Playing in rain-soaked conditions, the Goodrich varsity football team rained down on Mt. Morris.
The Martians stormed to a 49-0 halftime lead on their way to defeating the visiting Panthers 56-0 in an Oct. 8 contest. With the win, the Martians clinched at least a share of their second straight Genesee Area Conference Red Division championship.
Last season, the Martians shared the title with Montrose and Mt. Morris. Goodrich can win the division title outright with a win Oct. 15 against the host LakeVille Falcons, which would be their first outright league title since 1971.
In addition, the Martians gained their sixth victory, making them eligible for postseason play. Goodrich is now 6-1 overall and 4-0 in the GAC Red.
The week before the Mt. Morris game, the Martians struggled in the first half against Lake Fenton, leading only 14-7 at the half before taking command in the second half.
Goodrich coach Tom Alward said the Martians learned their lesson from the Lake Fenton game.
‘Everything worked,? he said. ‘The kids showed up to play. They got on their blocks and stayed on people, and they realized we need to get off to good starts.?
Senior running back Kirk Elsworth carried the ball only eight times, but tallied 165 yards in the process, and scored on touchdown runs of 6, 42, and 45 yards. In addition, he ran two punts back for touchdowns, from 46 and 58 yards out.
Goodrich’s other touchdowns came on a two-yard pass from senior quarterback Keith Brotherton to senior running back Adam Compeau, a six-yard run by Brotherton, and a 45-yard run by senior Jeff Decator.
The Martians have two games left in the regular season ? Oct. 15 against LakeVille and Oct. 22 against Yale. Alward said the Martians will have to play well from start to finish in order to earn victories in those matchups.
‘Those two teams are playing better in this part of the season,? he said.