St. Ed’s senior Peyton Klein certainly has a lot to ponder in the next few weeks as decision time nears about which college to attend and exactly what to study when he gets there.
But before all of that happens, Peyton knows one thing for sure. He will be guarding the goal for the East Team when they square off against the West Team at the 2015 Florida Athletic Coaches Association All-Star Soccer Classic in Ocala this Friday evening.
That honor was bestowed upon him by soccer coaches familiar with his body of work. It comes at the culmination of a four-year career on St. Ed’s varsity boys soccer team, and a history with the sport that goes back much further.
“I actually started playing the game when I was two years old,” Peyton said. “In the early days I played primarily on defense, but when I was 10 or 11 I had a growth spurt that led to foot problems. It got to the point where I couldn’t run very well and my only option was to play a more stationary position.
“So I moved to keeper and fell in love with it, even when my heels got better and I could run normally. I stayed there and everything worked out just fine. I have been the starter since sophomore year, but I actually played a few games in goal as a freshman.”
With the 2014-15 varsity season in the rear view mirror, Peyton’s high school soccer career appeared to be over. Sporting a GPA hovering in the 4.23 vicinity, the classroom was set to take over center stage the rest of the way. His course load belies any tendency toward cruise control in the home stretch of his academic career at St. Ed’s.
He is taking AP Chemistry, AP Computer Science, AP College Calculus, Honors Physics and Honors British Literature. In degree of difficulty, that sounds like an entire four-year high school curriculum rolled into one semester.
Those classes should serve Peyton well at one of the southern state schools where he has already been accepted. Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia are the front-runners at present.
Meanwhile, under the watchful eye of Head Coach Bill Keating, soccer practice was extended on an ad hoc basis. Teammate Michael Puskar has been firing shots at Peyton in last-minute preparations for his All-Star appearance.
“At first I was a little nervous because I’ve been to camps where all the players are very skilled and disciplined,” Peyton admitted. “And they’re all trying to score on you. But after that initial feeling I was really humbled and excited to be a part of it. It should be an incredible experience.”
Everything didn’t flow easily for Peyton when he entered St. Ed’s in sixth grade. He says “I was rather rambunctious and really didn’t listen to authority, but by the end of middle school I had shaped up. I started focusing on my work. The whole environment at St. Ed’s has helped me a lot. I think I would have gone in a different direction – not necessarily a bad one – had I not come to St. Ed’s.”
Academics and athletics teamed up to facilitate the turnaround.
“When you have a rigorous class load, you learn how to play the balancing act,” Peyton explained. “You learn how to manage your time and put enough energy into certain things to make them work. I basically learned discipline from soccer and other sports (football, lacrosse) and I applied that to my classroom work as well.”
Bill Keating got to know his star athlete and pupil from several perspectives. “I have worked with Peyton on and off the field for four years as his Advocate in our Advisor Program, as his English teacher, and obviously as his soccer coach,” said the coach.
“I have been blessed to work with several good goalkeepers in our program over the years and Peyton is one of the best that I have had. He has always been a bulwark for us. He kept us in many games against superior teams over the years and was a consummate leader for a very young, inexperienced team this year.
“Beyond what he has done competitively, one of the most enjoyable experiences to witness was his work last year with local athletes in Special Olympics soccer. Peyton is genuinely a good person and that is one of the things I will always remember about him.”
For 18-year-old Peyton, the All-Star nomination was one more cue to reminisce about playing soccer in high school. He will have a chance to tend goal twice more this weekend as the four teams in the pool (North, South, East, West) play for the consolation and championship on Saturday. After that, those really important matters loom.
Peyton cited several games against district rivals as the most memorable in his four varsity years. One was a fabulous comeback from a three-goal deficit to claim the district championship when he was a freshman. Peyton didn’t even play in that game. Another was a full body extension to make a save at the end of a game. Still another was a 15-save effort.
Goal tending involves a lot of decision making and Peyton will be doing more of that starting next week.
“For the longest time I wanted to be a veterinarian because I love medicine and just science in general. I’m still on that path but I’ve been looking more at a business curriculum. I’ve indicated on my applications to college that I will be a biology or pre-vet med major.
“Some may find it kind of weird that I want to be a vet because I love to hunt and fish. Those are my getaways, the outdoors kind of stuff. But when I’m at home, Netflix is my go-to.”