Michelle Byas was dead set against the idea.
She didn't want her son, Quincy Byas, anywhere near a football field when he asked to try the sport in the fourth grade.
"I was nervous about him getting hurt with all the contact," the concerned mother said.
She eventually relented.
Now, more than seven years later, the shoe is on the other foot.
Quincy, a standout defensive end, has spent the past several seasons inflicting hurt on opposing offenses.
Byas is one of the area's biggest game-changers on the defensive side of the ball.
The 6-foot-1, 225-pounder has helped the Spartans develop into a consistent state-title contender.
This season, with Byas anchoring the defense and a wealth of talent returning at key positions, De Smet is in position to make a serious run at the Class 6A crown.
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The tradition-rich school on Ballas Road is looking for its third championship to go along with titles in 2005 and 2019.
And Byas, the No. 21 recruit on the Post-Dispatch Super 30 countdown of the area’s top senior college football prospects, is one of the main reasons for those high hopes.
"He has a knowledge of football that is just insane," De Smet coach John Merritt said. "In the 31 years I've been coaching, he's probably the single smartest defensive player that I've ever coached."
That's high praise from Merritt, who coached Foyesade Oluokun at John Burroughs. Oluokun, who plays linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars, led the NFL in tackles in 2021 and 2022.
Byas recorded 12 sacks along with two fumble recoveries and two interceptions in anchoring a defense that allowed 14 points or less in eight of 12 games last season.
Most importantly, he served as a major disruptive force and became a player to avoid for opposing offenses.
"I'm just trying to make every part of my game better every day," Byas said. "I want to be perfect."
Byas is awfully close to that lofty goal. He recorded 22 tackles, seven for losses, over the Spartans four postseason games in 2023.
In addition, he scored three defensive touchdowns including a 48-yard interception return for a score against rival CBC on Sept. 22.
Byas broke into the starting lineup on a full-time basis as a sophomore and has guided the Spartans to the state semifinal round each of the past two seasons.
His aggressive, in-your-face style of play makes him tough to avoid. He can be used as an edge pass rusher, a down lineman, even as a linebacker.
"Most teams have trouble getting their hands on him," Merritt said. "He's so fast, so smart and he anticipates every angle of every block. That's one of the things that make him such a handful."
Plus, Byas knows only one speed — ultra fast.
"I try to keep my motor at the highest it can go," Byas said. "Great things happen when you hustle, so I'm always trying to be around the ball."
Merritt said he has trouble getting Byas to slow down — even in practice.
"There are times we can't even run plays until we sub Quincy out," he said. "I always try to keep him away from (quarterback) Dillon Duff. He's a menace to an offense, sometimes ours."
Byas has learned to reserve his crunching hits for games.
Still, he enjoys breaking up a play and bearing down on Duff in practice.
"I'll get close to him and I'll yell or bark at him," Byas said. "I know not to hit him."
Byas, a Florissant resident, is the last of three football playing brothers at De Smet. Eric Jr., a 2023 grad, and Julian, who graduated last school year, made plenty of noise for the Spartans. Eric plays defensive back for Hampton University, an FCS school located in Hampton, Virginia.
Ironically, Quincy Byas looked into attending CBC, the Spartans big rival, during his eighth grade year. He even shadowed at school.
But he eventually chose to follow in the footsteps of his older brothers, who calmly explained it would not be wise to go against the family tradition.
In addition to wreaking havoc on the football field, Byas likes to cook.
He has accepted a scholarship to play at Eastern Michigan University, an NCAA Division I school in Ypsilanti.
But for now, he is focused on getting his team over the semifinal hump.
Always a team player, he said a potential title, "Would be a great way to send a legacy for the future football classes here. To show them the way. To show them what it takes to win a state championship."
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