SENIOR WEEKS: Bishop Shanahan’s Goforth preparing for top-level lacrosse at Maryland

A lot of coaches claim that their best players are students of the game. With Bishop Shanahan lacrosse star Gabe Goforth, it’s not just a flattering talking point.

Goforth was offered, and accepted, an athletic scholarship to play collegiately at Maryland a long time ago, and he’s been in touch with Terrapins coaches for years. When Maryland head coach, John Tillman, recently sent out an email instructing defenders to watch a video, Goforth immediately consumed the clip. And he is definitely not a defender.

“I watched it anyway because whatever the defense is doing, I want to know about it in order to beat them,” said Goforth, one of the nation’s top high school midfielders.

“The more you understand defenses, the better you will be.”

Like all local high school seniors, the Chester Springs native was denied his final season when the coronavirus pandemic caused its cancellation. But unlike just about all of his peers, Goforth can say that in his final appearance, his team won a state title.

Right now, however, it’s hardly much consolation.

“It’s sad. I played with some of these guys since grade school,” Goforth said. “It’s good to finish on top, but it still stinks that we didn’t have one more season together like we expected.

“I will tell myself that I made my mark, but it was all building up to senior year. You want to be the big dog.”

The Eagles wound up winning two state championships during his abridged high school career. A year ago, Goforth poured in 53 goals, dished out 23 assists and helped lead Shanahan to a 22-1 record, including a 12-3 win over Hershey in the class 2A state final.

“Gabe makes an undeniable impact,” said Eagles’ head coach Jon Heisman. “He is a two-way midfielder and is a threat on both sides of the field. He is a sure bet to clear the ball and is an offensive threat from the top wing.”

In more than 60 career outings, Goforth’s teams dropped just six. As a sophomore in 2018, Shanahan went 22-1 and topped Strath Haven for the 2A crown. In the title match, Goforth led the Eagles with four goals.

“Gabe is a leader, a great athlete and a student of the game,” said Shanahan assistant coach Paul Meyers. “He never gets tired.

“I really wish we would have had a chance to see him play one more season. He’s one of the best in the county. When he’s on the field, he puts on a show.”

With 143 career goals, Goforth had a shot at catching Alex Wagner, who owns the school record with 213 tallies. If the season had been played, Goforth needed 71 to surpass Wagner, which is lofty but feasible nonetheless.

Goforth said the 2018 Eagles were the best team he’s played on. Shanahan subsequently lost a load of great players to graduation, but still successfully defended its state title. Similarly, Goforth believed that the 2020 Eagles had a shot at the three-peat.

“I thought we could make another run (at a state title),” he said.

The youngest in a family of lacrosse players, Goforth started playing at age 5. One older brother, Eli, plays collegiately at South Florida, and another, Sam, is at Bryant. Gabe’s sister, Hannah, played at Villanova.

“From having older siblings, I’ve played my whole life,” Gabe said. “They would just give me a little lacrosse stick.

“When you are the runt of the litter you are going to get everything thrown at you.”

Gabe was such a prodigy coming out of middle school, he actually committed verbally to play at Maryland in the summer before his freshman season at Shanahan.

“Maryland has a fantastic program,” he said. “It was a little scary when you think of an eighth grader trying to pick where they are going to go to college. I didn’t know what I was doing – I didn’t know what I was going to eat for breakfast each day.

“I was a bit unsure because I was so young, but I am happy I made that decision. I do not regret anything at all.”

Goforth has since developed into a complete package: a highly-skilled speedster who now has the size (6-foot-1, 204 pounds) to compete, and win, in a physical tussle as well as a wide-open shootout.

“I remember my brothers telling me that when you get to college, it’s the best six players who get into the game regardless of the position you play,” he recalled.

“A lot of players almost try too hard to try to score. But if you just let the game come to you, the way it flows, it will get into your hands and you will have opportunities to score two or three times ever game — as long as you put it on target.”

With organized workouts prohibited by the PIAA and NCAA, Goforth has one advantage over most other college-bound players: he has two brothers at home in Chester Springs who are also looking to stay sharp.

“They lost their seasons too, so they know exactly how I’m feeling — so that helps,” he said. “We have a little workout we do in the basement all the time and we push each other.”