Photo by: Hardy Meredith | SFA Photography
Football Feature | Family is Everything
10/29/2018 5:57:00 PM | Football
The love and support of senior wide receiver Terian Goree’s family is his backbone
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – For Stephen F. Austin's Terian Goree, family is literally everything. All his life, Goree's family has been there when he needed them most. It's their love and support that has enabled the wideout to be the Lumberjacks' leading receiver in 2018.
Losing his mother as a sophomore in high school and nearly giving up on football in college, Goree's sisters and grandparents have shown him how to overcome adversity. His family has been the main constant in his life and continue to drive him each day.
"We all stick together as a family," Goree said. "Really, it's my grandma and grandpa, along with my two younger sisters, who have stuck with me through everything. We always keep it together as a family."
An east Texas native, Goree grew up in Woods, Texas, a small area about 11 miles outside of Carthage. Raised in a home where his grandmother, Gale Berry, and grandfather, Oscar Berry, also resided on the property, Goree and his two sisters, Tori and Liyah Joye Goree, could always count on their mother and grandparents for everything.
"My mom had a house behind our grandma's house," stated Goree. "The two houses were basically as close as the two sides of Homer Bryce Stadium, so whichever house we wanted to sleep in it really didn't matter."
Little did Goree and his two sisters know that their relationship with their grandparents would grow even stronger. During Terian's sophomore year of high school, Goree and his two sisters lost their mother. The passing, as one can imagine, took a toll on the family as Terian and his sisters learned to rely more and more on each other.
"My grandma, she's my backbone," Goree commented. "My grandma and my family are everything to me. She's the one who gets us going in the right direction all the time. All the credit goes to her for getting us all together because my grandpa went through some rough times after my mom died and wasn't around for a little while. During that time, my grandma really had us all and took care of all of us."
Playing varsity baseball, Goree wasn't sure he wanted to continue his prep football career after starting every game in the outfield on the diamond and seeing less time on the gridiron. However, Goree's teammates talked Terian into sticking with football by telling him they needed to go win a state championship after falling on a missed field goal in the playoffs his sophomore season. It was the right decision as Goree went on to accept an offer from Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) program North Texas.
Spending three years playing for the Mean Green in Denton, Texas, Goree saw action in 21 games and made 18 starts. He reeled in 51 catches for 446 yards and three touchdowns during his time at North Texas before transferring back to east Texas and much closer to home in Nacogdoches.
"Coming back to east Texas was a tough transition at first," remarked Goree. "I had been out in Denton for three years and had gotten used to the city life. I had gained some friendships out there so it was kind of rough at first, but then I realized I was closer to home and closer to my grandparents."
"My grandparents don't have to drive on the highway to get to my games anymore," Goree continued. "That way they can come to more games than they did when I was at North Texas. It's really beneficial for me to be here and I enjoy it here. I don't regret coming here to SFA and I have a lot of friends here from high school. The social life was easy but the school itself is where I had to make the transition."
After one full year in Texas' oldest town, Goree appears to have fully made the transition from the northern part of the state back to his east Texas roots. In his first season donning the Purple and White, Goree collected 43 catches for 339 yards and a pair of touchdowns while making 10 starts and appearing in all 11 games. Through seven games this season, Goree has already surpassed his 2017 totals and leads a very talented Lumberjack receiving corps. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound speedster has hauled in 44 catches for 472 yards and two scores and has posted back-to-back 100-yard receiving games in SFA's last two contests.
During the Lumberjacks' last home game against 16th-ranked Central Arkansas, Goree caught a short inside screen pass and turned it up field for an 85-yard touchdown. The play was the longest passing play for SFA since 1997 and the first 80-yard reception by a 'Jack since Sept. 28, 2013. Furthermore, it marked the longest play from scrimmage for SFA since Oct. 19, 2013. He finished the game with a career-best 122 yards on six catches, before tallying 106 yards last weekend in the 42-14 rout of the Huskies at Houston Baptist.
"The way I see my grandparents work every day to take care of everybody else inspires me," quoted Goree. "The way they grind and get through stuff in life that maybe some other families might not be able to get through, just pushes me to be better every day. To get up and go to class, to get up and try my best in football, to get up and try to graduate, things like that to better myself in life comes from being inspired by my grandparents."
"They motivate me to do everything," Goree added. "If it weren't for my family, I don't know what I would be doing. I probably wouldn't still be playing football. My grandparents have motivated me a lot through the tough times. Through the transition from North Texas to here I was down and out because of the situation, but my grandparents motivated me to get back to working out in order to come here and better myself."
Goree's sisters have also played a large role in Goree's success in Nacogdoches. Joining his grandparents, both Tori and Liyah Joye attend almost every one of Terian's games and support their brother in all he does. The love Goree's grandparents and sisters have shown him through all the challenging times continue to cement the family's bond.
"I'm just blessed to have had the opportunity to be at SFA to further my dreams," Goree said. "I'm just trying to graduate to better myself and be a better person."
In his breakout senior year, Goree has plenty of talent to compete with as the Lumberjacks' receiving group is one of the best in the Southland Conference.
