Performance: Schoolcraft's Lydia Goble
May 31, 2018
Lydia Goble
Schoolcraft senior – Softball
The Eagles’ standout shortstop has enjoyed a career full of highlights, and added to her most memorable over two games May 23 against Delton Kellogg. Goble drilled three home runs during the doubleheader to set the MHSAA single-season record at 25 – and counting – and earn the Michigan Army National Guard “Performance of the Week.”
Goble had hit 23 home runs total over her first three high school seasons. But she entered the Delton Kellogg games with 22 this spring, which at the time tied her for the record set last season by both Taylor Dew of Muskegon Mona Shores and Brooke Nadolny of Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse. A shot to right field against the Panthers put Goble alone atop the list, and that accomplishment will join the 17 other entries in the record book that she’d earned entering this season. This spring she’s hitting .564 with 25 home runs and 62 RBI, and heading into this weekend she’s tied for 11th in MHSAA history with 230 career runs scored, tied for 11th with 31 career triples, tied for fifth with 48 career home runs and tied for fifth all-time with 229 career RBI.
Schoolcraft is 26-3 this spring and will play Saturday at Comstock for its third straight Division 3 District title. Goble also the last two seasons led the girls basketball team to a pair of Regional titles, the first in that program’s history. She made basketball all-state this winter averaging 19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 steals per game as the Eagles finished 25-1 and lost only in the Class C Quarterfinals. Goble will continue her softball career next season at Grand Valley State University, where she’ll study exercise science, and she graduated high school with a 3.7 grade-point average while also taking classes at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. But a few final high school memorable moments could be in store over the next few weeks – she’s only two behind in the race for the career home runs record, and a Regional title in softball would be a program first as well.
Coach (and father) Jim Goble said: “I remember when Lydia was 5 years old and went to a soccer camp. The guy running the camp was coaching a team that age and right away asked if Lydia could play for him even though she had never played before. He saw that she just (went) all out every time she had an opportunity to get the ball. Thirteen 13 years later, it hasn't changed. She doesn't know anything less than going all out. She does it in basketball and does it in softball and really anytime playing a competitive sport. The other thing I have found unique with her is she is committed to the current sport she is playing. When it is basketball season, we do occasional batting lessons and she'd go to travel ball practices, but her focus and passion was on basketball. Now we are in softball season, and that is what is getting all of her attention. … She loves the game inside of the game! Watching and observing her opponent to take advantage of any weakness she sees, especially when running bases – she loves the challenge of stealing a base. … Lastly, she recognizes that the player she is and the success she has isn't just due to her (but because of) her teammates, her family, her coaches, her friends. I believe that is due in part to her life experiences, her faith in God and just who she is.”
Performance Point: “Before the game I was tied for the record, and my team made sure I knew about that. So I was actually pretty nervous and just wanted to get it over with,” Goble said of the matchup with Delton Kellogg. “My goal was to hit (the record homer) as soon as I could so I could stop worrying about it. They were like, 'Oh, you're tied. Better not strike out.' They were just messing with me. They know it won't get to my head, but they like to have some fun with it. ... (The first homer) just sounded weird coming off the bat, kinda like it was an indoor (foam practice) ball, so it didn't feel very good. I was just hoping it would keep going, and it actually did, so I was just thanking the Lord that I got it over with. (After that) it didn't really matter anymore, so I was just playing my game.”
Power surge: "In the fall before basketball season I worked out with a personal trainer. I definitely found that helped me during basketball season, and I'm assuming that carried over to softball too. That was something different I had never done before. He worked a lot on our core and our endurance – because your core plays into pretty much every part of your body. I just think it overall made me a better player and person."
Multi-sport crossover: “I see my jumping ability, that gets a lot better with basketball and it helps me on the field when I get a line shot over my head and I can go up and get it. And basketball, definitely with my hand-eye coordination from being a shortstop. And being able to read people, what they're about to do on the basketball court helps me see base-runners -- sometimes I can tell when going to steal because they have a different stance, so that helps me.”
Thanks Coach Dad: “It's definitely pretty rough sometimes because he's telling me what to do at home and he's telling me what to do on the field. … (But) at the end of the day he's doing it to help me, and he wouldn't even be coaching if it weren't for me. So it's a good bonding thing for us and definitely strengthened our relationship at our house as well as on the field.”
