Lockport’s Payton Roberson ready to lead Porters defense in final season

There was a Jet Li movie called “Fearless” that came out in 2006. Appropriately enough, that was the same year Payton Roberson was born. Coincidence? Maybe. But appropriate none the less.

Roberson, a rising senior at Lockport, has been as excellent a linebacker as any player in the Herald-News coverage area in recent years. He had one of the most impressive stat lines of any returning defender in the state. There are many factors that have led to his success, but ask him what his biggest strength is and he’ll channel that Jet Li mentality.

“I’m fearless,” Roberson said. “I don’t care how big somebody is or how fast they are. It does not matter at all to me. I could look at a guy who is twice my size and still have full confidence that I can run right through them. I’d say that’s my biggest strength.”

Roberson measures in at 5-foot-10, 220 pounds. Although he didn’t wrestler as a junior, he had success as a wrestler before that and will look to return to the mat in the 215-pound bracket as a senior. Before that season rolls around, however, he wants to continue shining at football. That shouldn’t be too hard given how much he’s stood out before.

Roberson recorded 111 total tackles last season along with seven sacks and two interceptions, rotating between inside and outside linebacker. This summer he’s been taking reps at running back, too, so he may have yet another role to take on. It makes no difference to him. After his fearlessness, it’s his work ethic he prides himself on the most.

“I have the ability to outwork everybody,” Roberson said. “I feel like I outwork everyone that I play against. That gives me confidence on Friday nights.”

He said he’s spending this offseason working on improving his speed. He’s hoping that by focusing on staying lighter on his feet instead of prioritizing weightlifting, he’ll be able to move better during the season. That added focus should help him step his game up even further – a scary thought for opponents.

Although he’s confident with where he’s at, Roberson believes there are things he can be better at.

“There’s always room for improvement,” Roberson said. “My game is very solid right now. There’s obviously little things I can tweak and make sure I’m 100% on game days. Right now I’m just focusing on the mental part of everything. I’m making sure that I’m staying on top of play calls and knowing what I need to do in terms of getting football ready.”

In addition to playing football and wrestling, Roberson also is a member of the National Honor Society with a 3.70 GPA. He’s also a high school kid managing a social life. When asked how he handles it all, he said it’s just about putting himself around the right people.

“Honestly, I’m just making sure I’m around the right crowd at all times,” Roberson said. “I want to make sure that everyone I surround myself is healthy for me and has the right goals in their mind that they’d like to achieve.”

The goal is to play college football somewhere. Roberson holds offers from Division III schools Mount Union and Wisconsin-Whitewater and D-II Lincoln University of Missouri. He’s also had conversations with Fordham, an FCS school.

Roberson is not concerned about where he’ll end up just yet. He’s focusing on being the best he can be and knowing that if he does that, the right opportunity will come.

“I want to make sure that I’m giving every single game 100%,” Roberson said. “I hate leaving the field with any regrets at all. I want to make sure that I gave everything that I possibly had.”

As for the Porters as a team, there will be some challenges. They went 5-5 last year and 1-3 in the Southwest Valley Conference. They also have to replace all of their regular starters on offense. However, they’ve got eight defensive starters back, led by Roberson. While the offense gains experience, he’ll lead the other side of things. His confidence is high that things will line up properly for the Porters.

“I just expect everybody to work when no one is watching,” Roberson said. “You have to figure it out for yourself. You have to do those little things that other people aren’t doing. You carry on the same you remain the same. That’s my mindset. Everyone just needs to respect each other, work well with each other and make sure they’re doing their thing in their alone time to make sure they execute everything on Fridays.”