Lake Forest’s Finn Goodman was far from satisfied after his junior season.
The 6-foot-4 defensive end started for the Scouts but didn’t make a wide-ranging impact.
“Last year, I just kind of ran into guys, not knowing completely what I was doing,” he said. “I held my own and was able to make a few plays, but nothing like how I’m playing this year.”
Indeed, Goodman has been extremely effective this season. He has 35 tackles, including six for loss and nine sacks, and has hit or hurried opposing quarterbacks six other times. He also has an interception and a forced fumble.
But Goodman’s high level of play for the Scouts (6-2, 4-2), who will finish the regular season with a North Suburban Conference game against Mundelein (4-4, 2-4) on Friday, isn’t an accident.
“There’s no one who has invested more in himself and more in the program than Finn,” Lake Forest coach Chuck Spagnoli said. “He realized he needed to get bigger and stronger so he wasn’t getting bounced around so much, so he was in the weight room every day preparing for this. The work is paying off.”
Goodman gained about 25 pounds to get to 220, but becoming stronger was only part of the process. He also trained with former Notre Dame defensive lineman Kerry Neal, who runs WIN Performance in Highland Park. They met two or three times per week.
“I started to love the technical aspect of playing defensive line,” Goodman said. “Knocking away the lineman’s hands and using your feet to get him off balance are both big areas. Sometimes I won’t even notice that I did something that I’ve learned until I see it on film.”
Goodman must have liked what he saw after breaking out a spin move, which has become his favorite, during Lake Forest’s 38-7 win against Warren on Sep. 13.
“I noticed that my man had overset a little bit, so I went with the move and got past him,” Goodman said. “I got there, and that allowed Nate Borland to punch the ball out.”
Spagnoli particularly appreciates that Goodman rises to the occasion. During Lake Forest’s 42-35 conference win against previously unbeaten Libertyville last week, Goodman sacked Quinn Schambow three times.
“What else can you ask for than for your best players playing their best in the biggest games?” Spagnoli said.
Goodman was eager to play against Schambow and the Wildcats’ offensive line.
“He gets it out quicker than anyone we had seen, and I was going against a really good O-line duo,” Goodman said. “To play against your undefeated rival on senior night, that’s what you wait all year long for. I’ve trained my whole football career for games like that, and I absolutely love them. That was the most excited I’ve ever been after a game.”
Goodman, whose twin sister, Kiley, is a captain for Lake Forest’s girls volleyball team, often talks with their older brother Brady after games. Brady Goodman was a standout defensive end for Lake Forest and graduated in 2023.
“He’s my biggest role model on and off the field,” Finn Goodman said. “I watched his film a lot last year to get familiarized with the position. We have the same build and speed.”
Brady Goodman, a sophomore at Indiana, has attended two of the Scouts’ games this season and otherwise watches the livestreams.
“I ask what I did well, what I did wrong and what I can do better,” Finn Goodman said. “It helps me open my eyes to how I played. He’s not afraid of harsh criticism, which I like.”
Brady Goodman relishes the opportunity to offer helpful feedback.
“I’ll look for technique things, like pad level, hand placements or his footwork — it’s never about the full product,” Brady Goodman said.
Finn and Brady Goodman were in a more formal player-coach arrangement when Finn was an eighth grader playing quarterback and Brady was the offensive coordinator for a 7-on-7 team that helped kids in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff stay active during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. The Goodmans’ father, Andrew, was the head coach.
Brady Goodman recalls that Finn was less interested in hearing from him back then. But a conversation after that season helped pave the way for greater success in the future.
“We lost in the title game, and after the season, he said he wished he would have listened more to my advice,” Brady Goodman said. “He’s in a very important position on the team. The best way to be a leader is to be one of the team’s best players, and he’s doing that.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
