Berks Sports Report Paul Roberts
Troy Godinet knows all about the glory days of Reading High football two decades ago. He knows about the rout of Wilson in West Lawn when Chad Henne was at quarterback for the Bulldogs. He knows about reaching the District 3 championship game at Hersheypark Stadium and battling mighty Cumberland Valley. He knows about it because he was right in the middle of it. Godinet was an all-county linebacker for the Red Knights. The 2004 graduate was recently approved by the school board as Reading’s new head football coach. Godinet told me that he has already received tremendous support from the players and the community. He said, “We’re going to bring back the Red Knight way.” Godinet piled up 105 tackles and eleven sacks during the 2003 season. We talked about the amazing talent on that squad including star LB/FB James Bryant. Reading rolled over most of its opponents before falling to Cumberland Valley 32-14 in the District 3 Final. Godinet, who started at Mansfield University as a freshman, remains very good friends with his high school teammates. I asked what it will take to make the program successful again. The Red Knights were (1-7) last year. According to Godinet, the Covid-19 pandemic set the football team back three or four years. However, he likes the young players that he sees coming up through the program. He also has a great relationship with quarterback Amier Burdine. The 6’1 junior is a starter on the Reading basketball team (listen closely and you’ll hear Burdine at the end of the interview). Godinet is a big proponent of multi-sport athletes. We discussed the merger of the Berks and Lancaster-Lebanon football leagues. He’s excited about facing Wilson again. Godinet replaced Andre Doyle who was (8-26) over four seasons. Godinet had been the Red Knights’ defensive coordinator since 2018. He works as a Safe School Officer in the Reading School District.