Payton Bryce Matous was eager to get into the world so he arrived six weeks early. Even so, he was six pounds, five ounces at birth – pretty big for a preemie.
Now six foot one inch tall and 260 pounds, he is the starting center for Bishop Dunne. “A four year starter,” Coach Myron Hawthorne said. “He’s the total package: big, strong and smart.”
He’s also hard working. Up at 5 a.m. and out the door by 6 a.m., he travels with his brother Gabe, 13, an 8th grader at Santa Clara, and his sister Madi, 5, and baby brother Lucas, age 2. His mother picks up two more Bishop Dunne students from their town, Ennis, along the way. She drops Payton and his classmates off and heads to her job at Santa Clara, where she is the principal.
Payton graduated from Santa Clara and came straight to Bishop Dunne. “I played football on the DPL team here, with students from St. Cecilia’s, St. Elizabeth’s, and Bishop Dunne, so I felt right at home,” he explained. Was it unusual to go to school where his mother was the principal? “She was the principal for years while I attended there, so it was no big deal,” Payton said.
Payton is a big deal on the offensive line, with his task to get the ball to quarterback Micah Simon with no turnovers. When he’s not practicing football, you might see him studying or running after his younger siblings. He doesn’t mind babysitting, he says, because he loves his family. With a 4.2 average, Payton worked hard his freshman year to obtain his straight-A report card. His goal is to be accepted into Notre Dame, and to play football for the University. “If accepted, I’d be there for Nick Watkins’ senior year,” he said with a smile.
His favorite subject is math, but he can’t name a favorite teacher. “All my teachers were great last year,” he said. “I had a lot of good classes.”
He does have a favorite professional team: the Dallas Cowboys. And his favorite player is another known for being big, strong and smart: Jason Witten. His dream would be to play in the NFL, but he has a backup plan: he’d like to be a missionary.
Last year, Payton noticed there wasn’t a club on campus that focused on service. “I went to the service fair in the cafeteria and asked Ms. Van Beveren if there was a service club here,” when she said there wasn’t, Payton thought there should be one. So he’s now the president of the service club on campus, with Ms. Van Beveren as the moderator.
Payton said, “I just felt like we should do service for the sake of service.” The club’s first action was to hold a canned food drive for Catholic Charities. Now Payton plans a series of serving opportunities throughout the school year. He’s also a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and plans to apply to the Diocesan Mission Trip to Nicaragua.
Having had a number of Notre-Dame–trained teachers already his freshman year, Payton is interested in the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) program, and thinks he’d like to apply. And if the National Football League doesn’t work out, he says he’s passionate about becoming a missionary, possibly heading to South Africa.
His father, Jeff, is his biggest fan. “My mother worked in the emergency room at a local hospital, and told me she didn’t want me playing football because she’s seen the injuries come in there,” he said. “So I played soccer. But I always wanted to play football. Now it sure is fun to see Payton out there on the field, playing the game.” Payton’s been playing football since he was 6, beginning in the pee wee league.
A scholar athlete with a heart for service, Payton Matous is a Falcon getting ready to soar.
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." – Mark 10:45
Information provided by Judy Porter.