No matter where football has taken him, Anthony Leonard has kept his hometown close to his heart.
Now California University of Pennsylvania’s first-year defensive line coach and run-game coordinator, the McKeesport product — who was instrumental in leading the Tigers to Class 4A WPIAL and PIAA championships in 2005 — had a successful career as a linebacker at West Virginia before transitioning to coaching at schools across several divisions of NCAA football.
“If someone asks me where you’re from, I say, ‘McKeesport,’” Leonard said. “’Well, where is McKeesport? Oh, Pittsburgh is 15 minutes south from McKeesport.’”
Under the watchful eye of one of its more recent impact performers, McKeesport’s next great star at the NCAA Division II level is now taking his turn to put his proud Mon-Yough Valley hometown’s name on the map.
Former Tigers standout Bobby Boyd Jr., now a sophomore running back at California, is currently the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference’s third-leading rusher with 332 yards and two touchdowns over the first four games of the season. Fellow PSAC running back Ky’Ron Craggette — a Uniontown native, whose Seton Hill team was idle Saturday — entered this week as the conference’s leading rusher with 446 yards and five touchdowns.
“Hands down, the kid at the end of the year could definitely lead the nation in rushing, God willing,” said Leonard of Boyd. “He’s on the pace to do that, and I hope so. We are all rooting for him to do it. He has the skill set. He has the right mindset and he’s around the right people at the right time to do that.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that when it’s all said and done and the rubber meets the road that he will be up there with some of the names that are mentioned as the leading rushers in the country.”
Boyd carried the football a team-high 11 times Saturday for 34 yards and a 5-yard, first-quarter touchdown as California rushed for 145 yards as a team en route to a 49-7 blowout victory against visiting Gannon in each teams’ PSAC West Division opener at Adamson Stadium.
“As long as I’m a consistent piece of the team and I’m healthy and I’m doing what I’ve got to do every game and we’re coming out with a win, that’s just my expectation,” Boyd said. “I expect this group of teammates that I have, the athletes that we have, to just be consistent and win every game, but one game at a time.”
The 5-foot-8, 175-pound Boyd exploded onto the scene as a freshman last fall, rushing for 582 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged a team-high 6.2 yards per carry in 2023, while splitting time with then junior Eric McKan III, who rushed for a team-leading 598 yards and nine scores.
Against the Golden Knights (0-4, 0-1) Saturday, the Vulcans (3-1, 1-0) were led by quarterback Davis Black who threw for 340 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for a game-high 50 yards on six attempts.
Despite carries being at a premium against an overmatched Gannon defense, eighth-year Vulcans coach Gary Dunn is pleased with Boyd’s development in his second season in the California ground game.
“He’s a great kid,” said Dunn of Boyd. “He works extremely hard. He’s a good-natured kid, who likes to joke around, but when it’s time for work, he works. He’s a joy to be around.”
Dunn said Boyd’s multi-faceted approach to running the ball is impressive.
“I think the first thing is just his elusiveness,” Dunn said. “He’s very good at putting his foot in the ground and making people miss. He’s got really good speed and then he’s a guy that runs like a big back. He’s not the biggest kid in the world, but he doesn’t shy away from contact either.
“I think he’s the total package,” he added. “He’ll pass block. He’s good catching the ball out of the backfield and I think the No. 1 thing is he’s really shifty and elusive.”
After Dunn said Boyd relied mostly on “talent” as a freshman, the tailback has benefitted from maturing in the Vulcans offense in 2024.
“I see a big difference this year in him understanding the blocking schemes we are trying to do, understanding where his reads are, understanding where he needs to put the ball,” Dunn said. “Those things have all improved greatly. He understands the grind of a college football season now.”
Make no mistake, though, Boyd said he owes a great deal to his McKeesport roots.
Boyd said the triple-option flexbone attack instituted by legendary former coach George Smith, which is still utilized by current Tigers coach Matt Miller, is certainly different in approach from California’s offense.
Growing up in a football-crazed city with a near religious devotion to running the football has provided an edge at the next level, Body said.
“Coming from the McKeesport offense it was not strictly run, but that’s what everyone knew us for,” he said. “I knew I was going to be running the ball 80% of the time. Coming up here on the aspect of running the ball, I felt like I ran it so much at McKeesport that it wouldn’t be that hard to adjust to it up here.”
Leonard couldn’t agree more.
Although he starred for the Mountaineers on defense, Leonard was also the fullback in Smith’s offense, which functioned much like a traditional running back.
“McKeesport is known for a lot of their top athletes being able to play running back,” Leonard said. “If you ask me, it’s definitely in the water. It’s definitely part of the pedigree. If you want to be a hardnosed athlete coming out of McKeesport, you’ve got to be able to run the ball.”
And Boyd said he is excited for his future and continuing to do just that.
“It feels great seeing Courtney Dunn, Keith Spell up here, Marvelle Cromerdie, guys that I knew before college and I see them up here competing on the same side as me,” he said, referencing the other former McKeesport players on the Vulcans roster. “Then we’ve got coaches that came from McKeesport. It just puts a smile on my face. We all did it. We all came to the same place.”
No. 9 Slippery Rock holds on to knock off Edinboro, improve to 4-0
The No. 9 Slippery Rock defense was stingy Saturday night in its PSAC West Division opener at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium, limiting visiting Edinboro to just 208 yards of total offense before hanging on for a 28-23 victory.
The Rock (4-0, 1-0) conceded just 91 yards on the ground and 117 through the air against the Fighting Scots (1-3, 0-2), who notched an upset win against NCAA Division I FCS Robert Morris three weeks ago for its lone win of the season.
As impressive as Slippery Rock’s defense was, its quarterback Brayden Long was equal to the task.
