Marshall High School

On Thursday, April 8th, Marshall High School senior Payton McGuire signed his letter of intent to continue his academic and athletic endeavors at Olney Central College beginning this fall.

Payton was accompanied by members of his family, the MHS baseball team along with head coach Colan Miller, and friends as he officially became a Blue Knight. Payton signed his LOI to play baseball, but he will also play basketball at OCC as he plans to study Business Marketing in college.

Payton finished his Marshall High School basketball career in the Top Ten in career scoring, achieving his 1,000th point early on in the 2025-2026 campaign. During his senior season, he led the Lions in scoring, averaging nearly 19 points per game. He also led the team in free throw shooting percentage and steals, co-led the team in assists, and was second on the squad in rebounding. Payton was selected to the 2025-2026 All-Conference First Team for boys basketball by the Little Illini Conference.

As a junior on the baseball diamond in 2025, Payton had a breakout season by hitting for a .342 average, an increase of over 100 points from his sophomore season. He had an on-base percentage of .422, a slugging percentage of .603, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 1.025. As a pitcher, he led the Little Illini Conference in strikeouts during the 2025 campaign as he was named to the all-conference team.

Congratulations go to Payton, his family, and all those associated with his academic and athletic success. Best wishes at Olney Central College.