🏈 West holds off late East rally for another Shrine Bowl victory

Hays Post

HAYS – The West team forced a pair of first half turnovers and then held on down the stretch as they claimed their fourth win in the last five years over the East, 21-20 in the 50th Kansas Shrine Bowl Football game Saturday at Lewis Field in Hays.

West Head Coach Tony Crough

Both offenses were able to drive the field in their first possession but eventually stalled in their opponent’s territory.

On the West second possession of the game they drove down the field and scored on a one-yard touchdown run by Salina Central's Kenyon McMillian giving the West a 7-0 lead after the extra point.

The East fumbled the ball inside the West 20 yard-line on their next drive but the West was forced to punt.

On the East’s third possession Hays High's Evan Lind picked off a deflected pass and returned the ball to the East 20 yard-line and on the next play Manhattan's Keenan Schartz found Circle's Ty Smith for a 20 yard touchdown putting the West up 14-0 after the PAT.

“I saw where the ball was going,” Lind said. “Riley (Marx) was right in the lane, and it just bounced off his chest and I was right there.”

Evan Lind

West Head Coach Tony Crough said Lind did the same thing during the high school season last fall.

“Evan, I mean that's what he did,” Crough said. “He's just kind of a ball magnet. You know he got his opportunity and went and took advantage of it.”

The West forced one more turnover, a third quarter interception, something Crough said they knew they were going to have to do.

“We knew we're gonna have to get some turnovers and takeaways,” Crough said. “We knew that if they got the run game going that it can be trouble.”

With the West leading 14-0 the East finally broke on to the scoreboard with just over a minute left in the first half on an 11-yard touchdown pass from St. Marys' Keller Hurla to Shawnee Mission Northwest's Malik O’Atis but the two-point attempt was no good and the West took a 14-6 lead into halftime.

The third turnover of the game, an interception by the West’s Jalen Rice (El Dorado) again, led to a short touchdown drive that was capped off by a two-yard touchdown run by Schartz putting the West on top 21-6 with just over three minutes to play in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter East quarterback Keller Hurla found tight end Luke Niggeman from Girard on a two-yard touchdown pass with just less than nine minutes to play cutting the West lead to 21-14 after the 2-point conversion. Then after a West punt, East running back Eric Bulter of Olathe Northwest capped off another long drive with a two-yard touchdown run making 21-20.

The East elected to go for two and the lead with just over five minutes to play but Hurla’s pass was incomplete.

After the West turned the ball over on downs, near midfield, with just over three minutes to play the East had chance to put together a game-winning drive but the West defense held on downs to get the ball back and second the win for the West.

Bryce Salmans

Manhattan's Keenan Shartz was named the West MVP. He was 16-of-18 passing for 124 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a touchdown.

St. Marys' Keller Hurla was the East MVP. He threw for 103 yards and two touchdowns.

The West has won four of the last five Shrine Bowl games with the 2022 game ending in a tie.

The 2024 Shrine Bowl will be played in Emporia.