VALLEY / VENTURA COUNTY SPORTS : HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK : Graham Hoping to Make a Pass at Recognition

Jonathan Graham reads newspapers. He studies the photographs. Lately, he doesn’t like what he sees.

Or, rather, what he doesn’t see: His name and likeness associated with perhaps the most talented class of quarterbacks the region has produced.

Graham, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound senior at El Camino Real High, displays quickness, athleticism and a strong arm. He is a returning starter with good grades and high aspirations.

If he can’t be a professional athlete, he wants to become an actor or a lawyer. He wants top billing and makes a strong case for himself.

“The guys getting the publicity deserve everything they get,” Graham said. “But it ticks me off that I’m not included. I played against all of them growing up and I believe I’m right there.”

The Conquistadores’ reluctance to throw is one reason Graham is overlooked. As a junior, he completed 38 of 85 passes for 525 yards and six touchdowns, with four interceptions.

Coach Rick Hayashida plans to call more passing plays, not necessarily to please Graham but because he wants to play to the team’s strength.

“We don’t have a big-time running back and Jon’s arm might be our best weapon,” Hayashida said.

Graham’s fraternal twin, Justin Graham, is the team’s top returning running back and receiver. The Grahams also start in the secondary, so Jonathan can help limit the passing numbers of his more highly touted counterparts.

El Camino Real plays Westlake and quarterback Zac Wasserman in a nonleague game, and faces Taft and Brandon Hance, Granada Hills and Jason Winn, Chatsworth and Matt Cassel, and Cleveland and Eddie Whitaker in West Valley League games.