Bliss Helps Montini Win Another State Football Title

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT BY JOHN MONTGOMERY

Charlie Bliss is probably the most successful offensive coordinator in the history of high school football in Illinois. Bliss helped Maine South and Loyola win eight state football championships. Bliss is now on the coaching staff with Mike Bukovsky at Montini who has won back-to-back state football championships.

“I tell everyone that I am a lucky guy,” Bliss admits.

“Our offensive co-ordinator Charlie Bliss took our offense to another level," Bukovsky admitted.

A 1975 graduate of Schurz High School, he grew up dreaming of becoming an NFL quarterback, the next Terry Bradshaw or Joe Montana. His hero was Joe Namath who also won the big game. The former Bulldog quarterback was named to participate in the first ever Chicago Public League/Catholic League all-star game at Hanson Stadium.

Bliss played football locally in Chicago at Northeastern Illinois University. He failed in tryouts with the Chicago Bears, Chicago Blitz and Miami Dolphins. 

“I had a cup of coffee with the Bears and the coffee got cold,” he joked.

Finally, in 1992, at 35 years of age, he led the Racine Raiders semi-pro team to a 15-0 record by throwing 59 touchdown passes. It was his final season of competitive football and time to look for another job.

He found it at Maine South High School in Park Ridge starting as freshman coach in 1990. As offensive coordinator, he helped produce six state championship teams by developing a series of outstanding quarterbacks, including John Schacke, Sean Price, Charlie Goro, Tyler Benz, Matt Alviti and Nick Leongas in a wide-open spread passing offense that is still popular today. Bliss stayed with the Hawks until 2022 before landing with Loyola.

In 2023 and 2024, Bliss was offensive assistant coach at Loyola Academy in Wilmette. Bliss would work with quarterback Ryan Fitzgerald who led the Ramblers to back-to-back state championships. Fitzgerald, son of former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald, threw 45 touchdown passes in two years while rushing for 15 touchdowns. He currently is a backup quarterback at Iowa.

His current post is at Montini in Lombard. Not surprisingly, he started the season seeking another state championship. Mission accomplished as top seeded Montini(14-0) won its eighth state title 48-33 over nine-time champion Rochester (12-2)

“I would rather look forward than behind,” Bliss said, summing up a career that was capped in 2023 with his induction into the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame. “My most important title in my life isn’t coach  but it is father and husband. The greatest uniform I ever wore in my life was as a firefighter.”

He served as a Chicago fireman for many years while being an assistant football coach at two of the most successful programs in Illinois high school history. Add Montini to the list. Montini won 300 games and six state championships under former coach Chris Andriano and added another state title under Bukovsky in 2024.

It all began at Maine South in 1990. Bliss heard there was an opening for a freshman football coach at the school. He got the job. Later, he moved up to the varsity staff as offensive coordinator under head coach Phil Hopkins. One of the first quarterbacks he worked with was Schacke.

“Phil Hopkins is one of the greatest high school football coaches in history,” Bliss said. “His philosophy was always to find a way to win and he taught me that philosophy, which helped me as a coach.”

It didn’t come easy. Maine South suffered through a 1-8 freshman football season with Schacke. Schacke didn’t start as a junior but led the Hawks to their first state title in 1995. They rallied to upset Mount Carmel 31-28 for the 5A championship as Schacke passed for 250 yards and three touchdowns. The hero of the game was Brian Schmitz, who kicked a 37-yard game-winning field goal with eight seconds to play.

“He (Schmitz) probably is the best athlete ever at Maine South,” Bliss said, with all due respect to three-sport star and NFL Hall of Famer Dave Butz. “He was the fastest freshman at North Carolina. He was the starting point guard in basketball and best wide receiver on our team. He was the punter on our team. He was an amazing athlete.”

The victory over perennial state power Mount Carmel put Maine South on the map.

Now Bliss is coaching at Montini, where he is working with another gifted quarterback, junior Israel Abrams, who has passed for 4,040 yards and 40 touchdowns. Abrams helped Broncos to their 23rd straight victory by completing 20 of 30 passes for 418 yards and five touchdown tosses in 4A championship against Rochester.

The secret to his success?

“I know what a quarterback is going through on the field,” he said. “I am always talking with my quarterback. It’s not just about corrections. If he throws a touchdown pass, I will ask him when he gets off the field what he saw on that play. I am not going to dwell on the negatives.”

Looking ahead to 2026, Bliss is eager to have an opportunity to coach his son, also named Charlie, currently an eighth grader in Naples, Florida, who will join his father at Montini next August. He’ll be wearing No. 11, his father’s old number.

