FALCONS SOARING STAR By: Joe Soares

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       *Crowd cheering*... “Hike”... Another sack for Jefferson sophomore Michael Gould.

        Two years later, Gould has built up a name for himself in Jefferson Township football and throughout Morris County and the state. Heading into his Senior year, all eyes will be on him as he has been the one that has been there before for Coach Venturino and looks to lead the team to another winning season.

    Senior linebacker and running back Gould has earned the reputation of being a leader, high energy player,  hardest worker on the field and it shows - just watch him lift and train with his father Michael Gould and brother Christian Gould, a Freshman at Jefferson. When asked how he stayed ready for when the season would be given a green light to go, his response showed the true leadership.“It hasn't changed anything, I held workouts with my dad and we invited the whole team,” Gould said,. also adding that  it had a positive impact on the team because you could see who really cared enough to go workout. This work ethics and leadership skills are intangibles that make Gould who he is. 

    Since his Sophomore year in 2018, Gould has racked up some impressive awards and recognition by coaches around the area, coaches on staff in Jefferson, and from teammates. In two Varsity seasons, Gould has earned 1st team all area, 3rd team all county, 1st team all county, 1st team all Herald and 2x team MVP. He has also been voted a captain as a Junior and then again as a Senior. When asked what all these awards received and nominations and being a two-time captain means to him, his response was, “It shows that the hard work really does pay off to be recognized, captain as a Junior means a lot but captain as a Senior is the icing on the cake.”

    Gould leads the team in terms of experience with three years on Varsity, but there are 17 Seniors in total. Gould commented on this by reciprocating that, “It's a huge positive impact because there is a lot of leadership throughout the team, plus we are a very tight group off the field, and we have also played together since elementary school.”

    There is a lot to look forward to this season even with all that has gone on in the world with covid-19. But that has not stopped anything that Senior Gould has done to prepare for this season. 

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