On a blistering hot night, the Greenwood Christian School Hawks continued their own blistering streak of shattering records last Friday night. On a night that also saw sophomore defensive lineman Brady Anderson set a new school record with three sacks in a game, senior linebacker and unquestioned defensive leader Casen Goff smashed the record for tackles in a career.
The previous week, wide receiver Owen Whittington set the record for touchdown receptions in a game and quarterback Kade Heaton surpassed the career mark for passing yardage..
But it was on an inconspicuous play in the middle of the third quarter against Northside Christian that Goff tackled Crusaders running back Matt Diaz for no gain. It was tackle number 217, surpassing the previous record set by Garrett Doolittle at 216. Goff finished the game with six more tackles, giving him nine for the game and setting the new bar at 223…and counting.
Goff is averaging 8.5 tackles per game in 2023 and is also tied for the record for tackles in a single game with 19, a record he hopes to break this season.
“He just flies around out there,” Hawks head man Will Rooney said of his senior leader. “Playing defense is 90 percent ‘want-to’ and I think it says a lot about his ‘want-to.’ He is a sure tackler.”
It doesn’t hurt to have a dad who played football. When Goff was in the first grade, his dad bought him a talking dummy for the yard.
“Oh man, that thing was great,” Goff said. “We would just go out there and hit all day long.”
When asked about his future, Goff quickly brushes aside any notion that he may have a desire to play after high school. His plans?
“I’m moving to Florida,” Goff said. “I’ll be in school down there learning to be a marine mechanic. Then I want to move back to Beaufort and work on boats.”
Goff is no stranger to running a business. He has built himself a mini-lawncare empire, taking care of the lawn care needs of customers in the area. It’s that work ethic, according to Rooney, that makes him such an asset on the field.
“He is a super hard worker,” Rooney said. “A lot of that carries over onto the field, with his work ethic and how he approaches practice and each game.”
In addition to a strong work ethic, Goff sets himself apart as a leader on the field. That leadership will be critical to any success the Hawks have in 2023.
“If things are going the wrong way in a game and we need someone to fire the team, he’s the person,” Rooney said. “He has that fire, that nastiness and we need more of that on defense.”