By Rob Sherrill, W.I.N. High School Editor

He’s made his decision; one that eventually will be wrestling’s loss.

But Lombard (Ill.) Montini’s Garrett Goebel, probably the nation’s best dual football-wrestling threat, has some unfinished business on the mat.

The 6-foot-5, 280-pound Goebel wants to win his second Class AA state heavyweight title, Feb. 17, then help lead the Broncos to what would be their first Class AA dual-team state title the following week. Montini won five Class A state crowns in a six-year period from 2000-05 before being bumped up midway through the 2005-06 season. That occurred when the Illinois High School Association (IHSA)’s new enrollment multiplier survived a court challenge during the football season that year.

After finishing fourth in Class A at 215 as a freshman, Goebel didn’t have a problem adjusting to the rigors of Class AA. He finished fifth as a sophomore in a loaded weight class, then went 55-1 to win the 285-pound crown a year ago. He takes a 143-16 career record into his senior season.

Ranked the No. 5 heavyweight by W.I.N., Goebel, who has committed to Ohio State to play football, has some impressive gridiron rankings as well. Rivals.com ranks him the No. 5 defensive tackle prospect in the nation and the No. 58 overall prospect; Scout.com ranks him seventh at his position and 82nd overall.

Another honor came to Goebel recently when the IHSA and Fox Chicago named him one of three finalists for the inaugural IHSA –FOXHILITESChicago.com Football Player of the Year award, the only statewide football honor officially sanctioned by the IHSA. Also nominated for the honor were Chicago Mount Carmel High linebacker Steve Filer and Woodstock Marian Central Catholic High defensive end Sean Cwynar, both Notre Dame recruits. Cwynar won the award when it was announced, Nov. 24.

Goebel learned the benefits of hard work through working in the family business, Goebel Concrete, based in west suburban Villa Park.

Recently, W.I.N. caught up with Goebel for this candid interview.

WIN: You were one of the nominees for the IHSA-FOXHILITESChicago.com Football Player of the Year award. That’s quite an honor.
Goebel: Yeah, I was very excited about it. They have a committee, I think four people, who narrowed it down to the final cut.

WIN: You played against one of the other nominees, Sean Cwynar of Marian Central, twice this year. What was it like going up against him?
Goebel: It was fun. I looked forward to it all year long, knowing that I’d be going up against him. I was ready for him.

WIN: Most of the guys I interview for this column are wrestlers for the foreseeable future. You had to make a decision between wrestling and football, and you obviously have the athletic ability to play either sport at a very high level in college. At what point did you make the decision that you would play football, and what were your reasons?
Goebel: I pretty much made the choice (last) summer. I just felt that I liked football better, that I had a better future in football.

WIN: Was a professional (football) career something you were looking at?
Goebel: I think that was a part of it. I like wrestling a lot and everything, but football is something that I really want to do. My heart is in football.

WIN: Did the fact you had a growth spurt in the last year and a half help influence your decision?
Goebel: I’ve always been a big kid. I’ve gained about 40 pounds every year since I was in eighth grade, so I definitely had the size and everything. Or the frame, anyway.

WIN: You’ve committed to play football at Ohio State. Who recruited you there?
Goebel: It was basically three guys: Jim Heacock, the defensive coordinator, Dick Tressel, the running backs coach, and (co-defensive coordinator) Luke Fickell.

WIN: Luke Fickell’s a pretty impressive guy. Did you get any sense from talking to him or any of the other coaches, why they’ve been so successful recruiting wrestlers over the years?
Goebel: Yeah, I really liked Luke a lot. I think they just really understand, you know, the work ethic and sacrifice that it takes to be successful at wrestling … and the toughness. Wrestling’s probably the toughest sport there is.

WIN: Do you think your wrestling background pushed you up higher on their wish list?
Goebel: I’m sure it did. Fickell was a really good wrestler, and it really helped him. I’m sure it had something to do with it.

WIN: What about the rest of your recruiting process? If you had a final five (schools) list, what would it be?
Goebel: Besides Ohio State, I looked at Illinois, Michigan, West Virginia, and I could have gone to Notre Dame, Arizona State. Those were probably my other top five.

WIN: And Ohio State was the choice because…
Goebel: I just felt the most comfortable there. I felt that’s where I was the most wanted. They recruited me since day one and they were one of the first schools to offer me (a scholarship). Obviously, they’ve had a lot of success with defensive tackles. They’re always in the hunt for the Big Ten championship and the national championship and I wanted to be a part of that.

WIN: Was playing in the Big Ten a goal of yours? Or were you open?
Goebel: It didn’t really matter too much.

WIN: Even though you’re up to 280 these days, since the heavyweight class is 285, you can pretty much eat whatever you want. Your brother, Grant, is wrestling 160 and he has to watch his weight. Do you give him a hard time about that, especially at Thanksgiving time?
Goebel: Not really. I probably could, but I had to cut weight my sophomore year, so I know what it’s like. I wouldn’t really want people harassing me.

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