Goodwin glad to be back with 'Hawks

A familiar face will be leading boys soccer practice this week at Merrimack High School.

But instead of participating in drills, James Goodwin will be running them.

The former Tomahawks player enters his first season as head coach, having spent last year as the freshmen coach under Sean Wisbey.

“Last year was exciting,” Goodwin said. “It feels great. I’m looking forward to a great season and giving back to my school.”

After staring at Syracuse University for four years, Goodwin was hoping to continue playing after graduation. For the last two summers, he’s played as a member of the New Hampshire Phantoms, and last winter, spent a month in Norway trying to catch on at the Division I level.

“It was a good experience,” Goodwin said of going overseas. “It didn’t work out, but I was trying to live out my dream of playing professionally.”

This fall, Goodwin will get to fulfill another dream – coaching the Tomahawks.

While he didn’t give it much thought as a student, the idea of coaching at Merrimack always stuck at the back of Goodwin’s mind and he believed that if he ever ended up living in town again, he’d like the opportunity to give it a try.

Having worked at the Mastricola Upper Elementary School for the last two years, Goodwin now has that shot.

“For me, it adds an emotional feeling because that’s my school,” he said. “For the kids to see that I went here and was able to pursue my dream, it gives them the idea that they can do this, too, if they do the hard work. It’s up to them.”

Goodwin inherits a program that won its only Class L title in 2007, and made a semifinal appearance in 2008.

But perhaps more important was the stability which Wisbey brought with him, having coached the team for four years.

“I have first-hand experience of that, with three different coaches (during high school career),” Goodwin said. “It’s definitely something I’d like to have long term.

“It was a luxury to watch last year. I learned quite a bit. I’d like to bring in my own style and philosophy. I feel like we have some differences and some similarities.”

With about a dozen players gone from last year’s team, Goodwin expects that every player will be competing for a spot on the varsity roster.

“We should have a pretty good group,” he said. “It should be competitive and that’s what I want. I want them to have to fight for their spot.”

Merrimack’s season begins on Aug. 27 at Manchester Memorial.