Gators are grinding: Varsity football next up
CARY, N.C. (BVM) — In 2019, Green Level High School opened its doors for their inaugural year of educational services. This meant that their athletics programs also took to the field for the first time. But in 2020, the school will still have a first to fulfill: a varsity football team.
The Gators did send out a football team, contending in the Triangle-8 conference, but only at the JV level. The school’s first batch of students were just freshmen and sophomores, making playing a varsity schedule daunting. So this year, with their eldest class becoming juniors, they will take part in the NCHSAA’s varsity level competition.
The man to oversee the birth of this program is head coach Ben Goudeau. Goudeau, at just 30 years old, will have the Gators in good hands. With a vast background in football, his IQ and knowledge of the game will translate well to mentoring a young group.
That was evident in the team’s premier season where Goudeau led them to a 9-1 record. This was done in dominant fashion, with only one school, Hillside, coming within one score of them. Their sole loss was to Holly Springs, where they lost by just one score.
And as it appears, this isn’t Goudeau’s first rodeo. He has made multiple stops throughout his young coaching career, both at the high school level and college. He’s coached at three high schools, and he had the chance to coach at Louisburg College, an NJCAA school. As a member of their coaching staff, he helped them become ranked top-15 nationally for the first time in school history.
Now with his first-ever head coaching gig, Goudeau is thrilled to go to battle with the Gators.
“I’m excited to be in this community,” Goudeau said. “We have a great group of kids, they are great leaders, and I’m excited about the future of Green Level sports and Green Level football.”
As an experienced leader, Goudeau understands how to manage expectations and build a winner. Last year was important for them, as they began to construct the culture of their program. This entailed lots of winning and maturing, which’ll help with their transition. But despite the success, nobody thinks it’s going to be easy.
“They have to understand there will be adversity and we will take our lumps. Winning football games without seniors is difficult,” Goudeau said. “But we are a confident bunch. At the end of the day we want to be in a position to compete in every game.”
One thing that will help ease the growing pains for the Gators will be the makeup of the athletes on the roster. Goudeau noted that from day one, they had early buy-in from everyone involved. From August training camp, practicing in blazing North Carolina heats, all the way to the end of the season, the Gators only lost a few players. Everyone remained committed to their football family.
“With football, a lot of guys drop out early or figure out it isn’t for them. We didn’t have that,” Goudeau said. “Guys are coming back and wanting to be a part of this. They are very coachable, and they are very independent.”
But while the Gators gear up for their first season at the varsity level, the NCHSAA continues to debate alternate options for the season because of COVID-19. Commissioner Que Tucker has considered pushing back the start of the year by a couple of weeks, but the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas has officially been canceled, making the outlook for North Carolina high school football a little more bleak.
However, the Gators maintain their optimism.
“We talk to our kids and check up on them. They are excited and optimistic. Lots of guys are getting together and working out,” Goudeau said. “The parents are great, very involved and supportive, talking about getting equipment.”
But all in all, football season or not, Goudeau wants to make sure his players are forming into men of character. He says that they take advantage of character building opportunities, this past winter sending some of their players to a local church to help with their renovations. They’ve also sent some of their guys to area elementary schools to do some reading. Beyond football, Goudeau wants them to be helpful contributors to society.
“We want them to leave high school as successful young men and I think football can be a vehicle for that.” Goudeau said.
