North claims victory at annual Shrine Bowl

The 52nd annual Shrine Bowl all-star football game proved to be an exciting one in Casper on Saturday as the North claimed a 34-28 victory over the South. Overall, the North leads the series with a record of 28-20-3.

The North jumped out to an early lead before the South climbed back into the game and put the North on their heels. At the end of the first quarter, the North held a 14-0 lead before the South answered back with a touchdown pass of their own to make it 14-7.

After a couple of field goals, including a Shrine Bowl record 51-yarder, the North went into halftime with the score of 20-7.

In the third quarter, Lovell Bulldogs quarterback Davin Crosby threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to allow the North to take a 20-point lead at 27-7 before the South answered with a long touchdown pass of their own to make it 27-14.

After a long lightning delay in the fourth quarter, the North had a 73-yard run down the sideline to give them a 34-21 cushion. Although the South scored another touchdown to make it 34-28, the North recovered the onside kick to seal the victory and claim the trophy for the second straight year.

Lovell head coach Nicc Crosby was selected to lead the North squad and assisting him were AJ Montanez of Lovell and Jessee Wilson of Rocky Mountain High School. On the team were Bulldog captains Davin Crosby and Braxton Felkins.

COACH CROSBY

“It was great to learn so much from all of the other people on the staff,” Crosby said. “I was really pleased with how we gelled together as a staff and how we were able to get the players to buy in to what we said and be united.”

Crosby thought the experience would be more stressful as the head coach but credited his assistants and staff in taking on many responsibilities that allowed him to enjoy the pressure. 

“I spent a lot more time just laughing and having fun,” he said. “We found a good balance between football and team building. It was a really fun group of athletes, and I had a great time with them.”

He also said that one of the most memorable parts of the week was the opportunity to meet the Shrine patients, be inspired by their stories and perseverance and meet their parents who have such great attitudes and take the challenges that their kids have, doing the best they can to give their kids the best opportunities to overcome the challenges and be happy and successful.

“It was such an inspiration to me,” he said. “It is amazing what the Shriners do and make this event for such a great cause.”

Crosby was grateful to share the experience with Coach Montanez, saying, “I don’t know the last time, or if ever, that two Lovell coaches were coaching together in the Shrine Bowl, and to cap it off with the win is a really good sign for our program.”

He was also proud of his two Bulldog players’ performances, noting that they already knew a lot of their offensive sets and were able to run them effectively and help their teammates along.

“I think sometimes our 2A players sell themselves short, but Davin and Braxton didn’t just hang with the other guys, they were standout players in the game, and both made key plays and had a tremendous impact and showed good leadership,” he said.

“It was an honor to be able to coach those guys one more time, and I hope it is something that they will never forget,” he added. “I know it is something I will never forget.”

DAVIN CROSBY

For Davin, the most memorable experience to him at the Shrine Bowl was meeting the patients from the Shriners hospital. He recalled meeting a 4-year-old boy named Otto that had been through many struggles in his short lifetime.

“He was born with many physical deformities, and doctors have been performing surgeries on him to correct them,” he said. “Although it was sad to see and a lot of things were hard for him, you could tell that he was still such a happy kid.”

The young boy’s father thanked the players for participating in the game and said it was because of them that his son is where he is and could possibly be able to walk, when doctors had told them that day would probably never come.

“He took his first steps shortly before this,” Crosby said. “It was so inspiring and knowing that us being there and playing a football game could make a difference. It was such a somber, yet awesome feeling.”

He also considers getting to go out and play one more football game for his dad and end his career with a win as a blessing.

“It was a great week that I was able to spend with my dad. We did so many fun things, and I made great bonds with all of my teammates,” he said. “It is an awesome feeling to compete against the best players that Wyoming has to offer, and taking home the win was an amazing experience.

“It was great that my dad and I got to share doing something we both have loved doing for so long one more time, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

BRAXTON FELKINS

Lovell’s Braxton Felkins was grateful to be selected to play in the Shrine Bowl, noting that it was something he strived for since he was a little kid attending LHS football games.

“It was such a fun experience and was humbling to hear the stories of the Shriner kids and what they had to go through and were currently going through to get to where they are,” he said. “My favorite parts of the event were meeting all of my teammates and coaches. They are all great people.”

While meeting new friends and making fun memories with them was memorable, he said that the victory tasted the sweetest.

“My favorite part by far, though, was beating the South,” he exclaimed. “I am so honored that I was able to play football one last time and that it was for such a great cause.”

AJ MONTANEZ

“What an honor it was to have the opportunity to coach such a special group of young men,” Coach Montanez said. “It was evident early on that, to those kids, this was more than just an all-star game. I can’t thank the Shriners enough for everything they do to keep this game going.”

Montanez said getting to meet the ambassadors for the Shriners children’s hospital really put in perspective what this game is all about. He said the kids that they got to talk to did a great job of articulating how special this game is to them and how it helps raise money for other kids in similar circumstances. 

“Our success on the field was not just the result of a group of great athletes and great coaches, but a result of the bond that the players developed within the week we spent in Casper,” he said. “Coach Crosby did an excellent job of bringing everyone together, and I couldn’t be prouder of our team. Go North!”

JESSEE WILSON

“I had a blast working with our guys at the Shrine Bowl,” Rocky Mountain High School head coach Jessee Wilson said. “Our kids came together as a team, which was one of our priorities as a coaching staff. It allowed them to rally and get a great team win.” 

Wilson said that the coaching staff was fun to work with and noted how special it was that five of the six coaches on the staff were from the Big Horn Basin.

“I think that goes to show that there are some really high-quality coaches working here in the Basin,” Wilson said. “I appreciate Coach Crosby for recognizing that and assembling this staff and for allowing me to be part of it.”

“Finally, I think that the Shrine Bowl gave me a greater perspective of what the Shriners do and the real objective of the Shrine Bowl,” he said. “Obviously, we want to recognize and celebrate kids with tremendous character and athletic ability, however, after meeting with the Shriners patients on Monday, I think our team recognized that this game really celebrates the success stories of the children from the Shriners hospital and the funds generated allow children with complex medical issues to receive care at zero cost to them.”

Wilson noted that Wyoming nationally raises the sixth most amount of money for the Shriners hospital annually and that this game is a big part of that fundraising effort.

“It was so inspiring to watch our kids conceptualize that this game is much more than a game and rally behind it,” he said.