By Ryan Nagelhout Niagara Gazette The Niagara Gazette Sat Nov 26, 2011, 04:50 PM EST
Jeff Goldsmith doesn’t say much — on or off the field — but give him a bit of room to run and he can make the football crowd at Sal Maglie Stadium get loud in a hurry.
“I call him a quiet superstar,” Niagara Falls coach Don Bass said. “You see players that have some extraordinary talent and they let you know it, but Jeff, he just led by example.”
Goldsmith’s offensive output and senior leadership led Niagara Falls to its first Section VI postseason win in school history, earning the running back Gazette Player of the Year honors.
“There’s nothing that I asked of him he didn’t do,” Bass said.
Jeff’s value early in the season was playing possum; acting as a decoy for quarterback Ricky Bailey and sophomore running back K’Shawn Sistrunk while battling an early knee injury.
Bass remembers putting Goldsmith out there against Niagara-Wheatfield and watching the Falcons defense follow Goldsmith while Sistrunk ran up the middle on a counter.
“He’s hobbling and hobbling and we gave him a few runs just so they could see he can run and I said 'I’m going to fake to you and run to him,'” Bass said. “Whatever I asked him to do, he did it. He’s the kind of player you wish you had two more years with.”
While injured, it was Goldsmith helping his backups find their way in the option offense.
“When he was hurt and he couldn’t practice he was out there in the huddle during practice telling his backups what to do,” Bass said. “He’s a tremendous teammate, they really look up to him.”
Goldsmith’s message was quiet but clear: Put in the work and the results will follow.
“I look up to him as a football player because of the things that he can do on the field, but off the field he’s a very respectable person,” Wolverines running back Fred Bryant said. “He’s intelligent and he does nothing but put in 110% percent.”
Bryant, who is Goldsmith’s cousin, hopes to succeed him in the Niagara Falls backfield. He said Goldsmith's departure leaves a void, but also the motivation necessary to fill it.
“He leaves inspiration,” Bryant said. “He’s going to leave a legacy of people thinking and believing that if they work hard, nothing is impossible.”
“The best part about Jeff is being around him,” linebacker Martez Thomas said. “He’s one of the best captains we’ve had.”
Call him humble, but Goldsmith isn’t comfortable with the ‘star’ label just yet. For him, the running back is just another cog in the wheel.
“I don’t really see it. I just have a job and know what to do,” he said. “I don’t really think about it but it’s good to hear that I helped the team out.”
The opposition has certainly taken notice of Goldsmith this season.
“He’s a great player, he’s really fast and he’s very explosive in the backfield,” Kenmore West running back Martin Bailey said. “He’s smart, and he’s really quick.”
The Blue Devils and Wolverines squared off on Sept. 24 in one of the most explosive games this fall, a 49-31 shootout that went to the half with West leading 35-28. Bailey scored five touchdowns that Saturday, but it was Goldsmith’s blistering 78-yard run up the middle in the second quarter that impressed the Blue Devil.
“I was very surprised at the scoring there,” Bailey said. “I had three touchdowns (by then) and they still stuck with it. He kept on playing harder.”
Goldsmith said his crowning achievement was the 108 rushing yards he put up on Oct. 22 in a 20-7 win against Clarence in the Class AA quarterfinals, avenging a 35-0 loss the Wolverines suffered with Goldsmith on the bench in Week 3. The playoff win was the first for Niagara Falls since the ‘New’ high school opened in 2000.
“It was kind of overwhelming. I was so happy we had a good year,” Goldsmith said. “We made history.”
Niagara Falls athletic director John Forcucci said Goldsmith
“Jeff has always been a good student here, a great personality and someone that carries himself well and represents the school,” Forcucci said. “He had a great season... it’s been exceptional to see them go as far as they have.”
Goldsmith rushed for 755 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Bass says the numbers don’t match the talent he has. As a “pure running back,” he puts Goldsmith in his own top three along with former Wolverines tailbacks Kenny Armstrong and Antwan Smith.
“His numbers may not be where some other runners have been,” Bass said, “but just as a pure running back he’d have to make the top three.”
Goldsmith said he deserves a place among the school's best, but he's hoping for a legacy of leadership.
“I know I’m going to leave a lot of players looking up to me as a role model and a good football player,” Goldsmith said. “I think I’ll leave a good legacy.”
Two photos hang in Don Bass’ office at Gaskill Preparatory School. One is of James Starks from an issue of Sports Illustrated, the Niagara Falls native now running the ball for the Green Bay Packers.
The other photo is of Goldsmith following his blockers in a game against Lockport in October.
Goldsmith had 129 yards and three touchdowns against the Lions, one of the biggest outputs of his high school career. With the Sal Maglie gridiron behind him, he said the real accomplishment will be following Starks’ footsteps and playing college ball.
“I just have to maintain a good healthy diet, stay in the weight room, work out a lot and be prepared,” Goldsmith said. “I maintain my grades, keep my head in the books and I should be able to play for any school in the country.”
Bass said the senior will find a team by February. Grades and SAT scores aren’t a problem, and Albany, Syracuse and Maine have all shown interest thus far.
Goldsmith’s future may be unwritten, but Bass said the path this Wolverine will follow is clear.
“Whoever gets him is going to get one hell of a football player,” Bass said. “And a better young man.”
Contact sports reporter Ryan Nagelhout at ryan.nagelhout@niagara-gazette.com or 282-2311 ext. 2262.
Copyright 2011 Niagara Gazette. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source:
