Dropping the Hammers: QHS wide receiver puts ‘second talent’ to use in record-setting fashion

Quincy High School senior wide receiver Tykell Hammers has caught 201 passes for 3,017 yards in his three-year varsity career. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — The God-given talents are clear to see. Speed, strength, shiftiness and power give Tykell Hammers an edge against any defensive back who lines up opposite Quincy High School’s most celebrated wide receiver. Yet, it’s what Hammers refers to as his “second talent” that makes him elite. He catches the ball with his hands,…

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Taking care of business: Blue Devils open Class 7A playoffs with resounding victory over Wildcats

Quincy High School cornerback Rico Clay, second from left, and his teammates react to his hit on West Chicago's Louis Zeitler during the first half of the Blue Devils' 44-14 victory in the Class 7A playoffs Saturday at Flinn Stadium. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — The one thing the Quincy High School football team couldn’t do was get caught expecting to win instead of playing to win. “Monday, when we watched film, we talked about that,” senior offensive lineman Chris Flachs said. “We knew we were better than (West Chicago). You can say that as much as you…

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In their own words: QHS wide receivers break down best parts of their record-setting unit

Quincy High School junior wide receiver Tykell Hammers, left, leads the Blue Devils with 32 receptions and eight touchdown catches this season. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Four weeks into the Western Big 6 Conference football slate and nothing has changed. The Quincy High School wide receivers still top the statistical charts. Adon Byquist, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound senior, leads the WB6 in receptions (20), receiving yards (407) and receiving touchdowns (5) in conference games. Tykell Hammers, a 6-foot, 185-pound junior,…

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Rico Suave: QHS junior cornerback emerges as playmaker in crosstown victory against QND

Quincy High School cornerback Rico Clay, right, celebrates in the end zone after returning an interception 47 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter Friday night against Quincy Notre Dame at Flinn Stadium. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Eventually, Rico Clay will remember how everything transpired. In the aftermath of the Quincy High School football team’s season-opening 55-12 victory Friday night over Quincy Notre Dame, the details of Clay’s first career interception and the return that took him to the end zone for his first career touchdown seemed fuzzy. “It sort…

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Schuck on a Truck: QHS’s Tykell Hammers discusses season opener, heat adjustments, catchable passes

QUINCY — Tykell Hammers is one of the many offensive weapons Quincy High School quarterback Bradyn Little has in his arsenal, but Hammers’ skills aren’t limited to the gridiron alone. The QHS junior started in the outfield for the baseball team last spring after emerging as a high-quality wide receiver and defensive back during last…

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Hammers time: QHS sophomore hits walk-off grand slam, drives in nine runs in WB6 sweep

Quincy High School sophomore right fielder Tykell Hammers hit a walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning Saturday against Sterling to complete a Western Big 6 Conference doubleheader sweep. | Photo courtesy Samantha Carmean

QUINCY — Trailing by 10 runs heading to the bottom of the third inning Saturday, the Quincy High School baseball team systematically started a comeback. The rally ended in grand fashion. The Blue Devils scored six runs in the third inning, twice more in the sixth and two more times in the seventh to send…

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