The on-field product is pretty obvious for Grant senior running back Tyler Zdon.
The 5-foot-9, 195-pound North Dakota commit has gotten into the habit of spending Friday nights gleefully avoiding oncoming defenders.
What fans see under the lights, however, wouldn’t look so simple without Zdon’s expansive amount of work behind the scenes.
“He’s got the natural ability, but when your best players are your hardest workers, which Tyler is, that’s a real advantage,” Grant coach Tim Norwood said. “He wants to be the best he can be.
“Obviously, that helps Tyler, but as far as the culture of the program, it’s helped there too. Our kids see one of the best around working like that, and that’s how they expect things to be run.”
Zdon and his talented group of classmates, which includes nine third-year starters, have been instrumental in helping reverse Grant’s fortunes, with their arrival coinciding with Norwood becoming coach.
There has been a lot of growth, as evidenced by consecutive playoff berths for the Bulldogs, and Zdon, with his home run ability on any play, has been the most tangible measuring stick.
Zdon seemed to be in midseason form during Grant’s 42-13 season-opening nonconference win over visiting Mundelein on Friday night. He rushed 17 times for 151 yards and three touchdowns, and he also caught two passes for 75 yards, one of which was a harmless-looking swing pass that he took 64 yards down the sideline for a TD.
That catch came in the final two minutes of the first half and capped the Bulldogs’ 28-0 run after Mundelein had taken an early 7-0 lead.
“It was one quick cut, and I was gone,” Zdon said. “I love to catch the ball, in addition to blocking, and I love to lower the boom on kids. I love it all.”
Zdon also does it all extremely well. He’s a difficult target to both pinpoint and size up, and it’s hard to bring him down. But he doesn’t rely only on sheer strength.
“I’d have to say my speed is my best attribute — and also my contact balance,” Zdon said. “It’s going to take multiple defenders to take me down. I feel like I prove that out on the field. I’ve been putting in a lot of work with my balance and footwork, and I got faster with running track, and it’s really paying off.”
Zdon isn’t the Bulldogs’ only offensive weapon. They have one of the area’s top quarterbacks, senior Matthew Gipson, who completed 9 of 12 passes for 257 yards and one touchdown and ran for a 39-yard TD against Mundelein, and a top-notch senior receiver, Max Hembrey, who had six catches for 164 yards.
“Having a running back like Tyler really opens up the pass because you know they’re going to fill the box to stop him,” Gipson said. “Him opening up the pass makes my job easy.
“We complement each other. If I’m having a good game, they’re going to send people back into coverage, and he can run it right up the middle for 40 yards. I’m really grateful that he’s my teammate.”
Zdon put his full assortment of skills on display against the Mustangs. On his first TD, a 3-yard jaunt early in the second quarter, he was stealthy in traffic He also maneuvered into open space on a 45-yard TD run that extended Grant’s lead to 35-7 early in the third quarter.
But perhaps Zdon’s most eye-opening highlight was his 41-yard run late in the first half. He skirted past, and through, multiple would-be tacklers.
“Those plays aren’t possible if the receivers aren’t blocking, and I’d also like to thank my line,” he said. “They’ve been putting in the work this offseason, and they make pretty nice holes for me to run through.”
Zdon had 1,707 yards from scrimmage and 23 total touchdowns last season. He also rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a sophomore. Numbers like those attracted significant interest from college recruiters, and he verbally committed to North Dakota in May.
Zdon hasn’t closed the door to other offers, but he indicated that he’s comfortable with his choice.
“I’d be blessed if other teams called me, but North Dakota has shown me what home is really like,” he said. “I’ve built a bond with those coaches, and I really feel like North Dakota is a great fit.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.