Long completed 15-of-23 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for an additional score. He completed four passes for 57 yards and a touchdown to tight end Kam Kruze, a West Allegheny graduate, and found Connor Chrisman for another score through the air.
Idris Lawrence rushed for 119 yards on 15 carries for the Rock, while Chris D’Or added 51 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Edinboro linebacker Cj Waldier, a Yough graduate, tallied a game-high 10 tackles along with teammate Wilfredo Diaz.
Slippery Rock will next face Indiana University of Pennsylvania next week in a clash of undefeated rivals with PSAC West Division supremacy on the line.
No. 25 IUP powers past Clarion to remain undefeated
No. 25 Indiana University of Pennsylvania played its first home game of the season and outclassed Clarion to the tune of a 31-0 victory, during which the Crimson Hawks outgained the Golden Eagles, 426-111.
IUP (4-1, 1-0) quarterback Karst Hunter completed 21-of-27 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 61 yards and another score against Clarion (2-3, 0-2) at George P. Miller Stadium in Indiana.
Wide receiver Maurice Massey caught six passes for 78 yards and a touchdown and Marcus Day added another 5-yard score for the Crimson Hawks.
Running back Kaleb Monaco rushed for 71 yards and a score for IUP.
Redshirt senior defensive end Maurice Feazell tallied six tackles, 3½ for a loss, with 2½ sacks.
No. 15 Carnegie Mellon uses second-half surge to avoid upset bid from W&J in overtime
No. 15 Carnegie Mellon blocked two Washington & Jefferson field-goal attempts, collected a pair of safeties and used a 19-point second-half surge to avoid an upset bid and emerge from Campbell Stadium in Washington Saturday afternoon with a thrilling 30-27 overtime victory.
Tartans (4-0) quarterback Ben Mills threw for 218 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He found wide receiver Reece Kolke for the 25-yard game-winning scoring strike in overtime.
With the victory against the Presidents (3-1), Carnegie Mellon remains alive for a shot to knock off defending Presidents’ Athletic Conference champion Grove City from atop the conference standings in two weeks.
Kolke caught five passes for 162 yards and three touchdowns for the Tartans.
Carnegie Mellon running back Tre Vasiliadis rushed for 96 yards on 24 carries, while kicker Justin Caputo, a South Fayette product, made two critical field goals.
Linebacker Robert Coury tallied nine tackles for the Tartans, while defensive back Adrian Williams, a Peters Township graduate, also had nine tackles. Linebacker Logan Young, a Moon product, had four tackles and blocked a critical field-goal attempt by W&J late in the game.
Presidents senior quarterback Jacob Pugh, a Thomas Jefferson graduate, threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. He connected with wide receiver John Peduzzi for eight catches for 112 yards and a touchdown, while Peters Township product Jacob Macosko contributed seven catches for 71 yards and a score.
Senior running back Owen Petrisek, a Bentworth graduate, rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries for W&J.
No. 8 Grove City routs Allegheny
Quarterback Logan Pfeuffer, a Peters Township product, threw for 212 yards and three touchdowns as No. 8 Grove City cruised to a 58-7 victory against visiting Allegheny Saturday night at Robert E. Thorn Field.
The Wolverines (3-0) offense rambled over Allegheny (1-3), as running back Nico Flati, a West Allegheny graduate, rushed for a game-high 105 yards and Penn-Trafford product Ian Demeri added 20 yards and a score on the ground.
Knoch product Scott Fraser had three catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Grove City passing attack, while Daniel Sullivan caught a 33-yard touchdown pass.
Linebacker Ben Bladel — a Moon product and defending NCAA Division III sack champion — recorded five tackles with two sacks for the Wolverines, as linebacker Jack Jollie, a Penn-Trafford graduate, had a team-high seven tackles, 1½ for a loss.
Grove City recorded five interceptions against the Gators. Safety Shay Aitken, a South Fayette product, had an interception he returned 70 yards for a Wolverines touchdown, while Trenton Rupp had two interceptions, and Levi Teets and Caleb Brubaker added interceptions of their own.
Waynesburg picks up first victory of season
Running back Zayne Cawley rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries, while also snagging a team-high four receptions for 43 yards, to lead Waynesburg to its first victory of the season, a 21-7 decision against Saint Vincent Saturday at Chuck Noll Field in Latrobe.
Yellow Jackets (1-3) quarterback Samuel Barber threw for 115 yards and a touchdown against the Bearcats (1-3) in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference contest.
Saint Vincent sophomore running back Dontae Sanders, a Clairton product, accounted for his team’s lone score, rushing for a team-high 106 yards and a 4-yard, first-quarter touchdown.
Westminster remains undefeated with rout of Thiel
Running back Ryan Gomes rushed for 60 yards and two touchdowns in addition to catching a 46-yard scoring strike from Westminster quarterback Ty McGowan, a Moon graduate, as the Titans remained undefeated with a 58-6 rout of host Thiel Saturday night at Alumni Stadium at Stober Field in Greenville.
McGowan threw for 139 yards and two touchdowns to lead Westminster (3-0), which held Thiel (0-4) to just 135 yards of total offense.
Robert Morris roughed up on the road
Bethel Park graduate Anthony Chiccitt threw for 142 yards as NCAA Division I FCS Robert Morris dropped a 31-7 decision to Eastern Kentucky Saturday afternoon at Roy Kidd Stadium in Richmond, Ky.
The Colonials (2-3, 1-0) saw their two-game winning streak snapped, while Eastern Kentucky improved to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in ASUN play.
Robert Morris linebacker Jamar Shegog, a Seton LaSalle graduate, had five tackles, 1½ for a loss with a sack.
John is a copy editor and page designer at the Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at jsanta@unionprogress.com.