What a way to finish: “I didn't have any expectations coming into this year for basketball or for softball. God has just blessed me a lot this year. … (Team success) has meant a lot. Last year was the first year we won Regionals for girls basketball; honestly, it felt like we won the state. The school was just so proud of us, and it was a place personally where the girls had never gone. And just to be a part of that and help lead that was amazing. And then to come back this year after losing five seniors and do the same thing again was truly amazing – I didn't even think we'd be able to do it this year. We just came out and played hard every night and it ended up being a great season. Then for softball, freshman year we lost in Districts, and that was a pretty tough loss (3-2 to Gobles in the District Final). Then the next year we ended up winning Districts, and the past two years we’ve lost to Coloma in Regionals – so it's been rough having to see them each year and having them take us out. But we're hoping to change that this year.”
- Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2017-18 school year, Second Half and the Michigan Army National Guard will recognize a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom or protect lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Previous 2017-18 honorees:
May 24: Corinne Jemison, East Kentwood track & field - Read
May 17: Reagan Wisser, Richland Gull Lake soccer - Read
May 10: Clayton Sayen, Houghton track & field - Read
May 3: Autumn Roberts, Traverse City Central tennis - Read
April 26: Thomas Robinson, Wyoming Lee track & field - Read
March 29: Carlos Johnson, Benton Harbor basketball - Read
March 22: Shine Strickland-Gills, Saginaw Heritage basketball - Read
March 15: Skyler Cook-Weeks, Holland Christian swimming - Read
March 8: Dakota Greer, Howard City Tri-County wrestling - Read
March 1: Camree' Clegg, Wayne Memorial basketball - Read
February 23: Aliah Robertson, Sault Ste. Marie swimming - Read
February 16: Austin O'Hearon, Eaton Rapids wrestling - Read
February 9: Sophia Wiard, Muskegon Oakridge basketball - Read
February 2: Brenden Tulpa, Hartland hockey - Read
January 25: Brandon Whitman, Dundee wrestling - Read
January 18: Derek Maas, Holland West Ottawa swimming - Read
January 11: Lexi Niepoth, Bellaire basketball - Read
November 30: La'Darius Jefferson, Muskegon football - Read
November 23: Ashley Turak, Farmington Hills Harrison swimming - Read
November 16: Bryce Veasley, West Bloomfield football - Read
November 9: Jose Penaloza, Holland soccer - Read
November 2: Karenna Duffey, Macomb L'Anse Creuse North cross country - Read
October 26: Anika Dy, Traverse City West golf - Read
October 19: Andrew Zhang, Bloomfield Hills tennis - Read
October 12: Nolan Fugate, Grand Rapids Catholic Central football - Read
October 5: Marissa Ackerman, Munising tennis - Read
September 28: Minh Le, Portage Central soccer - Read
September 21: Olivia Theis, Lansing Catholic cross country - Read
September 14: Maddy Chinn, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep volleyball - Read
PHOTOS: (Top) Schoolcraft's Lydia Goble winds up to throw out a runner during a game this season. (Middle) Goble powers through a swing. (Photos by Lingering Memories Photography.)
Among State's Best in Both, Johnston Has Almont Climbing in Softball, Track
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
May 26, 2022
It’s been quite a spring for Almont girls athletics.
The softball team finished the Blue Water Area Conference season 10-4, its best-ever mark in the league, which features three top-10 teams and 2021 Division 3 champion Richmond.
Almont’s girls track & field team also had its best finish in the BWAC, placing third at Tuesday’s league meet.
A major reason for both? Devin Johnston.
The Almont junior is a record-setting third baseman for the softball team and a record-setting sprinter for the track team.
“Devin is such a great kid,” Almont softball coach Erik Johnson said. “She’s a hard-working athlete, and she puts so much time into both. You can see it in the way she plays the game and the way she runs her events. She doesn’t miss much practice, she juggles both and she’s a great student.”
Johnston was a first-team all-state selection in softball as a sophomore, and has followed that up with a masterful junior campaign. She was hitting .550 with a .589 on-base percentage, four home runs, 10 doubles and a school-record eight triples heading into Wednesday’s doubleheader against Yale. She’s approaching the single-season hits record (63), which she set as a sophomore. Her .930 slugging percentage is also on pace to set a school record.
