Rejuvenated Bishop McNamara determined to end playoff skid

Commuters who have driven through the western portion of Brookmont Boulevard in Kankakee have been able to note the seemingly constant progress being made on construction of the new Rich Zinanni Stadium, the home of Bishop McNamara football.

Meanwhile, the program itself has been doing the same.

There’s never been a class of football players to graduate from Bishop McNamara without the program making at least one playoff appearance. With that streak in jeopardy after the Fightin’ Irish missed a third straight postseason for the first time ever last fall, the Class of 2026 plans on keeping that proud tradition alive.

“The tradition has been winning in the past, and it hasn’t been for the past couple years,” senior quarterback/wide receiver/safety Karter Krutsinger said. “But I think we can turn it around and start our own tradition.”

Following the retirement of five-time state champion head coach Rich Zinanni after the 2021 season, the Irish have gone 11-16 the past three seasons. They made a coaching change over the offseason, as Greg Youngblood becomes the fourth head coach since Zinanni’s retirement – Alan Rood left to create St. Anne’s eight-man program before coaching a game, Shawn Lade served as the interim coach for the 2022 season before Bob Kelly was hired and coached the team for two years.

That instability at the top of the program is something Youngblood – last year’s defensive coordinator and the former defensive coordinator at Olivet Nazarene University – said probably contributed to the first three-year playoff drought in school history. That’s also why he wouldn’t blame his players for being skeptical under yet another new coach, but he’s seen quite the opposite over the summer.

“They’ve bought in,” Youngblood said. “Anytime there’s changes to staff, personnel, whatever, we want the kids to buy in. No matter what you do, if they don’t buy in it won’t work. I’ve tried to create an atmosphere where they understand my expectations and what I want, but to also get feedback.”

That dedication has included 6 a.m. summer camp that consists of the weight and film rooms at least just as much as the practice field. Once camp ends for the day, Krutsinger and senior running back/linebacker Jordan Callaway both said the team will get together on their own time, whether that’s more time in the gym or working on their routes.

And that extra work has been made evident to Youngblood and his staff as they’ve noticed the offseason growth. There are plenty of pieces in place, as they return a dozen players that started on at least one side of the ball last year, as well as Krutsinger, who suffered a season-ending injury Week 1.

The combination of skill and passion Youngblood has seen is a concoction that can lead to a successful season in a Chicagoland Christian Conference that features defending Class 2A state champion Chicago Christian and other successful programs such as Wheaton Academy, Hope Academy and Aurora Christian.

“We’ve got kids with ability, which is always good,” Youngblood said. “We have good senior leadership, and that’s the ceiling. Talent can go a long way, but you have to have culture and leadership, and if you have those, you have a chance for the talent to fulfill what they’re capable of.”

Youngblood has used the process of writing a book for the team’s season. As summer camp winds down, the Irish are finishing their second chapter. By the time they write the last chapter, they expect to at least snap their playoff drought, even if others don’t.

“It would be amazing because right now there are a lot of people talking down on us, looking at us like underdogs,” Callaway said. “I think this is the season for us to show Mac is back. We’re ready. I think we got way better in the past year, and it’s for the younger guys, as well. We want to set that standard so they can follow that.”