Dayrus Lynch, a 10th grade receiver and defensive back on the Nelson High School football team, is already in his second year playing with the seniors.
He’s used to playing with players who are a bit older and a bit bigger, but last week he was on the field with one of the greats as Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill hosted a clinic in Burlington.
“When I found out, I was playing Madden with my buddy, and I was actually playing with his team,” Daryus said. “My dad comes running upstairs, says Tyreek gave him a phone call, you don’t hear that every day. There was a lot of excitement in the house, and it was pretty late but it got loud.”
Lynch’s father Kolton runs Kay Eh Sports – a traveling football clinic that operates around Ontario.
Kolton said Hill approached him about a collaboration after finding Kay Eh on social media.
“I was sitting in my living room and my phone rang,” Kolton said. “It was a weird number, I answered it, and he said this is Tyreek Hill. I kind of freaked out.”
For the last year, the Super Bowl champion, five time First-team All-Pro, eight time Pro Bowl, and NFL 2010s All-Decade Team wide receiver has been helping out with youth football in Ontario.
On Sunday, May 25 at Nelson High School, Hill got out of his car and was swarmed by the kids. Teenagers from around Halton were there to improve their football talents, and Hill was sure to spend as much time with them as possible in between aiding drills, and a one-on-one exercise for a few kids.
“We’ll have a quarterback throw the ball to a receiver, and Tyreek will guard them,” Kolton said. “At the end of that, we’ll pick out a few MVPs who excelled through the camp, they’ll get a chain, one of the flag football girls got a signed jersey.”
For Dayrus, who prides himself on speed, getting one on one time with Hill was an invaluable experience.
Hill is regarded as one of the fastest players in the NFL, even his Instagram handle is @cheetah.
“He told me to get wider on my stance in order to get out of my breaks faster,” Daryus said. “I need to get lower, and focus on my centre of gravity.”
Daryus said he’s been practicing every day since meeting Hill, taking his words to heart.
“Any good coach who comes my way, I’ll always take their pointers,” he said.
Nelson head coach Jeff Brock said the kids were fired up to be meeting, and learning from, one of the best in football.
“There were kids from all over Halton and Hamilton,” he said. “When you first hear about these kinds of things, you ask if it’s real. There were a lot of people who came to just see if it was happening, and when his entourage comes through with their SUVs, it’s pretty cool.”
Nelson is gearing up for the season now with equipment fitting and hand outs happening on Tuesday, and training camp starting next week.
