NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tameka Payton glided out of her silver Dodge Caravan, took five steps and paused.
Standing on a patch of grass on the back side of Shelby Park along the banks of the Cumberland River, Payton turned and exclaimed, “This is where it all started.”
While the field where her son, Mississippi State junior receiver and Nashville native JaVonta Payton, grew up playing has since been replaced with two little league-sized baseball fields, the park served as a place of solace for the mother and child pairing in their youths.
For Tameka, or ‘Miss Tameka’ as she’s often referred to, it was a safe zone. A place where she could cheer boisterously for the eldest of her seven kids while leaving the past realities of the Nashville projects behind her.
In JaVonta’s case, the field was a haven of sorts. From the time he began playing football at age 5, his energetic demeanor and natural athletic ability allowed him to bob and weave his way through any Pop Warner defense in his path.
“He was always the fastest kid on the field,” Stephanie Mosley, JaVonta’s youth football coach, told The Dispatch.
Monday, the mother and child combination will join together on the sidelines once more as MSU takes on Louisville in the Music City Bowl. And though Nissan Stadium — the home of the Tennessee Titans and the site of the game — is a far cry from the field at Shelby Park, the contest offers a homecoming for a parent and child pairing that was forced to grow up in unison.
“It was a journey,” Tameka told The Dispatch. “I persevered, kept my head up, did what I needed to do, and my children are doing what they need to do.”
***
There’s long been a deeper level to Tameka and JaVonta Payton’s bond.
Giving birth to JaVonta at just 16 years old, Tameka was forced to drop out of high school to support her newborn son. Balancing a job at Wendy’s with motherhood, the time proved trying as she bounced between homes, taking shelter on whatever friends’ couch or floor was available to her.
“He grew me up,” Tameka told The Dispatch. “Having a child at 16, you don’t have a choice — you’re grown at that point. No, not legally, but you’re grown at that point.”
While Tameka endured the growing pains of teenage motherhood, JaVonta endured growth of his own — notably under the guidance of his godbrother, Nantambu-Akil Fentress and his father, McKinley Young Jr.
Fentress — five years Payton’s senior — and Payton were stalwarts at the Andrew Jackson Boys and Girls Club — or the “B+G” for short. One generation after Royce Fentress, Nantambu’s dad and the director of operations at the Boys and Girls Club, mentored Payton’s parents, the younger Fentress did the same.
“He truly wanted to do the right thing when I saw him interacting with his peers and lead by example,” said Fentress, who went on to play football at Miami. “So I said, ‘I’m going to take this young kid under my wing,’ and sure enough, we kept in touch.”
“They helped me become a good man and a good brother to my little sister,” Payton added of the Fentresses.
With Fentress guiding Payton within the confines of the Boys and Girls Club, it was Young who ascertained his early love for football. Placed in recreational leagues when he was 5, Payton flashed a knack for the game.
Speaking with The Dispatch last week, Young — who coached Payton in youth league and at Hillsboro High School — recalled the first-ever highlight he recorded of his son. Roughly 7 years old at the time, Payton fielded a kickoff return, dodged and ducked his way through about five defenders and outpaced the entire coverage team down the sideline and into the end zone for a score.
“We knew from a young age he was going to be special in something,” Young said. “He was just fast, athletic.”
While Young supported and coached Payton from the sidelines, his mother became his biggest supporter off the field. Noted for her presence at every game, Tameka’s car was littered with magnets and painted words of encouragement as an ode to her eldest child.
And though her superfandom drew wide acclaim, she hoped to add a new element as JaVonta grew older. Calling up an acquaintance in the T-shirt printing business, she devised a plan to print custom shirts bearing JaVonta’s name, number and picture, among other designs. After a few rounds of T-shirts caught on during JaVonta’s early high school career, Tameka took things a step further.
Seeking a fix for the chilly fall nights high school football in Tennessee bring, she employed her T-shirt maker to design a neon-green sweatshirt with JaVonta’s namesake. Before long, the entire Hillsboro cheering section donned the fluorescent tops.
“We were in those stands cheering those kids on, and you could not miss us,” Tameka said.
***
Perched on a barstool in the center of the Mississippi State football recruiting lounge in the underbelly of Davis Wade Stadium, Andrea Hollis heard her phone ring.
Monitoring the incoming FaceTime calls from Mississippi State commits during the early signing period, Hollis was surrounded by Bulldog football coaches, players and athletic department officials as they awaited news on each new signee.
As the room fell silent in anticipation of another recruit calling in, Tameka Payton was revealed to onlookers on the big screen at the front of the room.
“Oh my god, it was so embarrassing,” Payton quipped.
While the call lasted just a few moments, it offered a look at the family both Tameka and JaVonta have developed since the latter’s arrival in Starkville.
Following a switch from running back to receiver his junior season at Hillsboro, Payton’s recruiting profile soared. Listed as a three-star recruit by 247Sports.com, he initially signed with Ole Miss, but a discrepancy between his ACT score and his grades forced him to spend two seasons at Northwest Mississippi Community College.
After notching 840 yards and 11 touchdowns at Northwest, Payton sought a familial atmosphere in which he and his parents, particularly his mother, were comfortable. MSU checked the boxes.
“I got along with everybody when I used to come up (to Starkville) for the weekends,” JaVonta told The Dispatch. “When I came on my official, that was the first game I took my mom to, and they enjoyed themselves and loved it. We all felt like this was a great opportunity for me.”
Now a year into his tenure at MSU, JaVonta has found a new family in his teammates and coach Joe Moorhead, while Hollis helps Tameka keep tabs on her son when he misses the occasional call home.
“Now I have Andrea locked in my phone,” Tameka said. “She has turned into my sister-child, I call her so much.”
***
After a brief walk around the baseball fields at Shelby Park, Tameka Payton returned to the car.
In the backseat, 3-year old Carlyle was asleep in his carseat with a pair of stuffed animals clutched tightly in his miniature hands.
One row behind him, 6-year old TJ and four-year old Therrian poked and prodded each other in jest. “We’re going to see ‘Vonta!” TJ exclaimed, referencing his eldest brother.
Heading out of the park and onto the highway, Terrence Sawyer — Payton’s fiancé and the father of four of her children — steers the family minivan down Interstate 40. Tameka peered out the window. Nearly two dozen cranes and high-rising construction sites pierce the Nashville skyline.
“It’s changed,” she said.
Things have changed, indeed. Tameka is no longer a 16-year-old fighting to find a place to sleep at night with her infant son. Rather, she’s a battle-tested mother of seven who completed her GED in 2010 and remains her kids’ biggest advocate.
As for JaVonta, he’s set to conclude his first season in Starkville as a major contributor on offense and special teams.
“I believe everything happens for a reason,” Tameka said. “He’s on a journey.”
Monday, that journey makes its way to the Paytons’ backyard at Nissan Stadium. And though thousands of fans will pack the stands, Tameka and the countless friends and family who’ve requested tickets to watch JaVonta should be easy to find — simply look for the neon sweatshirts.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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