Welcome to the House of Payne, where Wesley and Landry are more than happy to greet you, preferably somewhere just south of the line of scrimmage, with a snarl and the same eyes.
The Payne brothers picked up some hardware this week as the Pima defensive standouts were named NJCAA first-team All-Americans, the first duo in Aztecs history so honored. Wesley, the WSFL and ACCAC defensive player of the year at linebacker, led the country with 149 tackles; Landry, an all-league defensive back, had five interceptions.
“It’s a no-fly zone with us,” Wesley said. “That’s how comfortable we are. If they’re gonna play-action, I know my brother’s got my back.”
As it turns out, the House of Payne is actually two houses.
Though they share blood and a lineup, their awards will have different addresses.
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The brothers arrived in Tucson in time for spring football about nine months ago following a break with Mesa College, where they initially played after graduating Phoenix’s Mountain Pointe High a year apart.
They were to be on their own for the first time in nearly two decades, and they took advantage, living separately this year.
It gave the two some distance. For so long, they were known as the football-playing Paynes; this gave them a chance to form their own identities.
“We’re only 11 months apart,” Landry said. “Everything was a fight. He’s always been bigger, and that definitely caused competitiveness. But we both love the game, and to be able to play together has been a blessing.”
For the first time, they’ve been able to say their goodbyes — and their hellos the next day, often in the weight room.
The breathing room has been a good thing for everyone except opposing running backs, who found little this season against the Aztecs. The team had one of its best seasons ever and finished 7-4.
“People will say to me all the time, are they good friends?” head coach Jim Monaco said. “They absolutely love each other, but that is a big part, the separation. Wesley is Wesley. Landry is Landry. They’re both workers, and when they see each other they give each other a hug and start lifting.”
The sophomores have been playing so well together, and for so long, that they just might keep it up.
Wesley has already committed to Oregon State, and Landry is very interested. There’s a very good chance the two could both be in Corvallis next fall.
For now, Wesley is waiting for Landry to catch up. Quite the change.
“He was always very good, played every position — running back, quarterback — and I played lineman when I first started,” Wesley said. “I wasn’t all that good. My brother was always the fastest, the strongest. He made it clear. I felt like I had to compete. I had to be beside him. That’s all it was with us.”
