Braxin Goodson runs track along with playing football, and he uses his track speed to his advantage on the gridiron, playing quarterback at Central High School in Sallisaw, Okla.
“My passing has gotten a lot better since I’ve started,” said Goodson, a senior. “But all my running, I could see, like the holes opening and the right side to go on, and just I use my my track speed just to go score.”
Goodson runs both the 100 and 200-meter dashes, along with being on two relay teams. He even competes in the 300-meter hurdles.
So while Goodson uses his track speed at times playing quarterback, has he also utilized his hurdling abilities as well?
“It seems like I had to last year a couple of times,” Goodson said. “I don’t remember if it was big hurdles, it was more like stepping over people that were on the ground in front of me.”
Perhaps his best game last season for the Tigers came in an October home win against Mounds. Goodson accounted for 255 yards of total offense and all five Central touchdowns – including four rushing touchdowns, which set a career high – in a 35-16 win.
But maybe something else really stood out about Goodson in that game. After the game, his purple uniform remained fairly pristine, devoid of various dirt and grass stains as he was not sacked once. That game also took place one week after he left the game early in an eventual loss to Talihina due to a possible concussion. But Goodson was cleared to play the Monday before the Mounds win.
This season, in order to utilize Goodson’s athletic ability even more, Central coach Jeremy Thompson plans to have Goodson, who sees action at safety on defense, play several snaps at wide receiver and running back along with remaining the Tigers’ primary signal-caller. And that is completely fine with Goodson.
“(Thompson is) going to move me around, wide receiver and running back, switch it out just a little bit,” Goodson said. “I like being able to branch out and play a bunch of different roles. I like being able to look around and do different things instead of just staying in a spot.”
Last season was Goodson’s first year as a starting quarterback and led the Tigers to a seven-win season along with a playoff appearance.
“It was fun,” he said. “I played a little bit the year before in playoff games; whenever our quarterback got hurt, I got to play just a little bit the last part of that game. That’s the only experience I got for my junior year.”
Another thing Goodson did was make sure the younger players are on the same page.
“I try to help out the younger kids when they come on the field,” he said. “I try to help them and tell them what to do, just pick them up when they need it. I’m learning to be a vocal leader. I’m not a real talker, but I’m learning to lead by example.”
Goodson is ready to help get the Tigers back to the playoffs in his last go-round with the football team.
“I think we’re going to do good; hopefully, we’re better than last year and compete for the district championships, and hopefully, we make it to the state playoffs,” Goodson said. “Our district will be tough, but I think it will be fun, but we’ve got a good chance. It’s my last year, so I’m very excited, but I don’t want it to go end.”
Along with football and track, Goodson competes on the Central basketball team as a guard.