"When you're around other great receivers it pushes you to be better," commented Goree. "Working with those guys, seeing the plays they make every day makes you want to go make a play. I'll take our group of receivers over any group of receivers in FCS or FBS. I feel like we have some of the best receivers in the nation."
-SFA-
Losing his mother as a sophomore in high school and nearly giving up on football in college, Goree's sisters and grandparents have shown him how to overcome adversity. His family has been the main constant in his life and continue to drive him each day.
"We all stick together as a family," Goree said. "Really, it's my grandma and grandpa, along with my two younger sisters, who have stuck with me through everything. We always keep it together as a family."
An east Texas native, Goree grew up in Woods, Texas, a small area about 11 miles outside of Carthage. Raised in a home where his grandmother, Gale Berry, and grandfather, Oscar Berry, also resided on the property, Goree and his two sisters, Tori and Liyah Joye Goree, could always count on their mother and grandparents for everything.
"My mom had a house behind our grandma's house," stated Goree. "The two houses were basically as close as the two sides of Homer Bryce Stadium, so whichever house we wanted to sleep in it really didn't matter."
Little did Goree and his two sisters know that their relationship with their grandparents would grow even stronger. During Terian's sophomore year of high school, Goree and his two sisters lost their mother. The passing, as one can imagine, took a toll on the family as Terian and his sisters learned to rely more and more on each other.
"My grandma, she's my backbone," Goree commented. "My grandma and my family are everything to me. She's the one who gets us going in the right direction all the time. All the credit goes to her for getting us all together because my grandpa went through some rough times after my mom died and wasn't around for a little while. During that time, my grandma really had us all and took care of all of us."
Playing varsity baseball, Goree wasn't sure he wanted to continue his prep football career after starting every game in the outfield on the diamond and seeing less time on the gridiron. However, Goree's teammates talked Terian into sticking with football by telling him they needed to go win a state championship after falling on a missed field goal in the playoffs his sophomore season. It was the right decision as Goree went on to accept an offer from Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) program North Texas.
Spending three years playing for the Mean Green in Denton, Texas, Goree saw action in 21 games and made 18 starts. He reeled in 51 catches for 446 yards and three touchdowns during his time at North Texas before transferring back to east Texas and much closer to home in Nacogdoches.
"Coming back to east Texas was a tough transition at first," remarked Goree. "I had been out in Denton for three years and had gotten used to the city life. I had gained some friendships out there so it was kind of rough at first, but then I realized I was closer to home and closer to my grandparents."
"My grandparents don't have to drive on the highway to get to my games anymore," Goree continued. "That way they can come to more games than they did when I was at North Texas. It's really beneficial for me to be here and I enjoy it here. I don't regret coming here to SFA and I have a lot of friends here from high school. The social life was easy but the school itself is where I had to make the transition."
After one full year in Texas' oldest town, Goree appears to have fully made the transition from the northern part of the state back to his east Texas roots. In his first season donning the Purple and White, Goree collected 43 catches for 339 yards and a pair of touchdowns while making 10 starts and appearing in all 11 games. Through seven games this season, Goree has already surpassed his 2017 totals and leads a very talented Lumberjack receiving corps. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound speedster has hauled in 44 catches for 472 yards and two scores and has posted back-to-back 100-yard receiving games in SFA's last two contests.
During the Lumberjacks' last home game against 16th-ranked Central Arkansas, Goree caught a short inside screen pass and turned it up field for an 85-yard touchdown. The play was the longest passing play for SFA since 1997 and the first 80-yard reception by a 'Jack since Sept. 28, 2013. Furthermore, it marked the longest play from scrimmage for SFA since Oct. 19, 2013. He finished the game with a career-best 122 yards on six catches, before tallying 106 yards last weekend in the 42-14 rout of the Huskies at Houston Baptist.
"The way I see my grandparents work every day to take care of everybody else inspires me," quoted Goree. "The way they grind and get through stuff in life that maybe some other families might not be able to get through, just pushes me to be better every day. To get up and go to class, to get up and try my best in football, to get up and try to graduate, things like that to better myself in life comes from being inspired by my grandparents."
"They motivate me to do everything," Goree added. "If it weren't for my family, I don't know what I would be doing. I probably wouldn't still be playing football. My grandparents have motivated me a lot through the tough times. Through the transition from North Texas to here I was down and out because of the situation, but my grandparents motivated me to get back to working out in order to come here and better myself."
Goree's sisters have also played a large role in Goree's success in Nacogdoches. Joining his grandparents, both Tori and Liyah Joye attend almost every one of Terian's games and support their brother in all he does. The love Goree's grandparents and sisters have shown him through all the challenging times continue to cement the family's bond.
"I'm just blessed to have had the opportunity to be at SFA to further my dreams," Goree said. "I'm just trying to graduate to better myself and be a better person."
In his breakout senior year, Goree has plenty of talent to compete with as the Lumberjacks' receiving group is one of the best in the Southland Conference.
"When you're around other great receivers it pushes you to be better," commented Goree. "Working with those guys, seeing the plays they make every day makes you want to go make a play. I'll take our group of receivers over any group of receivers in FCS or FBS. I feel like we have some of the best receivers in the nation."
-SFA-
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