There are unsung heroes who put on the jersey, and then there are players like Luke Leverett, a junior defensive back who couldn’t be more celebrated for Providence.

That’s what happens when you intercept three passes in a first-round playoff game — actually four, if you consider his theft of a 2-point conversion — as Leverett did Saturday.

“He’s a ball hawk,” Celtics coach Tyler Plantz said. “He competes. He strains.

“Being able to see how he’s completely shifted and adjusted to the way he plays the game is the standard we want each of our guys to operate as.”

Here’s perhaps the most interesting part. Two weeks ago, the 5-foot-9, 170-pound Leverett shifted from cornerback to safety. As a corner, he only intercepted two passes.

But in a 21-14 upset of second-seeded downstate Morton, Leverett doubled his season total and then some, tying a Class 5A playoff record for most picks in a game with three.

That included his third interception with under a minute to go that stopped a would-be scoring drive by the Potters (8-2) and advanced Providence (6-4) to a 1 p.m. Saturday second-round game against Hillcrest (7-3), a 22-8 winner over Carbondale.

“The coaches felt like it was a good fit for me,” Leverett said of his position switch, “and honestly, they were right. It was a good call by them.”

Leverett said everything just clicked Saturday, but to get a sense of what he accomplished for the 15th-seeded Celtics, you have to dissect an interception.

Where is his mind when a play unfolds?

“I always just focus on my keys,” he said. “Focus on that ball, making sure when it’s in the air, I’m going to get it.”

Not bad for someone who dropped six potential interceptions as a sophomore cornerback.

It got to the point where Plantz would randomly pick up footballs and toss them at Leverett, imploring him to put in time with the JUGS passing machine.

All of that, plus copious amounts of film study, got things turned around for Leverett. And now, he has Providence positioned as a dangerous team in 5A.

That sounds a lot like last year, when the Celtics entered the playoffs with 5-4 record and reached the Class 4A state championship game vs. Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin.

“He leads the team in film study,” Providence defensive coordinator Luke Sheppard said of Leverett. “He does five, six, seven hours of film study a week.

“When it gets to the game, it’s one or two things from the presnap that he identifies and knows what’s coming at him before the offense starts running it.”

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Like a lot of high school football players, Leverett also watches NFL games. In many ways, he has learned how to play defensive back from that level of competition.

The New York Jets’ D.J. Reed is one of the corners he looks up to, but now that he’s shifted to safety, he’s scouting players at that position like the Arizona Cardinals’ Budda Baker.

It’s necessary because not only will that help Providence win, it also will help him get to the college level. And Plantz thinks Leverett can do it.

“When you look at Luke, he’s missing a few inches height-wise, but his speed is going to be top tier,” said Plantz, a Providence alum who played at Notre Dame. “His knowledge of the game, his anticipation of the game and now his ball skills, I would recommend people look at this kid.”

Leverett said his dream school is Ohio State, but he’ll be content to suit up wherever he can.

“I hope I can always play football,” he said. “I never want to stop.”

Gregg Voss is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.