St. Ignatius Wins Prep Bowl 40-12

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT BY JOHN MONTGOMERY

There is no doubt that the Prep Bowl has lost prestige and importance with the football teams from Public League and Chicago Catholic League deciding to participate in the state football playoffs that began in 1974. It is unlikely that your current preseason goal in ChIcago is to win the Prep Bowl.

 “It was a great experience to play and coach in the Prep Bowl at Soldier Field,” Jay McDonagh said about the annual matchup which is now 95 years old. McDonagh played quarterback in the 1990 Prep Bowl for Gordon for Gordon and won two Public League pigskins with Curie losing to Loyola and Mt. Carmel in back-to-back seasons 2014 and 2015.

 The Catholic League has dominated the game winning 65 times. Mount Carmel is king of football in our state with 16 state championships and 15 Prep Bowl wins while Simeon has won twelve CPS championships and made 41 appearances in the state football playoffs. Mt Carmel won first matchup in 1927 6-0 over Schurz.

 There is football talent in the Public League, but only one city team Phillips has been able to win state football championship. The Public League football teams went 0-15 in the first round of this year's state series.

St. Ignatius (5-7) stunned Morgan Park (9-5) 40-12 to win this year's event before a small crowd on Black Friday at Hanson Stadium. The Wolfpack were delighted to be playing football after a 2-7 regular season.

“The Prep Bowl is a great tradition in Chicago,” St. Ignatius head coach Matt Miller said after winning his second straight Prep Bowl. Miller in in his tenth season and has now won 67 games.

St. Ignatius, who brought its football program back in 2005, certainly had challenges after sophomore starting quarterback Reid Hites broke his arm in a preseason scrimmage. St Ignatius was recently moved into the Blue Division of the Catholic League which is one of the toughest sections in the state featuring former state football champions St. Rita, Brother Rice, Loyola, and Mt Carmel. St Ignatius got moved up after losing in the 6A semifinals to Prairie Ridge 21-19 during 2022 football season. The Wolfpack who have made nine appearances in state playoffs lost in the quarterfinals the followіng season in 2023.

“I would love to play at Soldier Field,” Miller admitted after the game. “I heard the bill was pretty high. Playing the game at Soldier Field made the game special.”

Until 1974 it was the only football event on Thanksgiving weekend a game that aired on local television and drew large crowds. The biggest thing youngsters from the Public and Catholic League faced each other at Soldier Field home of Bears who had great players like Dick Butkus and Walter Payton. Many people today still talk about the 1985 Super Bowl Chicago Bears.

This season's game at renovated Hanson Stadium was close until the final quarter. Senior Rob Connor who scored three times and rushed for 90 yards helped St Ignatius build a 19-12 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Connor who has been one of the top players in the new Catholic League for the last two years was named Prep Bowl MVP.

The Wolfpack capped their incredible season by forcing three turnovers in the fourth quarter as Charlie Klaas scored twice, and Hites added a touchdown toss in only his second start of the season.

Morgan Park (9-5) was hoping to finish season on a high note after avenging regular season loss to Kenwood by beating the Broncos 30-19 to win CPS football crown for fifth time in school history. The Mustangs won the the Prep Bowl in 2005 over Brother Rice with current head football coach Chris James at quarterback.

“We were there in the game at halftime,” James said after the loss. “We left some plays on the field. Our inexperience showed in the second half.”

One example was beginning of game when all- stater Darrell Mattison for Morgan Park returned opening kickoff 88 yards for touchdown which would have been unprecedented in Prep Bowl history. Play was called back due to holding penalty.

Morgan Park lost this season in the opening round of the 5A playoffs to Wheaton St Francis (10-3) 35-28. The Mustangs will try to rebuild around sophomore quarterback Ronald Smith who completed 16 of 26 passes for 165 yards with two second quarter touchdowns and two interceptions in fourth quarter.

 Even though Morgan Park lost the game for fourth time the Mustangs were looking forward to playing in the Prep Bowl against St. Ignatius after losing in opening round of state playoffs.

 “It's special for me and the program to be playing in the Prep Bowl,” James admitted. “To be able to take the team to the Public League championship and Prep Bowl means something to me being a former player at Morgan Park.”

Tom Zbikowski Returns to St. Patrick

By John Montgomery

Welcome back. Welcome home.

Zbikowski is BAAAAAAAACK in Chicago at St. Patrick.

