Spectrum Athlete Spotlight: Quincy Byas
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - When you talk about who’s one of the best edge rushers in the state of Missouri, Quincy Byas fits the conversation.
Byas is a junior defensive end at Desmet Jesuit High School. He is a two-time First-team All Metro Catholic Conference (MCC) defensive end and the 2023 MCC defensive player of the year with 44 tackles, 12 sacks, three interceptions, three fumble recoveries, and three touchdowns while playing defense.
“It feels good,” Byas said. “I’ve been working a lot with my team and by myself, and just be able to finally reap what you sow and get the crop from my rewards.”
“I’m not surprised that he got it,” Desmet’s defensive line coach Terrance Poe said. “It was kind of a plan and we talked about it. You have an opportunity to be in this situation and he kind of took to it and said, ‘Okay that’s fine I’m willing to take the challenge.’”
While growing up, Byas was a basketball kid. Getting inspiration from his older brother, Eric Byas, he decided to give football a shot.
“First I played d-back,” Byas said. “I got a little bigger, got a little stronger I guess. I started playing D-line and then since then I started playing D-line.”
The six-foot-two, 225 lbs junior spoke highly about Coach Poe and how he has helped him to become a better player every day.
“He really just told me ‘you get out what you put in,’” Byas said. “So basically he’s just pushing me everyday in practice or whatever I’m doing, whether it be the weight room, pushing me through it or whether it be me on the field, critiquing anything I can do to get better so I can be the best player I can be.”
“Extremely proud of Quincy man,” Poe said. “You know, here at Desmet, D-line is kind of the thing. It was one of those things when I got here last year, my first year, he was one of the first guys I kind of recognize, that okay this kid got something to him.”
Poe also said that Byas was allegedly looked over, but he saw something in him.
“There was always something I saw that saw that was kind of like okay this guy’s got something,” Poe said. “And he’s really cerebral about the position. He understands things a lot of guys don’t understand, and he sees things before they happen. He understands leverage, his bend is incredible, and he’s got a great motor.”
Byas has been a huge asset to the Spartans during their playoff run, by making big time plays to seel games. One of the recent plays was against Rock Ridge High School on November 18, when Byas’s teammate, defensive end Caleb Redd, made a big hit on the quarterback, making him fumble. Byas was able to scoop the ball up and score to give the Spartans the lead.
“Quincy always finds the ball,” Poe said. “So it wasn’t a surprise that he was the one to scoop the ball up and was able to score because he always finds his way around the ball.”
He also makes an impact off the field by helping out around campus and ing his peers.
“Tremendous kid off the field,” Poe said. “He’s a little playful sometimes, but a tremendous kid off the field. His grades a 3.8 GPA, he’s tremendous in the classroom, a leader in the school building, he’s actually a part of the National Honor’s Society, and he comes from a great family.”
Byas is motivated by being around the people he love and being around his teammates knowing that they have each other’s backs. The MCC defensive player of the year hopes to take more of a leadership role and win a state championship for his senior season.
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