Colin Payne has made the most of his second chance at Exeter

Colin Payne had a spectacular, unforgettable debut as a high school quarterback. With Exeter’s first two QBs injured and unable to go Payne, a freshman, stepped in and threw for 185 yards and a pair of touchdowns — in the first half.

It came on a big stage, at FirstEnergy Stadium, and in the kickoff game of the “Gridiron Classic.” Payne showed worlds of potential. He looked like the next big thing at Exeter. You could imagine him becoming a three-year starter and crushing every record in the book.

It didn’t turn out that way, of course. He ended up waiting until his senior seasons before becoming the Eagles’ full-time quarterback.

Kolby Haag, a senior, won the job the in 2018 and was lights-out. He set records for completions and yards in a game and for passing efficiency. He was an all-league pick.

A year later Gavin McCusker, a junior, won the job. He broke some of the records Haag set and became the Eagles’ first 2,000-yard passer. He was an all-league pick.

This season Payne finally got his long-awaited chance.

“That feels like it was a long time ago,” he says, thinking back to his first start at quarterback. “It’s been frustrating at times. I wanted to stay patient, stay true to the program, stay loyal and wait for my turn.”

When that turn came Payne didn’t disappoint. He threw for 293 yards and three touchdowns in the season-opener against Central York; he hasn’t slowed down since.

He was brilliant in adverse conditions last week, throwing a pair of touchdowns and breaking the program record for passing yards in a season in the 31-28 win over Gov. Mifflin.

“He was just relentless,” said Eagles coach Matt Bauer. “He wanted the ball, and he executed the game plan to perfection.”

The Eagles (10-3) knocked off the unbeaten Mustangs to claim the District 3 Class 5A championship. They head to Bald Eagle High School Friday at 7 to face Penn-Trafford (11-2) in a PIAA semifinal.

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity Payne has made the most of his chance, leading the deepest playoff run in program history.

His stats are gaudy — he leads Berks in passing yards (2,184), touchdown passes (22) and passing efficiency (181.8) — but his real worth, says Bauer, is far greater than that. He leads — exactly what you need from a championship quarterback.

“Colin has an uncanny ability to rally the kids,” Bauer said. “He’s always had that, ever since he was a freshman. There are some guys you really hate to disappoint. Colin possesses that (ability). The kids just play harder for him; they rally around him. He brings everybody’s game up, especially when he’s leading by example like he did Friday.”

Much as he hated waiting in the wings Payne learned plenty watching Haag and McCusker play these past three seasons. Haag is still helping him; he has served as a mentor on the sidelines on Friday nights this season, helping Payne read defenses and plot ways to attack them.

“Last week he kept telling me we could win this game, and I believed him,” Payne said.

Payne is close to breaking some of the records Haag and McCusker set. He needs five more completions to top McCusker’s single-season mark; a couple more TD passes will tie McCusker’s record of 24 in a season. He’s pushing hard at Haag’s season standard for passing efficiency.

Unlike those two guys, Payne didn’t earn any all-league honors. His coach is upset about that. Payne? Not so much.

“I’m not too worried about if I’m getting credit or not,” he said, “all I care about is winning. That’s all I’ve cared about since I was little.”