Senior Spotlight: Daryus Boyd of Buchholz

Senior spotlight Buchholz Daryus Boyd
Buchholz's Daryus Boyd excelled in both football and basketball for the Bobcats his senior season and was selected to the Mainstreet Daily News' All Area teams in both sports. (Photos by C.J. Gish)
Photos by C.J. Gish

If there is one word to describe what high school was like for Daryus Boyd it would be a “movie.”

Boyd was a student-athlete at Gainesville High but he transferred to rival Buchholz his senior year where he excelled in both football and basketball for the Bobcats.

“Whether you’ve watched Daryus compete on the hardwood or on the gridiron, something that has always stood out is how good of a teammate Daryus is,” said Buchholz defensive coordinator Chuck Bell. “His approach, as well as his play, always seems to bring out the best in those around him.”

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Last fall, Boyd helped lead the Bobcats (12-2) to the Class 7A state semifinals.

“Most people don’t talk about it but that team was actually a family, we clicked so much,” Boyd said. “We did everything together. Everyone thinks we were just a good team but it’s way more than that to make us how good we were back then.”

He will always remember his dad’s influence too.

“My dad was yelling at me in the stands to do something better, or what not,” Boyd said. “I used to be aggravated with it but since I’m older now and looking back he was always right and I was just stubborn. So yeah, that’s a memory that’s going to stick with me for a while.”

As a senior, Boyd had 49 tackles, including 18 for a loss, which was second on the team behind Jahari Clemons. He also added eight sacks, one fumble recovery, and one forced fumble.

“Unlike most guys who grow up primarily as basketball players and then transition to football later, Daryus never shied away from the physical demands of playing defense,” Bell said. “He proved that he has a knack for coming up with big plays.”

This past winter, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound point guard led Buchholz in scoring with 15.3 points per game. He was second on the team in rebounds (4.1) and steals (1.6) per game.

Buchholz basketball Daryus Boyd
Photo by C.J. Gish Buchholz’s Daryus Boyd led the Bobcats in scoring at 15.3 points per game and was second in rebounds (4.1) and steals (1.6) per game.

“Daryus is a player that lives for the big moment,” said first-year Buchholz basketball coach Blake Golden. “He’s extremely tough, extremely smart and really helped our program get back on the map this season.”

Boyd, who finished high school with a 3.5-grade point average, will always remember one thing in particular about his high school sports career.

“I will always remember how I went to GHS for my first game after I had transferred (to Buchholz) and I went like 0-for-5 from the three and shot three airballs,” explained Boyd, who finished with 16 points in a close 56-55 loss on the road on Jan. 7. “After the game (they were) making posts about me, etc. and it made my bar go so high for me.”

Buchholz got revenge three weeks later on its home court.

“Next time we played I only had all the posts and trash talking in my head the whole game,” he said. “Because it was coming from people supposedly that were my friends at GHS, so it just fueled my fire.”

He was certainly on fire in the second meeting in late January.

Boyd scored a career-high 31 points as the Bobcats defeated the Hurricanes, 57-55, in overtime, in front of another standing-room-only crowd.

The Class of 2022 graduate would end up making the Mainstreet Daily News All Area first team in both football and basketball, and he also earned an opportunity to play college football on the West Coast.

“It means a lot to me just being from Gainesville, most of the athletes in the area don’t get recognized half of the time, so knowing I achieved a major goal I hope kids see it and try to do what I did in high school three times,” said Boyd, who will be playing football this fall at East Los Angeles College. “Just seeing my brother achieve so many goals when I was young just made me chase them even more. Honestly, if I didn’t have the support I have right now I wouldn’t be anywhere right now.”

Boyd is expected to start at defensive end this fall.

“I’m confident that Daryus’ best football is still ahead of him and look for him to do great things at the collegiate level,” Bell said.

Looking back, the script couldn’t have played out any better.

“If you would’ve said describe my experience with one word it would’ve been a ‘movie,’” he said. “I had the best times in high school. Definitely at GHS, there was never a dull moment there.”

Much like high school, Boyd is just living in the moment.

“I’m loving it in LA right now,” he said. “I’m happy I went the JUCO route because personally, I felt like I needed one more extra year of football under my belt before I get on the big stage.”

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