Wauconda’s Colton Zak disrupts Grayslake North’s offense, as usual. But his first touchdown? ‘Exhilarating.’

Wauconda sophomore Colton Zak’s varsity football career is all of five games old.

Watching the 5-foot-10, 185-pound Zak play, however, one wouldn’t know it.

“It’s a lot more disciplined, but I like to be able to build off of that,” he said of the varsity level. “It’s more organized, and I feel that I’ve improved significantly as a player from the start of the summer until now.”

Zak’s impact is even more remarkable considering that he’s in his third year of organized football and is playing on both sides of the ball for the first time. He starts at defensive end for the Bulldogs and gets carries in an offense that’s averaging 41 points.

“In eighth grade, I only played defense, and freshman year, I only played offense,” Zak said. “So now getting to do both on varsity is very nice.”

Zak’s performance on Friday was quite nice for Wauconda, which toppled previously unbeaten Grayslake North 48-14 in a Northern Lake County Conference game. He frequently collapsed the pocket around junior quarterback Jaylen Newkirk and scored his first varsity touchdown on a 12-yard dive play late in the third quarter.

Zak entered the game with 3.5 sacks. He didn’t add to that number, but he certainly made his presence felt around the line of scrimmage.

“He’s physical and quick and plays with that intent on every play,” Wauconda coach Chris Prostka said. “And he’s the same guy on offense.”

Seniors Brody Rudolph and Brian Hart took care of most of the ground production for the Bulldogs (5-0, 3-0), as they have all season, combining for 191 yards on 20 carries. Rudolph scored three touchdowns, and Hart put Wauconda on the board with a 1-yard plunge.

But for Zak, finding the end zone against the Knights (4-1, 2-1) was a milestone.

“I got a scoop-and-score on defense two weeks ago, but it got called back,” he said. ”So I finally got the touchdown for real this time. It was something else. It was exhilarating.

“The adrenaline afterward refueled me. Just crossing over one little line can do that.”

Indeed, public moments like that are memorable. But Zak built the foundation for that success behind the scenes. As a freshman, he enrolled in Prostka’s early physical education class that includes lifting weights at 6 a.m. four days per week.

“It’s before school even starts, and I lift and I get an extra class,” Zak said. “The goal is to go straight to my sophomore year in college – get as many college credits as possible.”

Zak has impressed teammate Brody Drozd, a junior who also plays defensive end and leads the Bulldogs with five sacks.

“As a sophomore, to take over that role, it’s unbelievable what he’s doing,” Drozd said. “He’s making all of these moves and making a lot of plays. He has everything down. Super big hustler, always a hard worker and goes 100% every play.”

Zak said some of his new teammates even thought he was a junior when he reported for summer camp, and he smiled as he recalled setting everyone straight.

Zak is trying not to get ahead of himself.

“I don’t have a lot of time off because I play lacrosse right now too,” he said. “But when I do have time to lie back and relax, I watch as much film as I can, and I see a lot of improvement from last year.

“I like watching my highlights from last year and this year. I’ve gotten bigger and more aggressive. It’s like I’m looking at a different guy.”