Tom Zbikowski is hoping to use his life experiences on and off the field to revitalize the football program at St. Patrick High School in Chicago. He has compiled an impressive resume from his playing days at Buffalo Grove, Notre Dame and the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL. Zbikowski, who grew up wanting to be the next Mike Tyson and was even unbeaten in eight bouts as a professional boxer, also hopes to start a boxing program at St. Patrick after the football season. His next major goal is to fight actor Jake Paul.

For now, his focus is on Shamrock football after spending the last three football seasons as an assistant coach at Western Michigan and Brown.

Nobody has to remind Zbikowski that St. Patrick hasn’t won a conference championship in football since 2002. For whatever reason, the Shamrocks haven’t been able to achieve success on a consistent basis, usually with at least one team standing in the way. In basketball, it was St. Joseph. In football, it was Joliet Catholic, a 15-time state champion.

St. Patrick is best known for its success in basketball with back-to-back 500-game winning coaches Max Kurland and Mike Bailey, who guided the Shamrocks to third place in last year’s Class 3A tournament.

In football, St. Patrick overcame a 5-4 regular season in 2021 to advance to the Class 5A quarterfinals. Previously, they had won only eight games in the last three seasons. The Shamrocks have won 11 conference championships but never have won a state football title or a Prep Bowl.

St. Patrick alumni, students and fans are hoping that Zbikowski can have the same impact that former Gordon and DePaul basketball star Tom Kleinschmidt has had at DePaul Prep, which has won three state championships in a row. And former Northern Illinois University quarterback Jordan Lynch, who has guided his alma mater Mount Carmel to four state championships, including the three in a row.

Zbikowski has an interesting perspective on his first head coaching assignment.

“I didn’t come (to St. Patrick) to win a state championship but that would be nice,” he said following a recent practice session. “I don’t want to go 0-9, either. I want to win and send kids to college. I will measure my success by the number of kids who receive scholarships to play college football. That number is very important to me.”

The Shamrocks open their 2025 regular season on Friday night at Yorkville. They will entertain Elgin Larkin in their home opener at Triton College in Week 2.

Zbikowski’s new boss, St. Patrick president Dan Santucci, a former NFL player, recalls when he and Zbikowski were teammates at Notre Dame. 

“I had the privilege of having Tom has a teammate and there is no one who has played with more passion and intensity than him,” Santucci said.

“Tom’s experience at the highest level of football will be a tremendous asset to St. Patrick,” said St. Patrick athletic director Matt Reardon.

To generate more interest among alumni, St Patrick has plans to play an alumni football game at newly renovated Hanson Stadium on a yearly basis.

Meanwhile, his focus is on the 2025 season. He hired former St. Patrick quarterback Tom Barrett to run the Shamrocks’ offense and former Holy Cross football player Kevin Walz to run the defense with help from former St. Patrick coach Dan Galante, who won 77 games at the Northwest Side school.

Zbikowski said his team will throw the football while running a 4-3 defense.

“Working with Tom has been a great experience,” Barrett said. “Everybody thought we were getting this Buddy Ryan guru but he knows a lot about the game of football. He is more concerned about impacting young men.”

Zbikowski’s life in the NFL wasn't as glamorous as many people might believe with games practices and meetings every week.

“People don’t understand the loneliness of being a professional athlete,” he said. “There isn’t enough money in the world.”

And he recalls his never-to-be-forgotten experiences as a two-time All-America defensive back at Notre Dame in 2005 and 2006.

“It was more impressive that I graduated from Notre Dame,” he admitted. “I wasn’t a good student.”

For the time being, he is more anxious to prove he is a good coach. To build a successful program at St. Patrick, Zbikowski knows he must compete on and off the field against neighborhood rival DePaul Prep, which won the Class 4A football championship last year.

The Shamrocks are in the Purple Division of the newly realigned Chicago Catholic League with DePaul Prep, Benet and St. Viator. They have only four returning starters and a new quarterback in Gavin Gardner.

Competing in the Catholic League allows Zbikowski an opportunity to fulfill another dream—to play in the Prep Bowl against the Chicago Public League champion in a classic city rivalry that dates to 1934. And if he has any influence in the matter, he hopes to see the game moved back to Soldier Field.

"I would love the opportunity for our team to play in that game,"

But first is the matchup Friday night  at Yorkville. Game 1 of his new career with the Shamrocks

“I am excited about Friday night. I know my boys have worked hard,” Zbikowski said after Monday’s practice. He also was inspired by his team’s performance in a scrimmage against Hersey on August 22 that attracted a large crowd in Arlington Heights.

“That scrimmage was the most beneficial thing we have done,” he said. “I have accomplished many things in my life but having the ability to impact a young man’s life is most important.”

The first opportunity is Friday night against Yorkville.      

Photo credit: St. Patrick High School