Payton Lowry-Sanders on mission to keep defense daunting for Glendale Community College football

He’s taken pride playing on one of the top defensive units in the state. He’s had several good mentors show him the best route to the quarterback.

Pride and excellent listening skills are two staples as to why Payton Lowry-Sanders will have an impact on the state of the Glendale Community College football team’s defense in 2015.

“I’d like nothing more than to repeat what we did on defense last year, maybe even have it be a little bit better,” said Lowry-Sanders, a defensive end who recorded 33 tackles in 11 games last season for Patriotic Bowl-bound Glendale. “You hit the field ready to play and all you want to do is make some big tackles and help your team win.

“I think the experiences I got from playing last year will help me and I learned so much from [former teammates] Dante Shipman, David Smith and Dominick Bell. They showed me the ropes and pushed me to become better.”

Lowry-Sanders and Co. will look to swarm opponents to lead the Vaqueros to their third winning season in a row. Glendale finished 9-2, 6-1 in the Pacific Conference American Division for second place last season while allowing just 15.4 points per game.

Lowry-Sanders particularly learned plenty from Smith, who was named the divison’s defensive player of the year before being selected as the California Community College Football Coaches Assn. All-Region IV Defensive Player of the Year after recording 57 tackles and a team-leading nine sacks.

“David looked out for me and tried to show me how to get it done on defense,” said the soft-spoken Lowry-Sanders, a Loyola High graduate, “how to get off the ball and take the correct route toward the quarterback.

“I’m still working to get better and I’m still learning other things he taught me. You feel lucky when you can pick something up from somebody like him.”

Lowry-Sanders, whose father, Marvin, is the head coach at Loyola after previously serving as defensive backs coach at the University of Nebraska and USC, proved he could handle the workload last season. He finished with five sacks and recovered a pair of fumbles.

“I feel like I was able to get things down pat and I had some good games,” Lowry-Sanders said. “You learn about how much quicker the game is at the collegiate level.

“One of the things about our defense this year is that we have a lot of speed and athleticism. You can see it in the practices and we want to carry that over to the games.”

Glendale second-year defensive coordinator Steve Ruedaflorez said Lowry-Sanders has been attentive and motivated to make improvements.

“We had one of the best defenses in the state last year and Payton had a lot to do with that,” Ruedaflores said. “What we like about him is that he’s totally accountable for what’s going on.

“You can see him listening and learning in the team meetings. He sees the field very well. We have high expectations for him. He will excel and continue to play beyond his potential.”

Lowry-Sanders brought intelligence into playing the position through a combination of size, speed, strength and durability. Lowry-Sanders had 3 1/2 tackles for a loss last season for the Vaqueros, who are 15-6 in the last two seasons.

“You want to find that perfect route to the ball,” Lowry-Sanders said. “When you’re watching professional or college football, you look to see the routes the defensive ends take and you learn from that.”

No matter the situation, down or distance, Glendale sophomore tackle Robert Ortiz said the Vaqueros can count on Lowry-Sanders to provide them with an edge.

“He’s got that drive and will on every play,” Ortiz said. “That’s exactly what you want to see with your teammates.

“He’s going to make our team better just by his quickness alone. I know he’s going to have another great season.”