DuPage County notes: Sophomore receiver Trevor Burnett breaks out for Glenbard South

Glenbard South sophomore Trevor Burnett was caught by surprise in his team’s opener against Streamwood.

Last season, Burnett established himself as an emerging player in the area with numerous solid games. But he didn’t expect to be on the receiving end of the opposing defense’s attention in Week 1.

“I was very surprised because it was the first game and Streamwood had a linebacker, safety and cornerback on me the whole time,” he said. “I kept fighting to get open and get yards. I didn’t think they would key on me. My coaches told me to take a deep breath and not worry about who was guarding me.”

A week later, Burnett had a breakout performance with six receptions for 84 yards and two touchdowns in Glenbard South’s 21-12 win over Elgin.

Burnett said Elgin also attempted to blanket him with defenders.

“At some point, they kept double-teaming me,” Burnett said. “My quarterback and offensive line kept working hard trying to help me find open spaces and get me one-on-one matches against Elgin.”

The 5-foot-8, 170-pound Burnett hauled in TD catches of 5 and 3 yards, both from quarterback Nick Plaso.

Glenbard South coach Ryan Crissey said the Plaso-Burnett connection is getting stronger with each game.

“Nick was able to take advantage of a couple of mismatches, getting the ball to Trevor,” he said. “It’s hard for an outside linebacker to cover Trevor Burnett. Nick does a wonderful job exploiting defenses and taking calculated risks.”

After playing on the varsity last season, Burnett said he expected to become a bigger part of the offense for his sophomore campaign. He had 208 yards receiving last season.

Samson takes spotlight

Glenbard West’s Samson Zander had a memorable debut in the season opening 45-28 win over Maine South.

The only problem was running backs Jalen Moore and Joey Richmond managed to outshine Zander.

That changed in a 55-8 triumph over Leyden in Week 2.

Zander, a Wheaton North transfer, stole the spotlight with 137 yards rushing and four touchdowns – all in the first half. His speed and power gives the Hilltoppers another playmaker in their diverse offensive attack. Zander scored a touchdown the first three times he touched the ball against Leyden.

Deon gets cookin’

Glenbard East senior wide receiver Deon Cook is off to a fast start this season. He caught five passes for 63 yards in the season-opening win over Elgin, then added 10 receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown in the Rams’ 24-21 victory over Bartlett.