Saturday night was Payton Brown’s coming out party – on national TV.
Brown graduated from Hillsboro High last December, a semester early, to attend Southeast Missouri State University on a football scholarship and join the team at its spring camp.
At that camp, the running back who teamed with younger brother Preston to lead Hillsboro to the 2023 Class 4 state championship game showed the SEMO coaches enough to take the field as a true freshman.
That is, take the field and run with it. Brown scored three touchdowns, gained 97 yards on 19 carries and snared two passes for 29 yards in a runaway 37-15 Redhawk victory over host North Alabama. The game, on the ESPN network, was SEMO’s first-ever appearance on national TV.
“He’s not a normal freshman,” Redhawk head coach Tom Matukewicz said postgame. “He was raised very different than most kids. Both parents are college athletes, coaches, and they do a great job with children.
“He came in January and he got that experience with spring ball. We thought he was good when we signed him. We were a little surprised how he could process (our system) that quickly. A kid that size, you’d assume it would take (him) a little bit to build that Division I quickness, but he’s off and running.”
Don and Mindy Brown drove the eight hours to Montgomery to watch their son play. Mindy said she knew he was second on the depth chart.
“We hoped he would get some touches and he made the most of it and showed everybody what he was capable of doing,” she said. “We were just happy and excited to see him get that opportunity as a freshman to get in the game and keep working hard. He was doing what he knows how to do, run the ball.”
Don was an assistant for the Hawks last year. He said on one of Payton’s runs Saturday, he was wrapped up by a defender. Instead of fighting for extra yards, Brown went limp and allowed himself to be tackled – something Don had always told him to do to avoid injury.
Mindy and Don got to see Payton on the field after the game when he was clutching the MVP trophy. Then they got to visit again on Sunday in Jackson, close to the SEMO campus.
“Each play he looked like he was gaining momentum,” Don said. “He was having success and doing things we’ve seen him do for a number of years. That rush of joy each time he had success was great. After the game we gave him a big hug. He’s still the same pretty reserved and humble person. He’s put in a lot of work.”
The support the Browns received on Payton’s breakout night was evident in all of the calls and texts they received from back home.
“That’s a blessing in itself,” Don said. “If my biggest problem is every Saturday having to get messages of congratulations, we’re all thankful for that.”
Mindy wanted something else known about Payton: “He made the dean’s list during the spring semester,” she said.
On his first carry, in the first quarter, Brown churned out eight yards to move the chains. In the second quarter, after Redhawk quarterback Paxton Delaurent left the game with an injured shoulder, SEMO put in Brown again with North Alabama leading 15-7. His first touchdown came just before halftime on a power off-tackle run from a yard out to cut the Redhawk deficit to 15-13 after a failed two-point conversion try.
With 15 seconds remaining in the third quarter, on second-and-four at the Lions’ 25, Brown took an inside handoff, bounced over left tackle, stepped through a tackle attempt, kept his balance, sprinted toward the end zone and pulled defensive back Ike Rowell over the goal line for his second TD. Brandon Epton Jr. ran in the two-point conversion and the Redhawks led 21-15.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Brown scored his third TD. He took another inside handoff and met redshirt senior defensive back Gregory Reddick in the hole at the 1 and shoved him back into the end zone for a 27-15 lead.
At some point in the game, one of the announcers said, “It’s the Payton Brown show.” Across Hillsboro and throughout the county, people lit up social media with cheers for SEMO’s new standout.
On Friday night, Preston Brown will lead Hillsboro as it opens the season at home against MICDS. The senior QB has verbally committed to North Dakota State University. On Saturday in Manhattan, Ks., another Hillsboro grad, Austin Romaine, is expected to start at middle linebacker for Kansas State against Tennessee-Martin. Last year, as a true freshman, he had 22 tackles, three for a loss, and earned votes for the Big-12 freshman of the year.
This could be just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to celebrating local football players who move on to big schools. Watching the former Hawk star go head-to-head with seniors and come out on top could inspire all local athletes to believe anything is possible.