Stortz will report to Conant

Bryan Stortz will be Conant's football head coach in the 2017 season.

Stortz most recently was football coach and athletic director at Rock Island High School. He led the Rocks to the Class 6A quarterfinals this fall and finished with a 34-18 record at Rock Island.

Prior to that, Stortz had a run of high-achieving teams at Lake Zurich.

The Bears were the 2007 state champs and twice finished as state runners-up as Stortz's teams had a combined record of 62-16 over six seasons.

Before last fall's season, coach Bill Modelski had announced it would be his last of 12 as Conant's head coach. The Cougars were winless, but the prior year Conant was a playoff qualifier and the team earned a total of five playoff trips in Modelski's tenure.

"Coach Stortz is a proven winner," said Conant Principal Julie Nowak. "Whether it's on the football field, in the classroom, or in life, he has a passion for helping students achieve their goals and inspiring them to be successful. He's the kind of person you want leading your football program, and I'm thrilled to have him returning to the northwest suburbs as a Cougar."