Leavitt’s senior slotback/safety makes a lot of things look easy on the football field. And he’s quick to admit things often seem easy to him.

It’s not overconfidence. It’s a wealth of appreciation for his coaches and teammates.

Ask Durgin how he can be averaging over 20 yards per catch and per rush this season and he’ll reply “I know I’ve got a good line in front of me, so I just follow them. They make it easy for me.”

Question him about his new role as a signal-caller in the secondary and he’ll admit to being nervous about it at first, then add, “There’s a lot of checks that we make, but the coaches make it pretty easy for me,” he said.

 But don’t think for a second Durgin took the easy route to success. A critical part of Leavitt’s defense the last two years as a cornerback, he knew he would have to take on more responsibilities on both sides of the ball and on special teams this season.

“He spent a lot of time in the weight room over the summer,” Leavitt coach Mike Hathaway said. “He’s added some weight to his frame, which has made him a little bit better of a runner. He’s added some endurance, which means he can play a little bit more on both sides of the ball. He improved every facet of his game over the summer and he is in good enough shape to hold up for four quarters.”

At first glance, Durgin may seem like an afterthought in an explosive offense that includes one of the top quarterbacks (Jordan Hersom) and one of the top tailbacks (Jake Ouellette) in the state. But no one has made more big plays on a team that is averaging a state-high 50 points per game.

So far this season, he’s run the ball a dozen times and caught it a dozen times. His average yards per play are nearly identical whether he takes a handoff, pitch or a pass (22.3 per catch, 21.3 per rush). He is averaging 44 yards per punt return (he’s had two touchdowns called back due to penalties).

A bigger (5-foot-11, 180 pounds), stronger Durgin opens up the playbook more for the Hornets.

“He’s got a good combination of speed and power,” Hathaway said. “He allows us to be real multiple with what we do in play-calling. He can be the pitch back on the option. He can be the dive back on the option. He runs the counter well. We can throw the football to him. He’s good in the screen game. When he does a lot of things, you can lose a lot more formations and motions and different types of plays to get him the ball.”

Durgin isn’t just a force with the ball. Hathaway praised his downfield blocking, which allows Hersom, Ouellette, Brian Bedard, Oscar Rodriguez and Leavitt’s other weapons to make their own big plays.

“He’s trucked a couple of guys in the secondary,” he said. “I’m all for running away from guys, but I think it fires up your team a little bit when a slotback runs over a linebacker.”

For Durgin, it’s all about making his teammates’ jobs easier.

“I know that they’re doing it for me, so I’ve got to do it for them, too,” he said. “Every offensive practice, we work on stalk blocking and downfield blocking because we know it’s a big part of the game.”

“He’s an unselfish football player,” Hathaway said. “Lots of guys that are big-play guys don’t play real hard when they’re not getting the football. That’s not the case with Ian.”

A play-making cornerback last season and on the 2009 state title team, Durgin became the Hornets’ “rover” this year and took on the quarterback role in the secondary. Hathaway isn’t surprised that he has made the transition so easily.

“He’s a smart player. He understands things and sees things well and can make quick decisions,” Hathaway said.

Even with all of his success on offense, Durgin, whose versatility stands out on defense as well (25 tackles, two sacks, one INT, one fumble recovery), still believes it’s vital to make big plays there, too.

“We know if we’re going to win another state championship, we’re going to have to have a good defense,” said Durgin, who plans to attend the University of Maine and study electrical engineering next fall. “Getting better on defense, that’s going to have to be our first priority.”

And no, he doesn’t expect that to be easy.