This offseason, Timber Creek wide receiver Damiere Byrd had competed against some of the best in the state, region and country at the TEST Sports Clubs Premier Showcase and the U.S. Army National Combine. While he was busy impressing the competition with his blazing speed and uncanny athleticism, he was being impressed by the caliber of players around him.
“The competition definitely stood out,” said Byrd, recalling his experiences at both combines. “If you go to these events and don’t really want to play, you won’t do well. Everyone goes out and competes as if it were a game. If you don’t bring your ‘A’ game, you’ll have a bad day.”
For Byrd, such a task was relatively easy to complete, as he seemingly always has his ‘A’ game. As a junior for the Chargers in 2009, Byrd established himself as perhaps the best overall player in New Jersey, hauling in 38 catches for 605 yards and four touchdowns. He was also effective on the ground, rushing 78 times for 685 yards. Oh, and let’s not forget his two sprints to paydirt via punt returns.
Perhaps most importantly though, Byrd led the Chargers all the way to the South, Group 3 championship game for the very first time. For his troubles, he has become one of the most celebrated and coveted recruits in the class of 2011, and is the owner of some 12 Division I offers, including ones from
Cincinnati, West Virginia and Rutgers. Still, he has managed to keep a proper perspective on the task at hand — winning a state sectional title — without paying too much attention to all the hoopla.
“I don’t look into it too much,” Byrd said of the various ranking systems and recruiting analysis. “I know what I need to improve on during the offseason and I am just trying to do that. Sometimes, I do like to see what others are saying, but only to see if I can take something from it that will help me improve.”
Refreshing (isn’t it?) to see that even a player with Byrd’s credentials is still set on improving. Complacency certainly does not seem to be an issue for the young star. He is dead set on not only returning to the South, Group 3 final, but winning it. Although the Chargers have lost several starters to graduation, he has no hesitation in declaring them contenders once again.
“We are definitely [a championship team],” he said confidently. “We did graduate a lot of seniors, but we have a lot of young guys that played last year. As long as they step up, we can get back there, and hopefully win it.”
Among the talents returning to help Timber Creek’s bid to get back to the big game are
two stud linebackers in senior Quinton Alston, who possesses 13 offers of his own, and junior Quanzell Lambert. In addition, Byrd has expressed great confidence in fellow wide out Dajuan Brennon, whose tall, physical style is a perfect complement to Byrd’s speed-based arsenal.
Just short of nine years old, Timber Creek Regional High School experienced a season like no other in its brief history. Charger fans rejoiced as their team experienced an unprecedented run that put their team on the map. Thanks to that run, there is a brand new sense of pride in Charger Country, which was on full display last November.
“We have won championships in other sports, but this was the first year we won a playoff game in football,” said Byrd. “Everyone was definitely hyped about it; we had to get buses for fans to make it easier for them all to go to away games.”
http://gridironnewjersey.com/ShowNews.aspx?NewsItemId=134