After awarding the inaugural Naperville Saints alumni scholarship to Benet Academy alum Danny O’Malley last year, the Naperville Saints recently announced a pair of local athletes as their second alumni scholarship recipients.
“We are celebrating our scholarship recipients. We’ve had two this year so we are providing them with a $2,500 scholarship,” said Naperville Saints Scholarship Chairman Stasha King.
“We had one last year, which was our first year to do it. This year we had a little bit more money to give and so we thought it’d be great to have more individuals benefit from the award it was a nice mix of recipients,” said King.
Saints add a second scholarship recipient in year two
This year, the scholarship winners are a pair of 2025 graduates, Naperville North offensive lineman Daniel Jurjovec and Waubonsie Valley defensive end Tyus Payne.
“It’s quite an honor to receive this award from the Saints. I only got to play one year for the Naperville Saints, the year it started. I couldn’t play in eighth grade due to COVID-19, so it’s a great honor, and I’d like to give thanks to all my coaches over the years,” said Naperville North grad Daniel Jurjovec.
“I’m very grateful to receive this opportunity. First off, my coach presented it to me, and so I was jumping with excitement because I love playing for the Naperville Saints, and the opportunity to receive the scholarship. It was amazing, and I’m very grateful that I was able to receive it,” said Waubonsie Valley graduate Tyus Payne.
Jurjovec and Payne represent the Saints well on and off the field
Jurjovec and Payne’s hard work and dedication on the gridiron, in the classroom, and their giving back to the community paid off, as each received a scholarship check for $2,500. Jurjovec will be attending the University of Missouri this fall while Payne heads east to Indiana University.
“I think these are two great picks. I mean, you say Tyus’s name, and everybody I’ve talked to you said, Oh my gosh, he’s a fantastic athlete. You say Daniel Jurjovec and his family is well-known in the community. They give back just about anywhere the community needs. He is a fantastic player, plays with a lot of heart, and spends a lot of time with the youth as a mentor,” said King.
The Saints were thrilled to keep the tradition going as a way to honor the hard work of former program members.
“A lot of work, volunteer time coordination, and outreach go into this. It’s done for the love of the program and community. I would like to thank Stasha for running point on this she is really taking this scholarship program and committee to a new level and has done a great job with it. I’d like to thank all of our board members for taking the time to vote because this is a serious thing that we, collectively, put a lot of time into,” said Naperville Saints President Mike Lemons.
Payne and Jurjovec will not play football at the collegiate level but are grateful for the lessons they received from the gridiron, the Saints, and their high school programs.
“Playing football taught me hard work, how to be a part of a team that I hope to carry forward throughout the rest of my life and be a great family man and be there for my family,” said Jurjovec.
“It taught me a lot. First, I would start with the importance of hard work. I put a bunch of hours in for football and basketball as well. So like the growth that you can do just from hard work and determination, all that,” said Payne.
Hopes for future scholarship opportunities
As the Saints program continues to grow, the hope is to bring back the scholarships for a third straight season and potentially add more recipients.
“It would be nice to have applicants from various high schools. So I’m hoping the coaches and the athletic directors present this in front of players and we get more applicants,” said King.
