By Don Ketchum

Carlos Zavala knows the importance of what the boys’ soccer team at Buckeye Verrado High is trying to accomplish.

The school hasn’t been open long and has yet to achieve a lot of success in athletics, so the soccer team’s rise in Class 4A Division II is held in high regard.

Entering action in the first week of 2011, Verrado was No. 1 in power points with an 8-1-1 record.

“Soccer is a source of pride for both boys and girls at our school,’’ said boys coach Ted Campbell.

Zavala, a senior striker, scored 34 goals last season and has 14 this year, although he has been slowed by a sore hamstring that has caused him to miss four games, according to Campbell. Zavala vows to keep working hard and trying to help his teammates.

“We have some great players, very skilled,’’ Zavala said. “There is not one player that I have any doubts about. If we play like we can, we can be an unstoppable team.’’

It wasn’t necessarily always that way.

“At the beginning of the season, I think we might have been a little intimidated,’’ Zavala said. “We had a few players coming back from last year and some younger guys. But the longer we played together, the more confidence we got and we have dominated a lot of teams.’’

Quite a few members of Zavala’s family have played soccer over the years, but he didn’t really get serious about the sport until the eighth grade. He was a freshman midfielder at Verrado.

Slowly but surely, he began to develop a strong work ethic that carries him to this day. Academics were a struggle his first two years, but he has improved considerably.

“I want to show our players what I know, that they can be successful if they work hard,’’ Zavala said. “I want to help them, just like some of the (older) guys who helped me when I was younger, who helped me get here.

”I want to give it my all.’’

He is low-key, Campbell said, but very likeable and supports his teammates.

“He won’t get on the kids if they make a mistake. He’ll just say, “That’s OK. You will get it next time,’ ’’ Campbell said.

The coach added that Zavala’s dedication comes from the fact that he lives a considerable distance from the school. He will walk part of the way and/or get a ride from a family member or friend and then rides a bus.

“He likes the school and likes his teammates. That’s saying something for him to do what he does,’’ Campbell said. “Kids around school know him and know about the team’s success. They give him fist bumps and high fives. He enjoys that.’’

Campbell said Zavala has a chance to play at a junior college and then perhaps at a small four-year school if he continues to work hard on the field and in the classroom.

Zavala has his sights set even higher.

“I would like to go pro some day,’’ he said.