DuPage County All-Area captain Abrams throws for over 4,000 yards, leads Montini to second straight state title

Montini’s Israel Abrams possesses all the necessary qualities to be a successful quarterback — arm strength, quick feet, pocket awareness, leadership, competitive fire.

Above all, Abrams knows how to win.

Abrams, who helped lead the Broncos to the Class 3A state title as a sophomore last season, doubled his pleasure as a junior this past fall.

Known as ‘Izzy’ by his coaches and teammates, Abrams enjoyed a spectacular season for the Broncos, who moved up a class and captured the 4A state championship with a 47-33 victory over perennial powerhouse Rochester last weekend at Illinois State University’s Hancock Stadium in Normal.

For his efforts, Abrams has been selected as the Daily Herald’s 2025 DuPage All-Area football captain.

Abrams completed 20 of 30 for 418 yards and 4 touchdowns while also rushing for 46 yards and a touchdown in the title game against Rochester.

It didn’t come easy, however, as Abrams threw a pair of interceptions, including a pick-6 that cut what once was a 3-touchdown lead into a 1-possession game.

Then, faced with a 3rd-and-19 situation near his own end zone, Abrams came up with one of the game’s key plays, completing a 32-yard pass to Damacio Ortegon for a first down.

Following another 36-yard strike to Ortegon, Charles Flowers’ 24-yard touchdown run extended the Broncos’ margin to 40-26 with 9 ½ minutes remaining.

“Izzy showed his true mettle on that drive,” said Broncos coach Mike Bukovsky, who guided the program to back-to-back state titles for the first time since legendary coach Chris Andriano did it in 2012 and 2013.

“He’s human. He made a couple of errant throws, including the pick-6 — things that every quarterback has gone through. It’s how you respond after that that matters most. Things looked bleak after three quarters, and then he delivers a missile to Damacio (Ortegon) on third down.”

Abrams helped seal the deal on a 2-yard touchdown run with 4:28 left.

His final season statistics were Madden-like.

The 6-foot-4, 190-pounder completed 233 of 340 passes for 4,072 yards and 40 touchdowns with 6 interceptions. On the ground, he added 404 yards on 82 carries with 10 touchdowns.

Abrams accounted for — yes, that’s right — 50 touchdowns this season, as the Broncos posted their second-ever unbeaten record (14-0).

“I don’t think I surprised myself,” said Abrams. “I worked my butt off in the offseason — and got the reward.”

A year ago, Abrams earned the starting quarterback job early in the season after the Broncos split their first 4 games with back-to-back losses to Marist (21-6) and Fenwick (14-10).

“He alternated with a senior (Gaetano Carbonara) the first four games last season,” said Bukovsky. “At that point, we decided what was best for our team.”

Montini finished the 2024 campaign with a 10-game winning streak, capped by its 49-8 Class 3A title victory over Monticello.

“The best part about it was that Gaetano and Izzy became friends,” said Bukovsky. “Gaetano helped Izzy, and Izzy handled it all with grace.”

Since taking over the starting job in Week 5 of the 2024 season, Abrams has guided the Broncos to 24 consecutive victories.

“He was still finding his way last year, but he handled the pressure well,” said the coach. “He went from becoming a reason why our offense was dynamic last season to the reason why our offense was dynamic this season.

“He took a big step.”

The addition of offensive coordinator Charlie Bliss helped the Broncos’ offense expand, as receivers Ortegon (1,170 yards), Nico Castaldo (1,031 yards), Luca Florio (867 yards), and tailback Isaac Alexander (567 yards) accounted for more than 3,600 yards receiving.

“Our offense expanded,” said Bukovsky. “Izzy developed a great relationship with Charlie (Bliss). He was challenged, and he got better every week. “

“Winning the state title is more important to me this season because I contributed more,” said Abrams.

Another memorable moment came in Week 6 when the Broncos traveled to Mundelein and outlasted Carmel, 55-54, as Abrams and Corsairs junior quarterback Trae Taylor combined for more than 1,000 passing yards.

“That was crazy,” said Abrams, who passed for 572 yards and a pair of 90-yard touchdowns.

Abrams’ arm strength immediately caught Bukovsky’s attention upon his arrival at Montini as a sophomore.

“His arm strength is something I’ve never seen in my 36 years of coaching high school football,” said the coach.

Abrams, who played basketball, baseball, and soccer, and ran track as a youth, identified football as his go-to sport as a seventh-grader.

He comes from a sports family background, as his mom played basketball in high school and at Iowa State, while his dad played baseball and basketball in high school and college. His brother played basketball and football as a tackle.

His competitive juices flow rapidly.

“We had very competitive practices this year,” said Bukovsky. “Izzy wanted one more competitive practice against the defense on Thanksgiving, but we decided to scale it down. I could tell he was upset.”

“I’m always ready to compete,” said Abrams. “It was a challenge to practice against our defense.”

Abrams, who is being recruited by several Power Four colleges, is already looking forward to his senior season — and a chance for a 3-peat.

“The only way to go is up,” he said.

“Izzy has already shattered all of our passing records,” said Bukovsky. “He has won two state titles and 24 straight games — with another season remaining.

“He’s in elite company.”