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WILKES-BARRE — Joshua Goodwin stood at the 50-yard line, staring down at the trophy that sat less than 10 yards away from him.
The GAR senior back just shook his head when asked about his offensive line.
“Amazing group,” Goodwin said.
That’s one word to describe them. Dominating would be another.
The Grenadier rushing attack was bruising all night as GAR rushed for six touchdowns and 281 yards as the team ran past city rival Meyers, 50-7, at a wet Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadium Thursday night.
The victory keeps GAR (5-5) alive for a District 2 Class 3A playoff berth and will clinch a spot outright in the four-team playoffs if Nanticoke defeats Hanover Area or West Scranton defeats Western Wayne. Meyers (5-5) was eliminated from district contention.
“We were on a two-game season coming into last week’s game,” GAR head coach Paul Wiedlich, Jr. said. “It’s a great feeling to put pressure on these teams, but more importantly, it’s great to beat Meyers. These kids will remember this game for the rest of their lives. And they can brag about this until the day they die.”
Really, it was quite a statement by the Grenadiers.
The line blew the Meyers’ defense off the ball, opening up holes that would bring a smile to any running back.
For Goodwin, it was a night he’ll never forget.
He ran for 155 yards and three scores. He crossed the end zone on runs of 3, 3 and 21 yards. His last TD, a 21-yard sweep off the left side, gave GAR a 34-7 lead with 5:18 left in the third.
That particular score was important for the simple fact that Meyers was gaining a little momentum. On its last series prior to Goodwin’s third TD, the Mohawks converted on a third-and-40 where quarterback Janssen Wilborn dipped and dodged at least five players on his way to a 71-yard score. Wilborn finished with 114 of the team’s 194 yards.
Like it did all night though, GAR had an answer with a 9-play, 60-yard scoring drive.
“We knew that we needed a big win to get into playoffs,” Goodwin said. “Now, we will just see where the pieces fall now. It was a tough two weeks because we knew we had to win. We had to dig deep and practice hard each week. We had to play big every play.”
It was really all Grenadiers from the opening kickoff as GAR drove the ball 60 yards. A 38-yard pass from Austin Yelland to Kadin Taylor set up the team on the Meyers 1 where fullback Mike Drozda finished off the drive.
Goodwin’s first score, a 3-yard burst on a fourth-and-goal, put the Grenadiers up 14-0 after the first.
And the second quarter was all GAR, thanks to a 17-play drive – 16 runs and one pass interference penalty – that chewed up nearly nine minutes off the clock. Wiedlich’s crew converted on third down three separate times to keep the series alive, and it was capped off by another 3-yard score from Goodwin.
The Grenadiers punched in one more with seven seconds before halftime as Malachai Williams beat the Mohawk secondary for a 45-yard score and a 27-0 lead.
“Our guys are starting to gel at the right time of the season,” Wiedlich said. “We were starting three new guys up front, and they’ve taken their lumps. But they keep getting better each week. All the credit to our line. Doc (Goodwin) did really well, and he’ll give all the credit to those kids up front. He’s a patient runner. It’s what we expect out of him.”
GAR led 40-7 after three quarters, and put the game into the mercy rule with 7:29 left on Muhaideen Tajuddin’s 22-yard field goal. Tajuddin also punched one into the end zone, scoring on a 32-yard run with less than three minutes left.
“Our line was just getting such a big push up front,” Goodwin said. “The tackle and guard were pulling, and getting real big blocks. And there was a lot of running room outside.”
GAR 50, Meyers 7
Meyers `0`0`7`0 – 7
GAR `14`13`13`10 – 50
First Quarter
G — Mike Drozda 1 run (Muhaideen Tajuddin kick), 8:53
G — Joshua Goodwin 3 run (Tajuddin kick), 5:03
Second Quarter
G — Goodwin 3 run (Tajuddin kick), 3:24
G — Malachai Williams 45 pass from Austin Yelland (pass failed), 0:07
Third Quarter
M — Janssen Wilborn 71 run (Ken Macko kick), 9:19
G — Goodwin 21 run (Tajuddin kick), 5:08
G — Yelland 9 run (run failed), 2:05
Fourth Quarter
G — Tajuddin 22 field goal, 7:29
G — Tajuddin 32 run (Tajuddin kick), 2:30
Team Statistics `M`G
First Downs `11`19
Rushes-Yards `37-167 `51-281
Passing Yards `27`83
Total Yards `194`364
Passing `2-8-0`2-4-0
Sacked-Yards Lost `2-17`0-0
Punts-Average `2-19`0-0
Fumbles-Lost `5-1`0-0
Penalties-Yards `9-75`2-20
Individual Statistics
RUSHING — M, Janssen Wilborn 11-114, Rajhan Woodson 9-47, Kevin Dessoye 2-27, Reese Patronick 7-6, Willie Wallace 1-2, Khabir Williams 4-0, Namir Murphy 1-0, Nazir Dunell 1-(-2), Team 1-(-27). G, Joshua Woodwin 27-155, Austin Yelland 11-52, Muhaideen Yajuddin 4-47, Mike Drozda 9-27.
PASSING — M, Willie Wallace 2-6-0, 27 yards; Janssen Wilborn 0-2-0, 0 yards. G, Austin Yelland 2-4-0, 83 yards.
RECEIVING — M, Khabir Williams 1-18, Janssen Wilborn 1-9. G, Malachai Williams 1-45, Kadin Taylor 1-38.
INTERCEPTIONS — None
MISSED FG — None
