Levi McKinney is one of those guys who doesn’t miss too many plays. And he’s one of those guys who wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

That, of course, does not make McKinney unique. On any given Friday night, at almost any game in Kentucky, you can find plenty of players who play both offense and defense.

 

Even at schools like Boyle County, the Class 4A school for which McKinney plays, two-way players are commonplace, even necessary in a year such as this when the Rebels’ roster is smaller than normal.

 

And while a number of them have helped the Rebels get to where they are this season, McKinney has been as valuable as any of them on both sides of the ball.

 

McKinney, who plays tight end or wide receiver on offense and linebacker on defense, has had a big year both on offense and on defense for Boyle, which is 8-0 and ranked No. 2 in Class 4A heading into its final district game Friday night at Mercer County.

 

The senior is the Rebels’ co-leader in receptions with 17 catches for 304 yards and two touchdowns, and he shares the team lead in tackles with 77 — 9.6 per game — and leads the team in interceptions (three) and fumble recoveries (two).

 

“It’s my senior year, and I’m trying to go out with a bang, trying to help my teammates the best I can and just play my heart out,” McKinney said.

 

He was a key contributor on both sides of the ball last season, when he had seven receptions for 111 yards and one touchdown on offense and 47 tackles and one interception on defense.

 

“I just used that as motivation,” he said.

 

McKinney started for about half of the 2012 season on defense and rotated in as a reserve on offense. Now he’s on the field for almost every play, and he said he much prefers that to the view from the sideline.

 

He is one of several players who have excelled on both sides of the ball this fall for Boyle. For example, Seph Burke is the leading rusher and shares the team lead in tackles, Josiah Robbins is a threat to pass or run at quarterback and has made several big plays in the secondary, Aiden Stewart-Hoskins has been valuable at linebacker as well as in the offensive backfield, and some linemen such as Austin Bell and Justin Roution also play both ways.

 

“It’s the Boyle County way. You have to work your hardest, just do the technique you’ve been taught, even if you’re tired,” McKinney said. “It’s not about us; it’s about who played here before us.”

 

Many of those who came before the current crop of players and who helped the Rebels win or contend for championships were two-way players as well, but such players might be even more important this year, as the Rebels are dressing just over 40 players.

 

Boyle doesn't have the market cornered on two-way players by any means, and a number of other schools in the higher classifications make good use of them as well. One of the keys to making that work, of course, is conditioning, and Boyle has done a good job over the years of developing and conditioning players who can make plays in the fourth quarter as well as the first.

 

“We condition all summer, and we’re still conditioning after practice,” McKinney said.

 

The Rebels build up much of their endurance at Jabez, where they sequester themselves every August at a 4-H camp near Lake Cumberland for the most intense week of the season, and Boyle players and coaches often shout “Jabez!” when the time comes to suck it up for a critical play or series, especially late in the game.

 

“It’s pretty hard, but whatever it takes to win, and its amazing to come together as a football team down there,” McKinney said.

 

And if that’s what it takes to prepare players like McKinney to be on the field for almost every snap, he says that’s a price worth paying.

 

“I love it. It’s amazing,” McKinney said of being able to play both ways. “I may get tired out there, but the ability to play the game is just amazing.”

It has always been that way at Boyle and as you mentioned many other schools large and small.You just have to get your best players on the field. A nice tribute to all those players in the state that pay that price to go both ways.