On the track, she has qualified for the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals in three events: 100 meters, 200 meters and the 400-meter relay. Her 200 time of 25.49 broke an 18-year-old Almont school record and is the second-fastest time in LPD3 this season. She’s ranked fifth in the 100 with her personal best of 12.63.
Being that good at two things during the same season can make for a lot of long days. But Johnston doesn’t mind.
“I enjoy doing both,” she said. “It doesn’t seem like a burden. I don’t see it as a struggle. I chose to do that. At the end of the week, yes, I’m exhausted every single week. But both of my coaches are very supportive. If I need to sit out of a certain thing on a certain day, or if I need to skip out on running in softball for that day, they understand.”
This level of individual and team success does, unfortunately, leaves Johnston with a difficult choice, as Almont’s Division 3 Softball District at Richmond is June 4, the same day as the Division 3 Track & Field Finals in Kent City.
She knows what she will be doing, and while she has told those who need to know, she is not ready to divulge that publicly.
“I want to help both teams, but I have to choose one or the other,” she said. “It’s really difficult, but it’s something that, going in, I knew I would have to do eventually.”
A year ago, Johnston chose the softball District. Although, at that time, she was Almont’s lone Finals qualifier in track and did not rank as highly as she does this year. The realization it was a choice she was going to have to make also hit her later, as she wasn’t expecting to see a ton of track success in her first year as a serious competitor in the sport.
“I didn’t even expect to qualify for states; especially that year in our region, there were some pretty good girls,” she said. “When I found out, I cried over it, actually. I didn’t know if I would have the chance to go to states again. When it did hit me, it was not good. I realized how big of a decision it was.”
This year, she was more aware of the chance. A campaign to move the District softball tournament to Friday, which is allowed, didn’t come to fruition. (All schools in the bracket must approve a switch.)
Moving things around is something Johnson has become used to as Almont’s softball coach, as getting one team to agree to a change in schedule is easier than having multiple track teams adjust a quad meet.
“I worked really hard to look at schedules ahead of time and anything in my power to make adjustments that would fit and allow her to do both,” he said. “I learned a lot from last year, when we did what we could last minute. This season, I got well ahead of it. My perspective is that I want to do anything I can for my girls. When you have someone like Devin who puts an immense amount of time into both track and softball, I’m going to do what I can for her. When I share that with other coaches, they’re like, ‘Yeah, OK.’”
Johnson and track coach James Wade have worked together for a decade with Almont’s girls basketball program, as Johnson is the varsity coach and Wade has been a JV coach and varsity assistant. That, combined with Johnston’s commitment to both, makes things a bit easier.
“I think she wants to succeed in both,” Wade said. “I don’t think she wants to let either of us down. That puts us in a position where we want to do what we can to help her. She’s committed to both, and she lets us know when she can’t be there for a practice. She does what she needs to do to make it work.”
Johnston appreciates that level of support.
“Them allowing me to do this and being lenient allows me to succeed so much more because I don’t have to worry about making a coach mad,” she said. “Their support contributes to my success, and I can just play freely. It means a lot.”
All of this could lead to another decision down the road – and not just this with same possible scenario a year from now. Johnston has spent the majority of her life playing softball, and continuing that collegiately always seemed to be her most likely path. That changes a bit, though, each time she steps on the track.
“I’ve played softball my whole life, and we’ve spent so much time and money on that,” she said. “My parents (who are assistant coaches on the Almont softball team) love track now. They don’t care which one I choose. In my mind, if I put a ton of time into track, and just worked and worked at it, I feel like my times will get even better. That is an opportunity that is really intriguing. That’s a decision that I’ll have to make next year.”
The support of her softball coach parents, who have become massive track fans, takes some pressure off of Johnston.
That’s becoming a trend, as the people closest to her continue to back her as she chases all of her dreams.
“This year, I think she’s probably going to run track,” Johnson said. “And rightly so, because she has a chance to be a state champion. I’ll support her 100 percent, and the kids will, too. Hopefully we can make it through to the Regional, and she can join us the next weekend.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Almont’s Devin Johnston focuses on receiving a pitch during a rare appearance behind the plate this season. (Middle) Johnston, right, emerges from the blocks during a race. (Photos courtesy of the Johnston family.)