Lexus Matos is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Peoria High School for AZPreps365.com

Peoria freshman wide receiver Dontay Tyson Jr. played as the only freshman on varsity this season. 

And he produced.

Tyson Jr. tallied 322 receiving yards and scored six touchdowns this season before the 4A playoffs. 

Yet, he originally was not supposed to play at Peoria High School.

“I didn’t know I was going to come here, but my heart was here,” Tyson said.

But he did foresee what he would do on the field. Tyson envisioned himself starting varsity as a freshman with the help of vision boards. Leekentha Tyson, his mother, recalls a memory from last year when she walked into her son's room and saw the poster board.

“It was something that he did himself one day. I went into his room and there was a poster board with some goals on there,” she said. “It said [varsity freshman] year.’” 

“I’m gonna be honest: as a parent I always want to be realistic with him. I talked to him and was like, ‘that might not be the case, you might not make varsity. It might be freshman or JV.’ He proved me wrong for sure.”

When Leekentha Tyson received the news of her son making varsity, she was excited. Tyson himself wasn’t shocked.

“I was feeling good. I felt I was ready to play varsity,” Tyson said. “I wasn’t surprised.”

Maybe his performance surprised those around him though.

“I feel like it’s been good, but it could definitely be a little better. I feel like I’ve been playing pretty good,” Tyson said about his performance this season.

Based on that response, it would seem he was a confident athlete. However, Tyson described himself as shy-mannered outside of football.

He grew up watching his older cousin play football and he wanted to follow. Tyson’s mother remembers her son running down the long hallway in their home carrying a football at an early age.

Tyson spent a lot of time at his cousin’s practices while his sister cheered. Tyson said that he would want to wear his cousin’s helmet all the time once practice finished.

“We weren’t really a big football family,” his mom said. “So I jokingly said to my husband, ‘whoever runs with the football, (that's) gonna be his job.’ Honestly, it's been that way ever since.”

Players show out at tryouts in hopes of catching the coaches’s eyes to land a spot on varsity. It is harder for freshmen who transition from middle school to high school. However, Tyson had already caught the attention of Peoria’s coaching staff.

Peoria offensive coordinator Chris Miranda noticed the speed of Tyson at the district track meets when Tyson was in middle school, describing it as “lightning fast.” Miranda and the rest of the staff had no concern for Tyson being a freshman starter.

“He just fits right in,” Miranda said. “His speed and ability to understand to know what we’re doing up here, it’s like second nature. So I’m excited to see what he can do and he’s only a freshman.”

Tyson had 33 receiving yards and one touchdown in Peoria’s 55-0 win against Carl Hayden on Nov. 3. 

“Dontay has played like a junior,” Miranda said “That level of caliber, making plays, outrunning defenders, making big plays, jumping out for a ball. He’s definitely playing years ahead of where he’s at as a freshman.”

Tyson fits into the team as he had already known his teammates before the season. With the guidance of the upperclassmen and coaching staff, he has grown into a better player and person, he said. Tyson and the rest of the Panthers are all close as they go on team dinners every Thursday and pray together.

"(The seniors) helped me through a lot. When I’m down, they pick me up a lot,” Tyson said. “They call me childish a little bit, but it’s good. I think I’m mature.”

Leekentha Tyson recalls a moment during the season that showed her son was in good hands at Peoria.

“I noticed DJ (Tyson Jr.) always prayed on the sideline before every game,” she said. “That's just something he has done his whole life. I noticed at the homecoming game, a group of boys went with him and prayed together. That alone gave me the chills. It felt like he had support and family down there with him.”

Back to that story about why Tyson originally wasn’t supposed to attend Peoria:

According to Tyson, he was registered to attend Centennial High School, as it is known to have a strong football program. Just days before school started, he went to his parents and asked to switch schools. Many around the Tyson family doubted the decision.

“We had so many people looking at us like ‘why would you put an athlete of his caliber at Peoria?’ We just decided to go with our heart and faith, and what was best for DJ,” Tyson’s mom said. “His mental health and him being happy was more important than him being recognized on the field. It’s a blessing for sure.

“Him getting little accolades, being recognized on the varsity team, all these little things mean a lot. It makes it worth the decision that we decided to make and let him go to Peoria.”