On any Friday night game for the Richmond Hill Wildcats, there is one young man that is hard to not keep your focus on, and that is senior playmaker Nick Bliss. He is an athlete that can truly do it all for the Wildcats, and is heavily leaned on to get the offense moving in times of need.
Bliss currently leads the team in receiving yards per game, with 50 per contest, as well as being second on the team in rushing yards per game with 43 per outing. He sits atop the team list in total touchdowns with 17 on the year, including 4 receiving touchdowns, 11 rushing touchdowns and 2 more on special teams. His 17 touchdowns rank him at 20 in the state and 2 in all of 7A football. He is also leaned on to play quarterback at times. To say he is key to the offense may be an understatement.
“This young man epitomizes what you want in a player,” head football coach Matthew LeZotte said. “He can do everything that you need him to do. He just quietly shows up and works hard. He asks us great questions as a staff, and then he takes those answers and he grows and builds from it. Could not be more proud of a young man in our program.”
Born in Atlanta, Bliss moved to Richmond Hill in elementary school and has not looked back. “I first started playing football when I was six years old,” Bliss said. “It is something that I enjoy doing and I feel I do well at.”
Back in his elementary school days, Bliss got his first taste of playing football for the Richmond Hill Recreation Center Seahawks, and then moved on to playing for the travel ball football team, the Wildcats, and has been a part of the Wildcats ever since the fourth grade.
While Bliss plays all over the field on offense, he is also the team’s punt returner and kick returner. The senior enjoys his role on the team, but says one position stands out to him the most. “I would say that wideout is my favorite position to play,” Bliss said. ”It is such a fun position and I feel the most comfortable there. I like tailback too, because I am able to get some easy touches and run behind our great offensive line. But wideout is the best one for me.”
The talented senior athlete currently holds three offers, including a Division I offer to Marist College out of New York. “I would love to continue my playing career at the next level, if that comes,” Bliss said. “I want to study in the sports medicine field so that I can stay around the sport. I would gladly do that, while also playing football, but if that does not happen, I will continue with that degree. I want to be in a field that allows me to stay around the sport and the game I love. No matter where I end up, I will continue to cheer on the Wildcats!”
Bliss and the Wildcats play host to Lowndes on Friday, 10/27 at Wildcats Stadium. Kickoff is at 7:30pm.