot as well. According to Graham, his main goal is to have the Coyotes do better in the standings. Calabasas' boys are currently in last place in league.

"Since I came to Calabasas the team as a whole has gotten more dedicated and serious," Graham said. "It would be nice to get a mile time under four minutes, but the main thing I want by the time I'm out of high school is for the team to win the Marmonte League and make it to state."

Smith said Graham's feelings about CHS are what make him a great individual.

"He never lets his success get to his head," Smith said. "He is a team player. He will run four events just to help us get more points on the day."

Graham said he was planning on playing football in high school but stuck with track after watching his older brother Ian have success at Calabasas. A certain race in eighth grade also helped in his decision.

"I won in the 800 against Alex Routh, who is now with Royal," Graham said. "It was really exciting for me, and that was the first time where I started to think, 'Hey, I might be pretty good at this.'"

Besides working with Watts and Smith, Graham gets inspiration from his twin sister, Emily, and his personal coach, Johnny Gray. Gray is currently the U.S record holder in the 800.

"I started working with Coach Gray during cross country season, and he has helped me by getting me to get more serious and dedicated about every race I run," Graham said. "He also has a lot of experience, and that has come down on me, too.

"My sister has inspired me as a runner by being very spirited at Calabasas. I have been running with her basically since seventh grade, and she has helped me a lot."

While Graham has excelled in the 800, he believes his strongest event is the 1,600, where he also owns the school record with a 4:30.

"The 800 is my favorite event, but I feel the 1,600 is my strongest because in the mile I'm able to compete more with guys like Primm and Andrews in those races," Graham said.

Although Graham has the rest of his junior year and his whole senior year in front of him, the track star has already begun looking at colleges, including Ohio State, Stanford, Pepperdine and the University of Wisconsin. Graham, however, still has a lot of work to do at CHS.

"I don't want to settle on next year yet," Graham said. "I still believe I can do great the rest of this year. Having competitive runners in this league like Cory Primm really pushes me to the next level of running."