Four-star LB Payton Pierce lifts team to playoff victory, inspired by the Ohio State defense

LONGVIEW, Texas — Four-star LB Payton Pierce was the driving force of the Lucas (Texas) Lovejoy defense and played a massive hand on offense and also captaining the team en route to a regional playoff victory over Texarkana (Texas) Texas High on Friday night.

Pierce, who battled injuries for part of his junior season, has seen his team overcome significant losses at key positions on both sides of the ball during the regular season and playoff run. The outcomes haven’t changed yet.

“This is what we live for,” Pierce, the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 18-ranked linebacker, told On3. “This is guys you grew up with, on the field, it’s us vs. them. It’s the best feeling in the world.”

“I missed a lot of big games last year, so coming back here, getting together to win these games, it shows what we’ve put in,” he continued. “Buying into that leadership, that culture. We’ve had so many injuries — it doesn’t matter. We’ve overcome it all. Our goal is three more games and it starts next week in practice.”

The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Pierce clogged holes and chased down ball carriers from his middle linebacker spot and led Lovejoy’s stifling effort to slow down Texas High’s two-headed rushing attack, which features 2026 four-star ATH Tradarian Ball.

“It was good to get a win,” he said. “Hopefully, the Bucs get a win against the Team Up North, and it’ll be a good weekend overall.”

Pierce was in Columbus earlier this season when Ohio State defeated Penn State in the Shoe. After, the Buckeyes commitment out of the Dallas Metroplex raved about the defense, calling it the best in the country.

He views the next few games as “defining” moments beginning with the rivalry showdown in Ann Arbor on Saturday.

“Defense wins championships and these next couple of games define the season,” Pierce asserted. “It’s great to see a defense step up in a big game like this, and I’m so excited to watch what they do. They’ve had a lot of injuries on defense, too, with a lot of guys out. It’s a part of football and great times find a way to win. It happened to us in 2014, so hopefully, it’s a good game and I hope the defense does what they do every week — and they come out on top.”

Ohio State’s defensive prowess has inspired Pierce as he leads Lovejoy. He views the Leopards as a Big Ten-esque squad at this stage in the post-season.

“Both teams historically have high-powered offenses,” the nation’s No. 224 overall recruit said, comparing Lovejoy and Ohio State.

“This year, they changed it up a little. They’re running the ball, playing good defense, and I feel like we’re playing Big Ten football out here the way that we’re running the ball and stopping the run.”