Menu
Standard Democrat Football Player of the Year: Peyton Montgomery
CHAFFEE -- After watching Johnny Manziel become the first-ever freshman to win the Heisman trophy award, Chaffee junior Peyton Montgomery took to YouTube.
He searched for and watched videos of Manziel nearly every day while looking for ways to emulate the Texas A&M star.
"Pretty much every day I watch videos on him, who he works with and his moves," Montgomery said. "I do a lot of the same footwork and passing drills that he does. I kind of mold my game around him because he really caught my attention after his freshman campaign."
It's not much of a stretch to imagine just how Manziel has had an effect on the Chaffee junior. Just like "Johnny Football", Montgomery's role in Chaffee's no-huddle spread offense is irreplaceable. Whether it's with his arm or the shiftiness he shows by escaping pressure, Montgomery found ways to repeatedly burn defenses and win games for the Red Devils in ways he only could.
"I knew I had the same type of speed and agility as him," Montgomery said about Manziel. "I knew going into this year that we were going to run the ball a little bit more within our offense so I looked up some things on him."
"Monty Football"? Probably not.
But Peyton Montgomery's real name won't be forgotten soon after what he and the Red Devils accomplished during the 2013 high school football season.
The production of Chaffee's prolific offense was the direct result of how well Montgomery made it go. He became a nightmare for defenses who were likely to pay no matter how they lined up to face him and the plethora of skill players that surrounded him.
"I knew that if I had a good game then our whole team would have a good game because I spread it around to them," he said. "I knew a lot of the pressure was on me but I felt like I handled it pretty well. I watch a lot of college ball and our spread offense is a lot like that. If the quarterback doesn't produce then the team doesn't produce."
Chaffee's quarterback certainly had tools at his disposal.
Charlie Montgomery, Peyton's older brother, was a Class 1 all-region, all-purpose player after combining for 1,015 yards and 16 touchdowns both running and receiving. Senior receiver Layton Tenkhoff finished with 35 catches for 452 receiving yards and five touchdowns, while Jimmy Golden rushed for 911 yards and eight touchdowns. Devon Yahn also contributed on offense as their third option in the passing game.
"We really had all skill positions," Montgomery said. "For a Class 1 school, if you have even two or three that's good. I think we had four really good ones."
Chaffee's favorite passing play, a hitch-and-go to Tenkhoff worked nearly every time. And if no one was open downfield, Montgomery simply picked up 10-15 yards with his legs.
Numerous times Montgomery looked to be destined to hit the ground behind the line of scrimmage. Only, the nimble and quick-thinking quarterback found ways to stay on his feet.
"I was really running for my life," Montgomery said.
His antics that involved keeping plays alive became the norm. It wasn't unusual to watch Montgomery drop back, step into the pocket, retreat to his right and then back another 8-10 yards while reversing to the left side of the field. Always keeping his eyes downfield, Montgomery would eventually have a receiver work his way open for a quick strike.
If not? That's okay. Montgomery had no problem improvising with a run that more times than not resulted in a first down.
"One of my main things that I try not to do is get negative yards," he said. "It's hard to dig out from a hole like that, so if I can at least get back to the line of scrimmage I know I've done my job after rolling around in the backfield."
The 6-0, 167-pound junior led Chaffee with 1,404 passings yards and 15 touchdowns while completing 57 percent of his passes. Just as dangerous, he also ran for another 712 yards and 18 scores to spearhead an offense that scored just south of 45 points per game at season's end.
The stats and efficiency shown by Chaffee's offense weren't a surprise to Montgomery. His junior season was set up to be a successful one in his eyes.
"We ran it the year before and we knew that coming off of last year we had a lot of skill, but our chemistry was not all there," he said. "We only had two juniors and were were pretty young and all the seniors this year said that if we work hard and keep pushing we could win eight or nine games. We made sure that no one missed a summer workout and it was a real team effort. More like a family really.
"In our offense it was more about repetition and making reads. We knew where the receivers were before they got there."
The offseason conditioning and a year in the system paid off as Montgomery led the Red Devils to a resurgent 6-0 start. The first of it's kind since 1969. It was a welcomed sight to fans who knew about Chaffee's illustrious football history which had fell to the wayside after suffering through one of the worst stretches in school history just seven years ago.
Though Chaffee won a state championship in 1983, which is the only football title southeast Missouri can lay claim to, the Red Devils hit rock-bottom during a 31-game winless streak that ended in 2006. From there it's been a string of mediocre seasons that hovered around the .500 mark.
2012 was to be a promising one, but injuries to both Peyton and his older brother, Charlie, led to a discouraging 3-7 record.
"In the 50's and 60's it was a really big football town and it kind of slumped down a little bit," Montgomery said. "We knew this year was going to be a big year and we wanted to give all the people something to look forward to."
With a slew of returners headlining their 2013 roster, Montgomery ended up topping them all while leading them to their first SEMO South Conference championship in 34 years and their first 8-0 start since 1956.
It earned Chaffee a Top-10 ranking in the Class 1 football polls throughout the season and rekindled an old football fire that resides in his small hometown which didn't go unnoticed by Montgomery.
"The whole town had our back," he said. "I met a ton of great people through it all that I didn't even have a clue who they were before the season. People came out to the game from different cities and I think we helped the community bond."
The Red Devils had a chance to finish with a perfect record but fell short against Charleston in their last regular season game. Montgomery did not play as a precautionary measure due to a shoulder strain he sustained against Jefferson the previous week.
He did return to led Chaffee to a district quarterfinal win against Hayti which set the stage for a matchup with Thayer in the semifinals and a possible district championship game against the eventual state champion Valle Catholic Warriors.
Though Montgomery threw for 135 yards, ran for 138 and scored two touchdowns, the Red Devils' season came to an abrupt halt after falling to Thayer 28-22.
"It really didn't end like we wanted it to because we really wanted a chance at Valle," Montgomery said. "I told the seniors that we made a lot of history and everything happens for a reason. We definitely shouldn't hang our heads about that."
Montgomery's junior season landed him on the 2013 Media All-Region team as a second team quarterback selection. He was also one of four finalists for the Carr trophy which goes to the most outstanding football player in the SEMO Conference.
"This year had a lot of great memories with the seniors and my teammates," Montgomery said. "I think we can build on this in the years to come. It got the town and fans something to look forward to."
QUICK HITS:
Player of the Year: Peyton Montgomery
School: Chaffee High School
Year: Junior
Height: 6-0
Weight: 167
Position: Quarterback
Stats: Whether it was by land or air, Montgomery became one of Chaffee's most dynamic quarterbacks in their history. The junior threw for 1,404 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also ran for 712 yards and 18 touchdowns in a year that saw Chaffee match and surpass an unbeaten streak held since 1969 and win their first conference championship in 34 years.