Boyd, what an impact: Two-way standout part of JFK’s turnaround

By Steve Ruman

sports@vindy.com

WARREN

It didn’t take very long for Evan Boyd to make his mark on the Warren John F. Kennedy High football program.

In his first game in a Kennedy uniform, Boyd hauled in three interceptions, including one which was returned 30 yards for a touchdown. The junior also rushed for a team-high 71 yards on 11 carries as JFK won its season-opener against South Range, 30-10.

“All the players and coaches, they immediately took me in and treated me as one of their own right from the start,” Boyd said. “I just remember going into that game thinking to myself, ‘I need to prove that I do belong and that I can contribute.’”

Boyd has since proven time and time again that he is indeed an invaluable asset to the Eagles’ overall success.

Tonight, Boyd and his Kennedy teammates will travel to Twinsburg where they will play Mogadore in a Division VII, Region 23 final. The winner will advance to the state semifinals.

The Eagles were 2-8 last season.

Boyd joined the JFK football team this past summer. He and his family grew up in the Mahoning Valley, but moved to South Carolina four years ago. They returned to the area in June.

“I was a little nervous coming to a new school at first, but it was pretty clear early on that I was going to fit in,” Boyd said. “Everything has worked out great both on and off the football field.”

Boyd has fit in nicely on both offense and defense. He leads the Eagles with 1,206 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Defensively, he has five interceptions. Boyd began the season playing safety, but because of injuries he was moved to the linebacker position in Week 4.

“Evan brings a sense of toughness to this team, he’s a very physical runner and on defense he’s extremely aggressive,” said Kennedy coach Jeff Bayuk. “On top of his physical skills, he’s very football-smart. You can tell he’s been around the game his whole life. He has those intangibles that make him special.”

In fact, Boyd did grow up in a football family. His dad, Nathan Boyd, played at East Liverpool, then earned a scholarship to the University of Akron, where he was a standout linebacker.

Nathan coached for several years in Youngstown at the junior high level. He then was an assistant coach at Salem and Canfield before moving to South Carolina. He is now with Evan at Kennedy, where he serves as the Eagles’ linebackers coach.

“It’s a unique situation, but one that I really cherish,” Nathan said. “As far as our relationship on the field, it’s strictly coach-player, and Evan handles that very well. He wants to learn. He wants to be coached, so he accepts the learning and the criticism if it needs to be dished out.”

“We both share the same mindset of doing whatever we can to help the team.”

In Kennedy’s 28-7 win over Sandusky St. Mary Catholic Central in the first round of the playoffs, Evan gained 157 yards on 25 carries. Last week in a 40-6 rout over Toronto, he carried the ball 17 times for 123 yards. He also hauled in a 20-yard touchdown pass.

“My offensive line has been outstanding, they just keep doing it for me week after week,” Evan said.

As a sophomore last year in South Carolina, Evan started for his varsity team at the strong safety position. While he described the talent as “pretty equal to what you see in Ohio,” he said the overall game itself is different between the two states.

“Honestly, the game here is taken way more seriously, it just seems like the coaches and players are much more experienced in northeast Ohio,” Evan said. “From a football standpoint, I feel like moving back to Ohio has really helped my game.”

Nathan said that the most noticeable difference when it comes to football between the two states is speed, but echoed the comments made by Evan regarding the overall football experience.

“I just felt like Evan wasn’t being coached up last year,” Nathan said. “You come to northeast Ohio and football is a whole different level in terms of year-around conditioning, practice and dedication. It’s pretty serious business.

“The bottom line is that the move seemed to have made Evan a better player and a happier one.”

It’s a move which has also brought a lot of smiles to Kennedy fans.