Rich Scarcella: Exeter's Colin Payne is selected to Class 5A All-State basketball team

May 7—Asked to reflect on his high school years at Exeter, Colin Payne didn't waste a second describing his experience.

"Very, very up and down," he said. "It was 1,000% a roller coaster ride with playing time, injuries. ... It was tough at times. I just wanted to stick through it because I knew it would be worth it at the end."

Payne was right, especially after he was named Saturday to the Pennsylvania Sports Writers All-State Class 5A third team in boys basketball.

The 6-1 senior led the Eagles (13-15) to the Berks Conference semifinals and to their first PIAA Tournament berth since 1999. He averaged 18.4 points per game — third in the county — 5.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals.

"It's great," Payne said. "It wasn't really a goal for me to make All-State, but it means a lot. I was just worried about the season and the team."

Payne was a three-year starter in basketball for coach Matt Ashcroft, endured some injuries early in his career and finished with 879 points. A wonderful outside shooter, he made 102 3-pointers in his career, including 54 this past season.

He was a driving force behind Exeter's rebound from a 3-14 season in 2020-21.

"The biggest thing for Colin was confidence," Ashcroft said. "He's always been one of the most skilled guys I've coached. He was a knock-down shooter as a sophomore. Then his junior year he became a more well-rounded scorer. This year you saw the damage he did posting up at the foul line. The 3 was just part of his arsenal.

"He continued to develop the weak spots in his game until he didn't have any."

Payne scored a career-high 33 points against Red Lion in December and had 28 points three times, against Twin Valley, Palmyra and Berks Catholic. He had 21 in Exeter's 62-49 win over Milton Hershey in a District 3 Class 5A opener, which qualified the Eagles for states.

Exeter also made the PIAA playoffs in football with Payne at quarterback last fall. He completed 59.8% of his passes for 2,381 yards and 23 touchdowns and was named to the Berks Football League Section 1 second team.

He threw for three touchdowns in the Eagles' 31-28 victory over Gov. Mifflin in the District 3 Class 5A final for their first district title.

Not bad for a first-year starter.

"His loyalty speaks for itself," Exeter football coach Matt Bauer said. "He could have gone to pretty much any other school in the county and started for two or three years. He waited his turn. He's just that type of kid.

"He spent three full years on the scout team challenging the varsity defense. Even last year, he kept sneaking into the huddle to play on the scout team. He earned the respect of his peers. That's a very special thing."

Payne couldn't decide whether he wanted to play football or basketball in college, so he decided to play both at Alvernia for coach Mike Miller in basketball and coach Steve Azzanesi in football.

"Everybody outside my parents (Charlie and Jamie) have told me that I'm crazy," Payne said. "I usually just listen to them. They're big role models for me.

"I love both sports too much to give up one or the other. I just didn't want to give them up. I wanted to see how far I could go with them."

Payne also plays outfield for the Exeter baseball team, which beat previously unbeaten Gov. Mifflin 16-10 on Thursday, clinched second place in Division I of the Berks League and is in position to play a first-round home game in the District 3 Class 5A playoffs.

Payne delivered a key RBI single in a 3-2 win over Wilson earlier this week and went 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored three times against Mifflin.

"He is a pillar on all three of those teams," Bauer said. "He's a natural leader. He has that charisma to motivate his teammates. He's also tremendously talented and a great all-around kid. He was just a pleasure to coach."

Despite some rocky times when he was younger, Payne has thoroughly enjoyed his senior year even though it's not over.

"It's been amazing," he said. "I've always wanted to do big things at Exeter. I didn't think winning a district championship in football or making it to states in basketball was in the range of that.

"I'm very, very happy with how my senior year is playing out. I couldn't have wished for anything better."