Mission accomplished ? back to the postseason for the Goodrich football team.
The Martians completed a turnaround from a 1-3 start, qualifying for the Division 5 state playoffs with a 35-13 win against visiting Yale Oct. 24.
Goodrich (6-3), who missed the playoffs last season, won their last five games of the regular season to secure their fourth playoff berth in the past five years.
Coach Tom Alward said the Martians kept the faith despite the slow start, and that was the key to them making their run for the playoffs.
‘The kids always believed in themselves and knew they were a good team,? he said. ‘They never gave up and were rewarded for their efforts.?
Goodrich wasted little time asserting itself in the contest, as senior Adam McAuliffe scored on a 12-yard touchdown run with 9:40 remaining in the first quarter. Matt Hill’s extra point put the Martians up 7-0.
About three minutes later, Hill connected on a 74-yard touchdown pass to senior Kirk Elsworth. Hill then converted the point-after to give Goodrich a 14-0 lead.
Yale then fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and junior Sean Trowbridge recovered the ball for the Martians, putting Goodrich in Yale territory. With the Goodrich players yelling ‘end zone? from the sidelines, McAuliffe delivered with his second touchdown run of the game, a three-yard score which put the Martians up 21-0 with 4:21 left.
Although Yale answered with a touchdown run of their own, cutting the Martians? lead to 21-6 with 3:46 left in the first, the Martians met the challenge with two more touchdowns later in the game to seal the win.
Hill threw a 74-yard touchdown pass to senior Lance Keene, and Elsworth ran for another touchdown, giving him a total of 21 on the season.
For the game, Hill completed 7-of-13 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns, and Elsworth carried the ball 22 times for 103 yards. Junior Andrew Bohlen led the Martians with 12 tackles.
The Martians took on Capac (6-3) in playoff action Oct. 31 at Goodrich. Results of the game were not available as of press time.
Alward said Capac will be a tough foe for the Martians.
‘They’re very aggressive and have very good football players,? he said. ‘We’ll have to play our best in order to win. We need to move the ball well on offense.?