Entering the 2023 season, one of the biggest questions the Los Gatos High football team had was at running back.
Would there be anyone capable of replacing Emiliano Mejia, last year’s tailback extraordinaire? The answer has been a resounding yes in senior Boxer Kopcsak-Yeung, who has rushed for 471 yards on 76 carries—an impressive 6.2 yards per rush and 94 yards a game—to go along with seven touchdowns.
Kopcsak-Yeung saw limited action as the backup to Mejia in 2022, but he made the most of the experience.
“Last year I learned a lot. I was definitely too small so I put on some weight in the offseason,” he said. “I worked hard in the gym and just got better. I learned from Milo who is a great running back, and did everything my coaches told me.”
It shows. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Kopcsak-Yeung—interestingly enough, nearly the identical height and weight measurements of Mejia—possesses explosiveness to get to the second level. And, despite being undersized, he plows forward on first and second contact, a byproduct of his determination to keep his legs moving.
In the Wildcats’ most recent game, a 37-27 loss to Pittsburg High on Sept. 29, Kopcsak-Yeung totaled a team-best 170 all-purpose yards, 108 rushing and 62 receiving. He also had touchdown runs of 8 and 2 yards, and was on the receiving end of the team’s longest pass play of the game, a 39-yarder to start their last possession.
While noting his strong mental approach, Kopcsak-Yeung credited the Los Gatos coaching staff and the offensive line for his production.
“Obviously, I really appreciate my coach and everything he does is for us and the team,” Kopcsak-Yeung said. “I really appreciate my linemen; I couldn’t do anything without them obviously. And you just have to play with heart and that’s what I try to do, is lay it all out on the field.”
Wildcats coach Mark Krail has enjoyed seeing Kopcsak-Yeung’s emergence as a quality starting running back.
“He’s been great,” Krail said in the aftermath of the Pittsburg game. “Pound for pound, the toughest kid on the field every single Friday night. He runs with passion and he’s a physical football player, and I love having him on our team. He’s awesome and has been good all year. He’s carried the load all year.”
Kopcsak-Yeung played an integral role in the passing game vs. Pittsburg, running dozens of routes while carrying the ball a workmanlike 20 times.
“He’s going to be tired in the morning,” Krail said. “And so am I.”
Kopcsak-Yeung said he entered the 2022 season at 135 to 140 pounds. Since then, he’s packed on approximately 30 pounds, relying on a top-notch strength and conditioning program and quality meals for a clean bulk.
“I worked hard, did everything my strength coach told me and just ate a lot,” he said. “I made sure it wasn’t bad pounds and tried to have a pretty good diet. My mom’s a pretty good cook.”
As a freshman playing on Los Gatos’ frosh-soph team, Kopcsak-Yeung was a 115-pound fullback. Playing that position sped up his learning in how to block properly and give maximum effort, or as he described it, “putting your heart into everything.”
In his sophomore year on the junior varsity squad, Kopcsak-Yeung transitioned to running back and has made incremental progress since, resulting in a strong senior season thus far. Kopcsak-Yeung’s father and grandfather both played football, so the sport runs in the family.
Boxer and his dad Michael watch every single 49ers game together, and they had Stanford football season tickets when current Niners standout Christian McCaffrey played there.
“That’s what inspired me to be a running back,” Boxer said.
Before he was even born, Kopcsak-Yeung displayed a fighter’s mentality. Hence, the name Boxer.
“My parents gave me the name because whenever we did ultrasounds, I guess my fists were balled up and I was punching,” he said.
