“Gino is just unbelievable,” Zajeski said. “He just knows so much about the game, not only about what our schemes are and what the plays are, but also just general wisdom about how to play running back. And then Treavor, he’s such an amazing athlete. He does things that I’ve never seen someone do before on a football field.”
Not surprisingly, Scales and Gordon continue to earn the bulk of the carries after teaming up to lead the Ivy League in rushing last season. But suddenly they can both hear Zajeski’s footsteps.
“When you have these young guys kind of clipping at your heels every time, it really pushes you to keep trying,” Gordon said in the preseason.
“Z is a baller. He’s a great back, and I’m glad that he’s finally gotten the chance to showcase what he’s got,” Scales added. “It’s not a dropoff going from Gino or me to him. We’ve got good competition going on…He’s constantly rising to meet every single challenge.”
Indeed, it’s this playful competition that keeps the entire team on its toes. While Zajeski emphasized that the running back group supports each other, like any true gamer, once he steps on the field, he expects to be part of the action.
“Everyone that’s playing college football is an extremely competitive person, so I’d be lying to say that there’s no competition between us,” Zajeski said. “There’s always this desire between us to outdo the other one. You know, Gino breaks a 70-yard run, and then Treavor and I want to break a 75-yard run.”
Of course, in the end there’s just one ball, and the running game remains far from an equitable platoon.
Gordon has led the way with a gaudy 8.2 yards per rush average, rolling for 231 total yards and three touchdowns, but Zajeski has the second-most touches on the team this season, taking 21 handoffs for 91 yards, including his first-career touchdown last weekend against Lafayette.
And while the sophomore’s touches may not continue during the Ivy slate—he tellingly handled the ball just once in a loss to Brown—missing out on handoffs won’t keep Zajeski off the field. The tailback has embraced an additional special teams role, determined to bolster the Crimson in any way possible.
This team-first attitude is just one of the factors that has propelled Zajeski this far. Whether he’s leading as a captain or following in others' footsteps, the running back has never failed to earn his teammates’ respect, nor has he lost his sense of fun along the way.
“One element [Zajeski] brings is definitely his energy,” Scales said. “He’s a great guy to be around. He might seem quiet, but he’s the jokester on the team, humble but funny, especially with all his one-liners.”
But for the coach who got him this far, Zajeski’s potential on the football field is only the beginning.
“Will [our players] be good family members, good, contributing members to their community? Those are things we measure as a program, and we’ve seen that with Rich,” Dimatteo said. “He comes by and lifts with our guys, works with them, and I couldn’t be more proud as a head coach. We couldn’t be more proud of what he’s done.”
—Staff writer Max N. Brondfield can be reached at mbrondf@fas.harvard.edu.