The name Krzeminski will resonate in the Streetsboro Rockets boys’ soccer program for many years. It will not just be because of the work done by longtime Coach Paul Krzeminski but also his son, standout midfielder Payton Krzeminski, who finished his varsity career by becoming the all-time scoring leader in school history and will continue his athletic career at Capital University.
“It really has been everything to me,” Payton told The Weekly Villager on Jan. 21. “From fourth grade the only sport I had ever played was soccer and it is just when I go to my club practice and to my high school practice, it is not only that I am having fun but it is also that I want to be there and it is just something that has really taken over my life.”
Through four years of varsity soccer, Payton’s name is etched in the record books by scoring 40 goals and recording 24 assists. After making his mark with the Rockets, he will try to do the same when he begins his collegiate career.
He acknowledged that Capital University was not a school that he seriously considered until Comets’ Coach Corey Kirk reached out to him to invite him for a visit last summer. All it took was an overnight visit for Payton to fall in love with the school. According to him, what he liked most was the culture of the men’s soccer program, which felt more like a brotherhood to him than anything else.
He joins a Comets men’s soccer team that advanced to the semifinals of the Ohio Athletic Conference tournament this past season.
In addition to joining a program that could be competitive, Payton said his other priority was finding a program that could give him a fair opportunity to compete for a starting position on day one. Since Capital University had a smaller men’s soccer roster compared to the other schools, he felt he would get more than a fair shot to earn playing time.
“That was the dealbreaker,” he noted. “The coach expressing to me that I would get a fair shot at playing right away, most of these Division III schools keep a big roster, but Capital on the other hand does not so it gives me a chance to play right away.”
Playing on a smaller team is something that Payton has become quite accustomed to, as the Streetsboro teams he played on grew smaller each year. In his final season, the Rockets’ roster consisted of only 15 players.
Despite being on a short-handed team, Payton made the most of his senior season as he eclipsed the school record for most goals in a varsity career when he scored his 37th career goal in the first round of the Metro Athletic Conference tournament against Akron Springfield on Oct. 1.
“It was Ethan Laryea who fed me a through ball down the right line and I touched the ball around the goalkeeper,” Payton said. “He played me into the box, and I just tapped it around at the back of the net.”
He said that he allowed himself to be overcome with a lot of emotions after making school history.
It put the finishing touches on a memorable varsity career for Payton, who has had his life revolve around soccer since the fourth grade. He can still recall his father allowing him to come as a spectator to his NC Soccer Club matches. He said that watching his father play inspired him to pursue his own involvement in the sport.
He credited his development to being a member of club soccer, which allowed him to enhance his skills at a faster pace.
“That is the difference between most high school players if they play club or not,” he noted. “If you are playing club ball, you are developing more than you had been at a high school level.”
In his four years as a varsity starter, he said that his most memorable seasons were in his freshman campaign when the Rockets staged several upsets to advance to the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II district semifinal and his junior year where he enjoyed one of his best seasons being a primary scoring option.
Although several seasons ended earlier then he would have liked, Payton said he would not trade his time at Streetsboro for anything.
“I know that my mark will always be left on Streetsboro soccer and knowing I did that, it is a very good feeling,” he noted.
