Sports

After years at Fieldston, Godosky heads to Chicago

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For all but four years of his life, Josh Godosky has called Ethical Culture Fieldston School his home. 

From his pre-kindergarten days right up until last week’s high school graduation, Godosky made the trek from his Manhattan home to Riverdale. And through the years, he had Fieldston orange and white coursing through his veins.

But now all that is going to change.

“It’s crazy,” said Godosky, who starred as both a running back and linebacker for the Eagles football team the past four seasons. “It feels like the entire 14 years went by so quickly, especially the past four years. I remember everything from football because those are the memories that stand out to me the most. I remember every single game from my freshman year. I remember beating King, who we hadn’t beaten in so long, and every feeling I had throughout that game. 

“It just feels like everything has gone by in a day or two.”

But now Godosky will head roughly 800 miles westward to attend the prestigious University of Chicago in the fall. And he’s looking forward to the change of scenery.

“It’s about as bittersweet as it can get because I’m leaving something that I know I’m going to miss just because of how great a place it was,” Godosky said. “But I’m also looking forward and hopeful that I’ll have similar experiences in Chicago.”

At first, Godosky wasn’t sure if Chicago was the right college for him. But after doing some investigating — along with a short visit to the school — his views quickly changed.

“I kind of pushed it away (at first) because they had a reputation for being pretty much exclusively academic and sort of skimping on the athletics and the social scene,” Godosky said. “But their football coach (Chris Wilkerson) called me one afternoon last fall and started talking about their program and what they stand for. He finished the call by saying he saw my (highlight) film, and he offered me a spot if I wanted to take it.”

Godosky talked to several people who attended the school. “I learned that some of the social aspects that I thought were not so great, turns out were not really true,” Godosky said. “Then I went and did an overnight (trip), and I found out that they do have fun there, and that there was definitely an athletic environment there, and realized that this place was great for me.”

While there, Godosky learned something about the football program few outside of it know.

“The school was a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and the first Heisman Trophy winner, Jay Beranger, played at the University of Chicago,” Godosky said. “On every tour that’s the first thing they show you, that Heisman Trophy.”

Football also provided Godosky with his best memories at Fieldston, especially one game that he played as a freshman.

“It was that game against King when I scored my first touchdown ever,” Godosky said. “We were set up for an onsides kick, and they kicked it deep. I grabbed the ball, made one cut, and I was gone down the sideline. 

“What made it even more special for me was in that game the Godoskys scored six touchdowns. My brother Jake had five, and I had one, so my dad was very happy at that game.”

Godosky heads to Chicago for football camp in early August before starting classes later in the fall. 

But he’s not entirely done with Fieldston just yet.

“I’m going to be coaching at their sports camp” for pre-high school kids this week, Godosky said. Then he laughed before adding, “Now that I’m a high school graduate, I had to get a job.”

The University of Chicago Maroons open their season on the road at Washington University of Missouri on Sept. 1 before hosting Simpson College on Sept. 8. 

“I’m going to miss” Fieldston, Godosky said. “But I’m also looking forward to a new chapter.”

Josh Godosky, Fieldston, Eagles, football, Sean Brennan

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