Marquise Goodwin is good. Real good. How good is he? Try this on for size.
The Rowlett senior is the No. 62-ranked wide receiver in the 2009 senior class, according to Rivals.com. And oh yeah, he's probably the best high school track and field athlete in the country, and will be attending the University of Texas on a track scholarship, but is also expected to put on the pads.
Goodwin capped off his high school athletic career over the weekend at the state track meet in Austin, where he won three gold medals and two silvers, a year after winning five medals in the 2008 championships. Keep in mind, five events is the maximum number of events an athlete can compete in.
On Saturday, he won the long jump for the third straight year, the triple jump for the second, anchored the 4x100 relay team that took gold, and finished second in the 100 and 200.
I was standing right next to the long jump pit when he tied the national record, but it didn't count as it was wind-aided by 1/2 mile an hour as the tail wind was 2.5 mph, and the maximum allowed for records is 2 mph.
So will he end up in the Olympics? His coach thinks he has a great chance for 2012 in London, most likely in the long jump.
"He has a definite shot at being in the Olympics," Rowlett coach David Nanez told The Dallas Morning News. "That's a rarity when you get an athlete like that, but if anybody can do it, it's him."
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Or will he excel on the football field? At 5-10, 167 pounds, I don't think he'll be an every-down receiver, but can you imagine his 4.4 speed on punt and kick returns? That'd be something to see.
Adam Boedeker is a sports writer/award-winning blogger for the Denton Record Chronicle. He's looking for travel tips for Cape Cod and Boston.
