What can’t Nate Boyle do?

The Raiders’ junior excels everywhere on the football field; especially when it comes to putting points on the scoreboard, and keeping his opponent off of it. He found the end zone five times and recorded an interception during Tamaqua’s 49-13 win over Lehighton on Friday, en route to becoming the Times News Player of the Week.

“We expected them to come out fast,” Boyle said. “It was a big game and we knew they would throw the ball. They threw the ball all year, we had to stop that and execute.”

Boyle’s night included touchdowns runs of 2, 5 and 30; and receiving scores of 11 and 57. He was also perfect kicking extra points, draining all seven attempts.

“I don’t think you’ll find a better all-around football player, he does everything for us,” said Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner. “He kicks off, he long-snaps, he goes down and makes tackles on punts ... right now I think he’s missed two extra points out of around 40. He catches the ball, runs the ball, and he seems to be that guy that always makes the big play. He’s always around the ball when you need that play made.”

Through 11 games last season, Boyle produced 1,207 total yards. This year, he hasn’t missed a beat, with 1,082 total yards through eight contests. Boyle lead the TN area in yards per carry (9.54), ranks sixth in rushing yards, and is fourth in receiving yards.

“I grew up running the ball most of the time, but I did a lot of things,” Boyle said. “I like running the ball, I’ve been running since I was young. I just like making big plays for the team.”

Defensively, Boyle is a key cog to the “Blue Flock’s” success.

The Raiders picked off Lehighton four times last week. They’re second in the area in total defense, and lead the area in plus-minus by a considerable margin. Boyle is surely a big part of that success.

Last season, Boyle played safety, now he is almost exclusive used at linebacker. According to MaxPreps, he is averaging seven tackles per-game this season. After last Friday’s game, the junior now has nine career interceptions at the varsity level.

“Our defense has been doing well all year,” Boyle said. “Everyone is doing their job; we’re a pretty tough defense and everyone needs to keep doing their job.”

Boyle can line up anywhere, and defensive coordinators have to be aware of where Tamaqua’s “Swiss Army Knife” is on every snap. The junior scored 14 times last season, and has already collected 19 touchdowns to lead the TN area in 2018.

“He’s one of the kids that we move all around,” Bonner said. “We like moving him around, and sometimes you lose track of him ... Everyone talks numbers, but on defense, he’s been kind of leading our team defensively for the last two-and-a-half years. Right now, he’s our C-gap linebacker for us. He comes up and makes a lot of plays. He can probably play any position on the defensive side of the ball. There are times in the past that we even put him down at nose-guard. Pretty much in my 24 years, I don’t think I’ve seen a kid that can do as many things, and do them well.”