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Between the Pee Wee Leagues, middle school, high school and even college, Cut Off native Peyton Guidry has probably played close to 100 football games on Houma-Thibodaux soil.
His last will come on Saturday night in Thibodaux, and he said he can’t wait to get home and compete in front of the people who have supported him throughout his storied career.
A South Lafourche High School graduate, Guidry is a multi-year standout at linebacker for Northwestern State University in Natchitoches.
Guidry and the Demons will take on Nicholls on Saturday in a homecoming of sorts for the linebacker, who said he will have a lot of family and friends at the game. He added that he also knows a lot of players on the Colonels’ roster, including former high school teammate Mason Boudreaux, who is usu ally a contributor for the Colonels but is currently out with a torn ligament in his knee.
“I’m excited to play back at home,” Guidry said. “It gives a chance for some of those family friends who may not be able to travel across the state and out of state to come and watch me play one last time. I think it’s going to be a great matchup on the field, so it’ll be an exciting game to watch and play in.”
Guidry is a good one – a truly special player.
At South Lafourche, he was a force defensively at the middle linebacker position, one of the top players in the Houma-Thibodaux area for both his junior and senior seasons.
In both of those final two seasons at the prep level, Guidry accumulated more than 100 tackles on the year. He also helped lead South Lafourche to the Class 5A State Playoffs in each season.
As a senior, Guidry did just about everything for the Tarpons’ defense. He led the team in tackles in 10 of their 11 games and was all over the field making plays.
Former South Lafourche coach Dennis Skains said Guidry’s aggressiveness was impressive, but also his mind for the game.
He chose the Demons over offers from Nicholls and other programs around the state. Guidry also considered an offer from Air Force, before opting to stay in-state for his collegiate ball.
“He’s an unbelievably smart football player and an unbelievably aggressive football player,” Skains said. “And that’s just on the field. Off it, he’s a great person and a guy who’s going to bring a lot of character and a lot of leadership into your locker room.” At the collegiate level, he’s done just that for Northwestern State.
Guidry has been a contributor from his first days on campus.
As a true freshman in 2014, he played in 11 games and recorded 14 tackles, a quarterback hurry, a tackle for a loss and a pass breakup.
As a sophomore, Guidry added to those numbers and had 30 stops, including five tackles for a loss.
Guidry said he had high hopes for 2016, but he ran into a little bad luck. He broke his ankle in spring football practices, which forced him to miss all of preseason camp and most of non-conference play.
But even after the setback, Guidry returned and was still able to help his team, recording 34 tackles in just eight games, including five and a half tackles for a loss.
Now, it’s time for one last ride.
Guidry’s senior season has been his most productive yet at the collegiate level. Through four games, he’s recorded 22 tackles while helping the Demons go 1-1 early in their Southland Conference schedule.
The former Tarpon said he
“WHETHER IT’LL BE AT THE NFL OR CFL LEVEL. IT’S ALWAYS BEEN A DREAM OF MINE TO PLAY PROFESSIONALLY, SO I’LL DO WHAT I CAN TO ACHIEVE THAT DREAM. BUT IF IT DOESN’T WORK OUT, I’LL BE GETTING A DEGREE AND MOVING ON TO THE REAL WORLD.”
and his teammates are trying to win the Southland – much like the Colonels – which makes Saturday’s game a pretty important one for both teams.
Guidry added that the team’s secondary goal surrounds effort and making sure that it’s given in abundance in every game.
“Our main goal is a conference championship, which is still in play for us,” Guidry said. “But really, we just want, as a team, for everyone to give everything they have every play and leave nothing out on the field.”
That opportunity to compete freely and without fear is something Guidry isn’t taking for granted because he said he knows all too well that it won’t last forever.
He said his teammates told him when he was a freshman to cherish college because it would fly by, but he never appreciated the words because he was in the moment.
“But they were definitely right,” Guidry said. “It feels like I just got here.”
Now, he’s seven games away from the end of a solid collegiate career which already has Guidry wondering what football-related opportunities may lie ahead.
Off the field, Guidry is a topnotch student who will soon be getting a degree in engineering.
“I think I’ll give pro ball a shot,” Guidry said. “Whether it’ll be at the NFL or CFL level. It’s always been a dream of mine to play professionally, so I’ll do what I can to achieve that dream. But if it doesn’t work out, I’ll be getting a degree and moving on to the real world.”
Northwestern State linebacker Peyton Guidry is ready to come home for one last game. A Cut Off native, Guidry will get the chance on Saturday when his Demons travel to Thibodaux to take on the Nicholls Colonels.
Cut Off native Peyton Guidry talks to reporters during a preseason media session. The Demons travel to Thibodaux this weekend to take on Nicholls.
