It’s rare if Zack Payne isn’t having the time of his life on the soccer field.
The Gloucester Catholic High School senior enjoys nothing more than passing, shooting, scoring and being around his teammates every afternoon on the pitch.
Last year, things were a little different, at least for a few games. Payne was returning from a torn anterior cruciate ligament – an injury he sustained during his sophomore season. There was more on his mind than opening day jitters as the 2024 season began.
“My physical therapist told me not to be scared, because he knew the surgery that was done to my knee was perfect and that I had a brand new knee,” Payne said. “But the first couple games, I was really scared. I started out really slow because I didn’t know how fast I could pace myself. This year, I feel a lot better. I’ve been strengthening it every day, and I feel perfect.”
Payne prides himself on playing at top speed. It’s something that started early in his 15-year soccer career. “Striker has been my main position since I was 8 years old. I don’t think anyone else could catch up with me.”
It wasn’t speed that scared Payne when he got hurt. It was how causally the injury occurred. There wasn’t even contact.
“I just stopped weird and fell down,” Payne recalled. “I knew it was something bad, but I didn’t know it was going to be that bad. It really set me back, but I knew I had to work harder than ever.”
The hard work paid off almost immediately. After he shook the nerves last year, he pumped 21 goals into the net while adding 10 assists. This year, he scored eight goals in his first six games. That’s good news, especially as the Rams are on a hot streak. Gloucester Catholic was 3-3 after its first half-dozen games. It included a dominant 5-0 victory over Holy Spirit High School on Sept. 26, where sophomore Aiden Stokley recorded his first career shutout.
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Payne said of the Rams’ win. “Stokley … gets a shutout against a team we didn’t think we’d beat. That might be the best I’ve ever seen us play.”
Win or lose, Payne is all smiles when he’s out on the field with his teammates. There are a lot of fresh faces on the team this year, but he knows they are putting forth their best effort for school pride and the love of the game.
“As of this year, I’m the only one on the team who plays club soccer,” said Payne, who was within striking distance of his 50th career goal. “All these guys came out because we needed a team, and I think [beating Holy Spirit] was a really big win to show us that we’re a team that really cares about what we do.”
Payne is still scoring by using his speed. But he now knows goals can come in other ways.
“I think I’m fast enough to take on people one-on-one,” Payne said. “But I also know I have Andrew Ginipro, Ryan Grimmie, Jason Grossman and all these guys with me all the time. Max Grimmie, a transfer, came in and he’s already putting up goals.”
He made a point to continue to compliment every other starter on the roster, name by name – only pausing to smile.
“I’m just happy to be healthy,” he said. “I just love being out here with these guys.”
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