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Life�s a kick for Goodman photo by Drew Fleming Ashland star lends versatile skills to rising Grizz squad By Don Hunt ASHLAND � As Ryan Goodman lined up for a game-winning field goal against Grants Pass last Friday, he thought back to last summer when he spent a lot of extra time on his kicking. Day after day, assistant coach Dave Kitchell would preach the same things: Keep your head down, your shoulders closed, kick hard and follow through. "I thought to myself, �You�ve worked too hard not to make this kick,�" Goodman says. "That�s why I spent all that time in the summer kicking � for a moment like this." The 40-yard boot was right at the edge of Goodman�s range, but it sailed through the uprights and over the crossbar with 7.7 seconds left to play, giving the Ashland Grizzlies a thrilling 16-14 victory over Grants Pass at Mel Ingram Field. The kick was reminiscent of the one Matt Wells made to beat Roseburg in the 1989 state championship game. This boot didn�t have a Class 4A state title riding on its outcome, but it was from much further out. "We debated on whether to even let him try it," admits Jim Nagel, the Grizzlies head coach. "I asked Kitchell what he thought and he said Ryan was good from 40 yards. "Had it been from 41, it would have been short." Goodman is now 6-for-6 on field goal attempts � he made three against the Cavemen � and 6-for-6 on extra points. But his contributions hardly stop there. The 5-foot-9, 168-pound senior is the Grizzlies� leading receiver (six catches, 95 yards, one touchdown), a starting cornerback on defense and he returns both punts and kickoffs. On the drive that set up last Friday�s winning kick, Goodman caught two passes for 34 yards, including one for a first down on a fourth-and-10 play. "I told (quarterback Cameron) Voget in the huddle that I was going to get open," Goodman says of the crucial 17-yard reception that kept the drive alive. "I ran an out-route and the ball was perfectly thrown." Goodman caught another pass that advanced the ball to the Grants Pass 18, but Voget was sacked on the following play, which added about 10 yards to Goodman�s final field goal. A week earlier, Goodman kicked two field goals and caught a touchdown pass that helped the Grizzlies stun Marshfield and end its 55-game regular season win streak. And on opening night he electrified the Ashland faithful when he returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown against Roseburg, only to have it called back by a holding penalty. The Grizzlies lost to Roseburg, but now have a two-game winning streak heading into Friday�s home game against Klamath Union. All three of Ashland�s opponents have been ranked in the top-10. "Considering who we played, we came through those three games in pretty good shape," Nagel says. "And it�s like I told the kids, beating Grants Pass the way we did is something we can build on. It was good in a way to have a game like that, because now these kids know they can come back and win regardless of the odds." Goodman is in the mold of former Ashland receivers Wells, Bobby Foote, Ryan Thomas, Tim Blair and Jay Kuester. Little guys who make huge impacts. "I looked up to all of those guys," says Goodman, who has put on 20 pounds since last season. "They were heroes of mine." The Grizzlies weren�t sure Goodman would even be around for his senior year, however. He moved to Crescent City, Calif., last winter to live with his father and didn�t return until June. "I was going through some hard times," he says. "At first I thought I�d probably stay over there, but the more I thought about it the more I wanted to come back." Needless to say, the Grizzlies are thrilled he did. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA