Great Expectatons: Goodwin Carries the Load for Madison in Week 1 Victory

For the football team, Saturday's season opener was a day for new stars to emerge, ready to create their own legacies at Ted Monica Stadium. One season after the team claimed its first state title in a dozen years, the Dodgers saw a number of players step up in

But on what was a big offensive day for Madison, it was a playmaking holdover from 2010, Justin Goodwin, who made the most noise.

The junior running back/linebacker picked up right where he left off the previous season, shredding the Tigers defense for 234 yards and four touchdowns rushing, helping the Madison ground attack rack up 558 yards in the win. Goodwin also chipped in with 40 return yards and 14 yards receiving.

With Madison heading into a new season, and with new faces starting on both sides of the ball, head coach Chris Kubik stressed the importance of Goodwin’s role as the teams’ feature running back in 2011.

“We expect him to step up and carry the load,” Kubik said before a preseason practice. “We still want to give the ball to a lot of different people, but we expect when he gets the ball, he needs to make something happen with it.”

One day after Goodwin helped lead the Dodgers to their first win of 2011 — and 14th in a row dating to 2009 — his head coach praised his effort and production, but wasn’t the least bit surprised with the result. 

“Justin put in a dominant performance, which is what we expected and needed,” Kubik said. “We expect Justin to be our go-to guy this year and we know he is capable of great things.”

Up next, Goodwin and the Dodgers visit Parsippany High School (0-2) on Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff.