Sophomore Floyd set to try his hand at running Leechburg offense

By: George Guido
Sunday, August 21, 2022 | 8:10 PM

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Leechburg’s return to prominence was strongly bolstered by quarterback Thomas Burke III.

Last year’s Valley News Dispatch Offensive Player of the Year passed for 2,213 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Burke is now at Waynesburg. As for his replacement, the Blue Devils believe they’ve found their man.

Sophomore Jayden Floyd, who played sparingly last season, is set to take the controls for the Leechburg offense.

“He has really big shoes to fill. Tom was a helluva player,” said Blue Devils coach Randy Walters. “They’re different type players. Tommy was little and real shifty, a good runner with the ball. Jayden is more of a bull. He played linebacker as a freshman and showed us his toughness. I have zero concerns about him running the ball. He’s coming along real well. He’s just got to work on the fundamentals of his feet in throwing the ball.”

As for Floyd’s part, he’s all in.

“I just love the position. I just love playing football at quarterback,” Floyd said. “Toward the end of games last year when we were up big, I got to see some action.”

Floyd’s job late in games was to hand off the ball and run the clock out.

One immediate benefit Floyd will have is the return of two wide receivers who accounted for much of Burke’s yardage last season. Logan Kline caught 36 passes for 614 yards, and Tyler Foley had 33 receptions for 710 yards.

Floyd lined up a wideout often enough last year with 12 receptions for 168 yards, but his job is now throwing instead of receiving.

Top-flight back Braylan Lovelace also caught his share of passes in 2021 coming out of the backfield.

Leechburg’s passing attack also will be aided by Owen McDermott, a multi-sport standout who now will show what he can do on the football field after a summer of showcasing his baseball talent.

“We’re bringing him along slowly, but he’s a very athletic kid,” Walters said.

When asked if Floyd will be playing any defense, Walters responded with an emphatic “no.” Small Class A teams have to be careful to avoid injuries. One player hurt can cause a trickle-down effect with shallow depth charts.

“We just have too small a roster,” Walters said of his 30-player aggregation. “We just can’t afford to get him hurt. He’s a tough kid. He loves practicing defense when I let him.”

After going 9-3 last season and winning a WPIAL playoff game for the first time in 42 years, the Blue Devils spent considerable time over the winter weight training and planning for the 2022 season.

“I knew over the winter I’d have a shot at quarterback with Thomas leaving,” the 5-foot-11, 185-pounder said. “I was just waiting for the role. I was taking in anything Thomas told me and coach told me. It’s been fun so far. I love it. I’ve just got to go out there and be myself.”

Added Walters: “He sometimes overthinks, but that’s just a sophomore trait.”

Another key player from the last four seasons whom Leechburg needs to replace is two-way standout Eli Rich, former tight end and defensive end.

The coaching staff is high on sophomore Jake Cummings at 5-11, 185 pounds. In Leechburg’s offense, the tight end often blocks but splits out in formation.