Grant Goebel making a name for himself

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By Seth Schwartz
Illinois Matmen

A veteran professional football player once quipped, “Potential, is a fancy French word which means you haven’t done deleted.”

That’s what Grant Goebel’s resume looked like beginning of last summer. As a junior at Montini, he got on the field, but did nothing to attract Division I interest. Unable to crack the Broncos formidable lineup, he moved up to 215 pounds; no small feat when you’re weighing 175. He proved he could contend with the best, but didn’t make it out of the regional. An angular 6-3, Goebel’s physique wasn’t suited for muscle magazine, but his mental mettle gives him a demeanor rarely found among his peers.

“Grant always had that competitive maturity,” said coach Mike Bukovsky, who is the defensive coordinator. “He had the physical attributes. When he learned how far he could push his body and how to channel that intensity; that’s when he started to break through.”

Grueling hours with Montini strength coach Mark Holstein and additional meals, gave Goebel 25 pounds of armor. Four days a week, he spent an hour outside doing a series of strong-man exercises: pulling sleds with weights and logs attached, throwing kegs and flipping tractor tires, followed by two hours of lifting inside. He added 100 pounds to his squat, doing 390 by the end of the summer.

“My legs were a lot stronger, I could drive through people on my tackles,” said Goebel.

Never leaving the field, he was on all the special teams and handled the punting duties. A difference maker with soft-hands who routinely made crucial catches in traffic on third down [31 receptions, for a 16.3 average, six touchdowns and 77 tackles], he was a key component as a strong side linebacker for the Broncos (11-1) who advanced to the Class 5A quarterfinals.

“Grant is a throwback player,” said Montini head coach Chris Andriano. “He has those intangible qualities you can’t coach or measure. He has that sixth sense and he’s very smart. Grant really developed last fall and wrestling had a lot to do with it. He’s very versatile and with his body-type there’s tremendous upside. He has a tremendous inner drive and determination to beat you.”

The added sinew made the transition to the mat easier. At 192 pounds, Goebel wasn’t out muscled [at 215] and his full gas tank was too much for opponents, who faded sometime in the third period.

“Grant was just tenacious as a rider and pinner,” said Bukovksy. “His matches would often be scoreless after the first period. He would turn it up in the third period and dominate. He’s one of the best conditioned wrestlers I’ve ever coached.”

Placing eighth at the Ironman, Goebel proved he was on par with the nation’s elite. He won the Dvorak and lost to a state champion in the finals of the Cheesehead Invite.

“I think the defining moment was the Ironman,” said his father, Greg Goebel, the defensive line and assistant wrestling coach. “We thought he might get killed [giving up that much weight].”

“I was disappointed [3-3] with the three loses, but placing built my confidence up,” said Goebel. “There were a few guys that were stronger, but I could tie up and my leg strength allowed me to finish my shots.”

A few weeks before the regional, Greg impressed on Grant the mindset he needed for State.

“I knew Grant was mentally tough enough,” said Greg. “I just wanted to make sure he was totally focused on his goal and not to let anything get in the way. He’d been wrestling since age seven, now it was time to put everything together.”

He did. Goebel [48-4, 29 pins] brought home a Class AA state title outlasting Oswego’s Dan Howell 2-1 in double overtime. Not bad for someone who never made it Downstate at the kids level and rarely stepped on the mat in the summer.

Because of his schedule, Goebel was unable to make any recruiting visits. With a 30 ACT, 3.6 gpa, three years of honors classes and a rank of 35/175; several Ivy League schools contacted him when the school year began. But they also requested he retake his ACT.

Early in March, Cornell followed up, but said they weren’t sure they could get him in. Two weeks later, they came back and said he was accepted and came up with a package where the Goebel’s would have to pay $10,000 of the $52,000 tuition. At the same time, Greg contacted former Elmhurst teammate and Elmwood Park graduate, Jimmy Maraviglia, who is director of admissions at Cal Poly [Division IAA in the Great West Conference]. They sent him a tape and he gave it to the football office. The coaches quickly saw Goebel’s skills are suited for their scheme and asked Grant to visit [the last weekend in March].

Nestled in the foothills of San Luis Obispo, the 6,000 acre school with 18,000 students, attractive women, abundant vineyards and five minute drive to the ocean, are enough to entice any teenager.

“The campus is beautiful,” said Goebel, who plans on majoring in the school’s prestigious engineering program. “It’s was like being on vacation. The coaches were real nice; I got to see a [spring] practice. I really liked the whole atmosphere. They emphasize speed more than size.”

Three days after the Grant and his parents returned, they went to visit Cornell and were met by rain and cold when they got off the plane.

“Ithaca was kind of gloomy and depressing,” said Goebel. “I felt Cal Poly was a better fit.”

Defensive coordinator Greg Lupfer thinks Goebel will be a welcome addition.

“It’s funny the way these things work out,” said Lupfer. “We really don’t recruit outside of the state of California. I don’t think we’ve had a kid from the Midwest here before.

“But we got Goebel’s tape and liked what he could do. [Because of our academics] we look for certain type of kid: someone who is self motivated, plays hard and physical. Grant’s a tough, physical kid. We use a flex package; which allows the linebackers to run around. A kid doesn’t have to be 6-5 and 270 to do well here. Once he gets some weight and gets on the field we’ll have a better idea about what position he’d fit best at.”

Bukovsky has great expectations for Goebel.

“Grant’s worked for everything he’s got; nothings come easy for him,” said Bukovsky. “He has an exceptional attitude and work ethic. I know he has a bright future on and off the field. Grant has a lot of skill; I can see him playing well at a variety of positions on either side of the ball.”

Photo Credit: Jeff Pape of WrestlingGear.Com

[Nasty Nate]

So did he sign anywhere yet for football?

[Jmaravig]

He's a Cal Poly Mustang!