Cary-Grove’s offense has put up some impressive numbers in the past three weeks, and Friday night in Carpentersville the Trojans got a lift from an unexpected source that will make stopping C-G even more of a daunting task.

Freshman running back Leo Zavala made his first varsity start and made the most of his debut. The 5-foot-8, 150-pounder rushed six times for 105 yards and scored three touchdowns as the Trojans rolled past Dundee-Crown 46-27 in a Fox Valley Conference test in the D-C Bowl.

Zavala, a state champion wrestler as an eighth grader, scored on runs of 23, 29, and 24 yards – all on the same play design – to ignite the Trojans’ running attack that piled up 420 yards on 53 carries, a 7.9 average per carry.

“I just tried my best out there. Credit to the O-line, though. If it wasn’t for their blocking, I don’t have that kind of success,” Zavala said. “I just go out there and try my best to make a difference. I’m not who I am without my teammates.”

Sophomore quarterback Jackson Berndt led all rushers with 16 carries for 131 yards and two scores while bruising fullback Logan Abrams added 108 yards on 15 tries. Berndt completed one of his two passes for 29 yards.

“We played physical from the start. The kids were focused and we went at them,” Trojans coach Brad Seaburg said. “Our defense played well. There’s one (play) we wanted back (a D-C touchdown right before the half), but that’s football. On both sides of the ball, it was the most physical we played.”

In its previous three games, Cary had scored 36, 34, and 40 points, so Friday’s 46-point output was a signal that the Trojans are starting to jell.

“In the first two games, Logan was out (on offense) and Berndt missed two weeks ago (against Huntley). But we’re getting healthy and the cohesiveness is starting to appear,” Seaburg said. “And Leo just brings a level of toughness to our offense. Being a wrestler, you can see that toughness translate to the football field.”

Seaburg also lauded the downfield blocking efforts of Anthony Medina and Ryan Lummis to help spring Zavala on his second score.

Shamarion Prude tallied C-G’s final touchdown with an 8-yard run midway through the final period. Special teams also got into the act when Landon Moore returned a punt 45 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.

D-C trailed 40-7 midway through the third period, but finally found its offensive swagger. Ereyon Bailey scored on a 5-yard run and then electrified the crowd with an 85-yard kickoff return that he retrieved after it bounced off his facemask.

Ryan Pierce (3 receptions, 81 yards) caught the second of his two touchdown passes from quarterback Ikey Grzynkowicz (9 for 18, 144 yards) with 4:02 to play.

“We had some injuries during the game, but that gave other guys a chance for some reps. That’s a great football program, and they played physical,” D-C coach Mike Steinhaus said. “It’s the type of football we will see for the next three weeks, and tonight we were not there. But we’ll look at film and do what it takes to get there.”