They’re Counting on McGraw : Football: Laguna Hills teammates lean heavily on star running back, who has set records this season.

People are counting, Brendan McGraw. People close to you.

It’s last Friday and Laguna Hills was getting ready for its Southern Section Division VIII football playoff game. McGraw, the Hawks’ standout running back, needs three touchdowns to set an Orange County record.

He knows this because his linemen tell him.

It’s lunch Tuesday and McGraw has the record after a four-touchdown performance. But a legend’s work is never done. He needs only a couple hundred yards to set the county single-season record.

He knows this because an assistant coach tells him.

“I’m glad people have faith in me,” McGraw said.

Faith? These are true believers.

You have to forgive them that wee bit of fanaticism. People have been waiting for this. McGraw’s ticker-tape season was only a matter of time. Everyone who knew him knew that.

His yards--2,324 and counting--and touchdowns--39 and climbing--were pretty much expected. Waiting for it, yeah, that was the hard part.

McGraw, himself, wondered when the time would come. He wasn’t allowed to play varsity as a sophomore, after transferring from Santa Margarita. He wasn’t permitted in the spotlight as a junior, because of the presence of seniors.

It was two years of tapping his cleats. That pent-up energy has been let loose on opponents.

“Two years ago, I told our principal Brendan was going to be the best running back I’ve been around since I started coaching,” Hawk Coach Steve Bresnahan said.

That pretty much covers half the state--from Morro Bay to Laguna Hills--and includes a stint as a Long Beach State assistant. But McGraw is that good, according to Bresnahan.

Anyone who doubted him stopped after the season opener. McGraw gained 277 yards and tied a county record with six touchdowns. He followed that up with four more 200-yard games.

“I knew he was this good,” lineman Reza Zadeh said. “I’ve played with him since junior high and he’s always been this good. He has more talent than anyone I’ve seen.”

And that’s not just because McGraw showers his line with praise after each of his big games--and every game he’s had has been big. Zadeh merely enjoys watching quality at work.

“Boy, Brendan is sure fun to watch,” he said. “Especially when he scores. He has this little high step just before he crosses the goal line.”

But McGraw fawns over his lineman in much the same manner, like any good back should.

“They deserve the credit,” he said. “I try to point them out because they do a really good job. And you don’t want to make your linemen unhappy.”

Everyone seems to be having a good time around Laguna Hills these days. The Hawks were Pacific Coast League champions and play Temple City in the quarterfinals Friday. McGraw is a big reason for that success.

The talk around campus isn’t so much the number of records McGraw has or will set. It’s the number he could have set.

McGraw has been yanked from games early to prevent overkill. Still, those nights where he makes little more than a cameo appearance are awfully impressive. He had 265 yards and six touchdowns in a game against Laguna Beach. He played only the first half.

“We prepared for him, but he was quicker and more physical than we thought,” Laguna Beach Coach Mike Roche said. “He obviously put in some time in the weight room during the summer.”

McGraw did, because he has a lot of catching up to do.

According to Zadeh, McGraw was a youth league legend. In a game against Inglewood, he gained more than 200 yards and scored four touchdowns. His team won, 36-6. The previous year, Inglewood had won, 66-0.

But McGraw didn’t follow his friends to Laguna Hills. He said his parents wanted him to attend Santa Margarita. He was back with his friends the following year.

“It’s tough to adjust to a school when you don’t know a single person,” McGraw said. “I had never been to a Catholic school and that was a lot different. I never did get used to wearing uniforms. It wasn’t the school, it was the situation.”

But coming back to Laguna Hills cost McGraw a varsity season. He was not permitted to play under Southern Section rules. He was the junior varsity MVP, but longed for more.

“It was frustrating being stuck on JV,” he said. “I would talk to the varsity guys and it would make it worse. I knew I could play on that level.”

He proved it last season, but not in a big way. The Hawks had senior Fred Kim at running back and senior Justin Vedder at quarterback. They were the focal point.

Kim gained more than 1,800 yards rushing. Vedder threw for 5,432 yards in three seasons. McGraw bided his time and made the most of what he got.

He had 95 yards in four carries and caught three passes for 78 yards in a 37-7 victory over Century. He scored four touchdowns.

“The only thing I questioned was whether he had the durability to carry the ball 40 times a game,” Bresnahan said.

The Hawks’ single-back offense leans on one runner. Bresnahan soon learned McGraw was that guy.

“He makes the 41st carry like it was his first,” Bresnahan said. “He does most of his work between the tackles. That’s tough yards.”

But he’s gained a lot of them. McGraw’s low was a 136-yard game against Costa Mesa. His high was a 300-yard performance against Aliso Niguel.

It’s made people take notice.

“It’s nice to hear things, but I don’t want people to think I have a big ego or anything like that,” McGraw said. “I’m confident about what I can do, but I don’t sit around and talk about records a lot. I try not to make a big deal out of it.”

He doesn’t have to, there are other people counting.