McKeesport RB sees big picture
McKeesport tailback Bobbie Boyd makes the most of the opportunities he’s given.
The talented junior received just eight carries in the Tigers’ season-opening blowout win. But he didn’t need any more than that to leave a massive dent in the Baldwin defense, rushing for 187 yards on 23.4 yards per carry.
Playing the fullback position in McKeesport’s wishbone offense, Boyd has racked up almost 1,200 yards this year, finding the end zone on 12 occasions. He has even tacked on two extra points, cementing his jack-of-all-trades skill type.
You won’t hear him talking about those stats, though. In fact, Boyd’s Twitter bio lists the only figure that he finds worth mentioning: a 3.8 GPA.
“I’ve always taken academics seriously in case sports didn’t go the way I wanted it to,” he said.
Actually, that last claim isn’t completely accurate. One other number does stay at the top of his mind: McKeesport’s record week to week.
The Tigers have trounced their competition en route to a nearly unblemished resume, their lone loss coming against out-ofstate opponent Canisius in September. An 8-1 record, 50 in the section, matches their best start since 2018 with the chance of a much higher ceiling.
Now, McKeesport faces its toughest challenge yet: a road matchup with undefeated Belle Vernon to decide the winner of the WPIAL Class 4A Big Eight Conference. Boyd couldn’t feel more prepared. He said the trash talk on social media between the two teams began almost immediately after last Friday’s games concluded.
“We’re not going to sleep on them or overlook them or anything,” he said. “We’re just going to come into them with the same mentality we have every week, and just play them like a regular football team.”
Chances like this don’t come often, and Boyd plans to make the most of yet another opportunity. He has always loved the hype and pressure surrounding these kinds of games, it’s what made him fall in love with the sport.
For the longest time growing up, baseball had a grip on Boyd’s heart. But the first moment he stepped onto the field with a packed crowd and the Friday night lights glistening behind him, football took the number one spot ahead of America’s pastime.
“With the crowd cheering and stuff, after I scored my first touchdown it was just like, ‘Yeah, I have to keep doing this.”
And it has gone quite well for him. Although he has his sights set on a career in business if sports don’t work out, Boyd has already turned the heads of some recruiters. Bluefield State recently gave him his first offer.
Talent will only take him so far, and McKeesport coach Matt Miller believes Boyd has the personality and work ethic to reach lofty goals.
“He’s someone that just handles his business,” Miller said. “He really wants to play at the next level, he wants to do those things and he’s setting himself up for success.”
Miller sees that determination every time Boyd enters the weight room. Standing at just 5 feet 8, 175 pounds, Boyd has pushed himself to add strength to his frame.
“I’m not the biggest kid, I’m undersized,” he said. “I have to do everything I do to get the looks. Weight room, I’ve got to take everything serious, and I just have to put on the look for colleges.”
He has already noticed the effects. Boyd said he breaks tackles much more frequently now, using power to complement his speed on the field. He also plays strong safety on the defensive side of the ball, which has given him an elevated toughness when carrying the ball.
“I take hits on defense versus big backs, so when I’m on offense and I get hit, it just comes naturally,” he said.
Two impressive mentors have helped Boyd become the player he is today: NFL players Khaleke Hudson and Tyler Boyd (no relation). He grew up watching Hudson compete at the high school level, and marveled at how the McKeesport native brought attention to the city.
The two Boyds established a connection by coincidence of their names. Bobbie said his peers assumed the two must be related in some way, and eventually Tyler started inviting him to workouts and taking him under his wing.
Both players told Boyd to take school seriously, emphasizing that he couldn’t achieve any athletic dreams without academics to match it. They also said to watch who he hangs around, keeping himself within a crowd that will help him remain on the right path.
Miller believes the path Boyd has carved for himself has paid off so far, and can only encourage him to keep making the most of every opportunity. It will certainly help the Tigers come postseason.
“Just stay the course,” he said. “He’s been getting a lot of yards on not a lot of carries … if he stays doing that, we’ll be just fine.”