Randal Montgomery’s facial expression says all you want to know about Leon Payne.
Even though it’s a small smile, one that barely moves his lips, the question about his senior defensive lineman gets the first-year Columbus High School football coach to reveal how much Payne has meant to the team’s success this season.
“Leon is a great, great football player,” Montgomery said. “He plays with a high motor and never takes plays off. He is a great, great kid more than anything. He does everything you ask him to do, and he has continued to get better.”
In Kylin Hill, Montgomery has a sophomore running back who also epitomizes that work ethic and mind-set. The Falcons have taken the lead from two of their key contributors and have continued to play with focus and purpose. As a result, Columbus is riding a three-game winning streak that has it one win away from clinching a spot in the Class 6A North State playoffs. Payne and Hill played integral roles in a 42-12 victory against Murrah that helped Columbus take that step. Payne, a 5-foot-11, 200-pounder, recovered a fumble and returned it for a 24-yard touchdown, his first score at any level. Hill added two touchdowns to help Columbus improve to 4-6 and 3-3 in Class 6A, Region 2.
For their efforts, Payne and Hill are The Dispatch’s Prep Players of the Week.
“Every coach has a few players on their team they wish they had more of, and Leon is like one of those kids,” Montgomery said. “You just wish you had more of those kids. Not that we have bad kids, but you can never have enough kids that you don’t have to watch, you don’t have to make sure they are going to do this or do that, and you don’t have to coach effort. The toughest thing as a coach is to coach effort. Leon is a guy you never have to coach effort. Those are the kind of kids you want.”
That’s why Montgomery said it was especially satisfying to see Payne have a hand in the fumble and then return it for a score. He said the touchdown was kind of a “reward” because he knows offensive and defensive linemen usually don’t get their names in headlines or aren’t in the spotlight.
Payne said it was an exciting feeling scoring his first touchdown since he started playing when he was 7 years old. Back then, he played offensive line and fullback. These days, Payne is in his first year at defensive end. He remembers going for a sack on the pass play, but he slipped. Fortunately, Payne said Christopher Deloach knocked the ball loose, which allowed him to get a chance for a scoop and score.
“It was open,” Payne said. “Your eyes get very big (when you see the end zone in front of you). You feel like somebody is coming behind you. I felt a whole bunch of pressure on my back.”
Payne couldn’t get his legs spinning like a cartoon character, but he said he did his best to shift into fifth gear despite running into the wind.
“I said I felt slow, but people were telling me I was running fast,” Payne said.
Speed has been part of Hill’s game in his first season as a key component of the offense. The 6-foot, 185-pounder has rushed for more than 520 yards and 11 touchdowns. On Friday, he teamed with Kendre Conner, Christion Petty, and C.J. Gholar to help the Falcons rush for 194 yards on 38 carries.
Whether it has been at running back, wide receiver, or slot receiver, Hill has kept defenses off balance. He said he doesn’t consider himself solely a running back or a wide receiver. In fact, he said “he doesn’t know” what he is.
“I just play to play,” Hill said. “I don’t like one position more than the other. I just play both.”
Montgomery said Hill has been a “playmaker” for the Falcons. He said Hill’s versatility in both positions has added a different dimension to the attack.
“If we had to settle on one position for him to play, it would be running back,” Montgomery said. “He is just good at both. The sky is the limit for him. Whichever one he decides he wants to do he can be good at it.”
Montgomery said the latest victory and success the team had running the football was a continuation of the Falcons’ maturation. He said Payne and Hill have played key roles in keeping the team’s spirits up and that they have worked hard on and off the field to keep the team moving forward.
Hill said Friday night was a “great experience,” especially after Columbus lost to Murrah 28-9 in 2013. He hopes he and Payne can help extend the winning streak so the Falcons can drive into the playoffs.
“Playing a lot of positions and roles, I have been doing it all my life,” Hill said. “Coach already told me what I was going to have to do before the season started, so that got me prepared really well.
“I have kept a good level of intensity and a real balance. I think I am doing pretty good.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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