Submitted photo

By Ray Hamill — It’s safe to say Payton Goodman has left her mark on Eureka Logger sports.

The senior standout graduated this week and leaves in her wake a legacy of success like no other student athlete in school history.

Goodman, who hopes to play soccer at San Diego Mesa, won league titles with the Loggers in three different sports — soccer, basketball and softball — but that’s only half the story.

She also won two North Coast Section titles in soccer, two Dick Niclai Tournaments in basketball and a Charlie Lakin Tournament championship in softball

To put that in perspective, before Goodman played for the Loggers, the school had won just one NCS title in soccer, basketball, softball and volleyball combined — in volleyball in 1989 — and she walks away with two NCS winners medals.

She also played on two of the school’s three Niclai championship teams dating back to the mid 90s when the annual tournament was first played, winning as a sophomore in 2019 and as a senior this year.

“Payton will leave as one of the most accomplished athletes ever at Eureka High, which is awesome,” Eureka soccer head coach Tommy Learmouth said. “And she’s an outstanding person and a good leader, and she was always there to help lighten the mood and have fun.”

Goodman says she just loves playing sports.

“I’ve played all three of them all my life,” she said. “It’s like my favorite thing to do.”

She plans on attending San Diego Mesa College in the fall and will try out for the soccer team there with no intention of hanging up her cleats just yet.

She says she considered playing basketball in college, but admits soccer is her favorite sport and that winning the two sections titles with the Loggers is something she’ll always cherish.

But it’s not the only thing she’ll remember from a very successful few years at the school.

“My favorite memories were going on the basketball trips with my teammates,” she said. “And just all my teammates making everything so much better.”

The outgoing senior also credited her parents Nate and Maren for all their support and influence, as well as that of her former basketball coach Ray Watson, in particular.