By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com
The college football season officially ended three weeks ago, but the awards continue and former Madisonville-North Hopkins standout Blake Boyd earned Western Kentucky University's Defensive Most Valuable Player Award at the team's banquet on Saturday evening.
Each of the Hilltopper players voted for defensive, offensive and special teams awards following the conclusion of the season and once the ballots were tallied, Boyd came out on top.
"It feels really good to know that my teammates respect me in that way and look up to me in that manner, to think I deserve the Defensive MVP Award," Boyd said, "I go out there and they work with me every day, so I know they're working just as hard as I am, and to have their respect in that sense feels really good."
During the 2008 season, Boyd, a linebacker, led the defense in tackles for loss (9.5), sacks (3.5) and pass break-ups (7). The junior defender ranked second on the team with 67 total tackles.
Each of the achievements came despite playing with a major injury.
Nine days after the season ended, Boyd had surgery on Dec. 15 in Nashville to repair two tears in his labrum, a torn rotator cuff and tendons all on his left shoulder.
"I hurt it in the first or second game of the year, and I just finished the season," Boyd said. "I knew I was going to have to have surgery, but I just opted to have it at the end of the season instead of during season."
Each of the Hilltopper players voted for defensive, offensive and special teams awards following the conclusion of the season and once the ballots were tallied, Boyd came out on top.
"It feels really good to know that my teammates respect me in that way and look up to me in that manner, to think I deserve the Defensive MVP Award," Boyd said, "I go out there and they work with me every day, so I know they're working just as hard as I am, and to have their respect in that sense feels really good."
During the 2008 season, Boyd, a linebacker, led the defense in tackles for loss (9.5), sacks (3.5) and pass break-ups (7). The junior defender ranked second on the team with 67 total tackles.
Each of the achievements came despite playing with a major injury.
Nine days after the season ended, Boyd had surgery on Dec. 15 in Nashville to repair two tears in his labrum, a torn rotator cuff and tendons all on his left shoulder.
"I hurt it in the first or second game of the year, and I just finished the season," Boyd said. "I knew I was going to have to have surgery, but I just opted to have it at the end of the season instead of during season."
Boyd said he looked to his fellow defenders to find strength to overcome the pain.
"A lot of times I felt like I was at a disadvantage because I only had the strength of one of my arms, but you just have to play through it for the rest of your teammates because you know everybody is out there a little bit nicked up and bruised up," he said. "Your team is a lot of motivation."
Doctors told Boyd by summer he should be 100 percent and playing without a brace, he said.
Monday marked Western Kentucky's first weight session of the offseason. Boyd said the workouts are "really intense and up-tempo" with "a lot of explosion drills."
Hilltopper players like Boyd will not have to look far for motivation during the off-season. Western Kentucky will enter the 2009 season as a full member of the Football Bowl Subdivision
"This is the first time that we're going to be bowl eligible in our conference play," Boyd said. "It gives you a lot to work for. We just have to set goals and set them high and go out and try and beat everybody's expectations of us, surprise everybody."
Putting time in the weight room provides strength to take down the opposition, but Boyd said there are many other factors that play into his success.
"Speed and agility are very important because the game is just getting faster and also film study, especially getting in there with the younger guys and getting them acquainted with our defense," he said. "That's big. It helps you prepare for the game, knowing what the other team is going to do and what their tendencies are."
Boyd, a dominant defensive force on the field, said size can be a factor, but determination is the key for any aspiring athlete.
"My freshman year in high school, I think I was 5-foot-10 and like 180 pounds," he said. "Now, I'm 6-4 and 245 pounds, so anything can happen, no matter how big you are. We have people on our team of all sizes, so stay in the weight room and keep your head up and you can go play wherever you want to play."
"A lot of times I felt like I was at a disadvantage because I only had the strength of one of my arms, but you just have to play through it for the rest of your teammates because you know everybody is out there a little bit nicked up and bruised up," he said. "Your team is a lot of motivation."
Doctors told Boyd by summer he should be 100 percent and playing without a brace, he said.
Monday marked Western Kentucky's first weight session of the offseason. Boyd said the workouts are "really intense and up-tempo" with "a lot of explosion drills."
Hilltopper players like Boyd will not have to look far for motivation during the off-season. Western Kentucky will enter the 2009 season as a full member of the Football Bowl Subdivision
"This is the first time that we're going to be bowl eligible in our conference play," Boyd said. "It gives you a lot to work for. We just have to set goals and set them high and go out and try and beat everybody's expectations of us, surprise everybody."
Putting time in the weight room provides strength to take down the opposition, but Boyd said there are many other factors that play into his success.
"Speed and agility are very important because the game is just getting faster and also film study, especially getting in there with the younger guys and getting them acquainted with our defense," he said. "That's big. It helps you prepare for the game, knowing what the other team is going to do and what their tendencies are."
Boyd, a dominant defensive force on the field, said size can be a factor, but determination is the key for any aspiring athlete.
"My freshman year in high school, I think I was 5-foot-10 and like 180 pounds," he said. "Now, I'm 6-4 and 245 pounds, so anything can happen, no matter how big you are. We have people on our team of all sizes, so stay in the weight room and keep your head up and you can go play wherever you want to play."
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