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MAGNA — Landon Graham said he was not about to let his team be the first to fall to Cyprus this season.
And he backed it up with a game and a performance his coach had been waiting for this season.
Graham had two interceptions and a late fumble recovery that propelled the Hunter Wolverines (2-4, 1-0 5A Region 4) to a 28-14 region-opening win over the Cyprus Pirates Thursday night, with the Wolverines scoring the final 28 points after falling behind 14-0 in the blink of an eye early in the game.
The Pirates (0-6, 0-1 5A Region 4) struck on their first play of the game, with quarterback D.J. Oveson hitting Britton Jepsen in stride for a 50-yard touchdown pass on a perfectly thrown slant pattern to make it 7-0.
A Wolverines backward pass then went awry, allowing Cyprus to capitalize just one play later with a touchdown pass from Oveson to tight end Kaysen Mayo up the seam to make it 14-0.
"They (Cyprus) punched us in the mouth," Hunter head coach Harold Moleni said. "After we figured some things out, then we were able to play fast. It was just a matter of trusting our boys in making the adjustments and correcting the mistakes."
Defensive back Graham was one of the players that led the charge in that respect Thursday. After quarterback Isi Mo'unga'afi punched it in from 1 yard out to cap off a long drive to make it 14-6, Graham intercepted Oveson off a tipped ball inside midfield with under two minutes left.
The turnover led to a score when Mo'unga'afi found Ammoron Fonua in the end zone as time expired on a 30-yard Hail Mary pass that he snatched away from Cyprus defensive back Brennan Woodhead.
The ensuing 2-point conversion tied the game at 14-14 heading into halftime, leaving many in the Cyprus crowd stunned after the hot start by the Pirates.
Graham wasn't done, however.
With the game still tied and the Pirates driving late in the third quarter, Graham intercepted a pass intended for Mayo — the same route Graham was beaten on earlier — and returned it to the 30-yard line, leading to Mo'unga'afi's second touchdown run of the game after another long Hunter drive, giving the Wolverines their first lead of the game with 9:29 left.
Graham then effectively sealed the victory and the comeback by recovering a fumble by Pirates running back Jimmy Casas, leading to a Uaki Taukiavea receiving touchdown to make it 28-14.
"I've been waiting for this game for Landon," Moleni said. "The fact that it happened tonight was great; it was clutch for us. He played like I expected Landon Graham to play, and he's a playmaker."
It meant even more for Graham, who said he wanted to make up for the two touchdowns he gave up early in the game to Jepsen and Mayo. He said that despite the slow start, Moleni trusted the players to remain calm.
Safe to say Graham was that and then some in the final three quarters of Thursday's game.
"This is a good step forward, but we're not there yet," he said. "We haven't hit our peak yet, and that's all I can say. We've just got to keep working and keep getting better."
