Players see rewards despite loss in Shrine Bowl

CEDAR FALLS — The highlight for Creston’s all-time leading rusher didn’t come until the final two minutes of the game, but the week-long experience of the Iowa Shrine Bowl was the true reward, according to Chase Shiltz.

Shiltz a 5-foot-10, 210-pound running back for the South team in Iowa’s 45th annual all-star football game, played the second and fourth quarters for Norwalk coach Paul Patterson in the Shrine’s platoon system.

With the South trailing 30-6 after an early 16-0 deficit before Shiltz had even run a play from scrimmage, Shiltz became the South’s workhorse on a late scoring drive.

He carried 8 yards down to the North’s 1-yard line and then punched in a 1-yard TD with 1:34 left in the 30-13 loss. He finished with 29 yards on 11 carries, and totaled 22 yards on two pass receptions in the flat from former Panther nemesis Brady Brandsfield of Norwalk.

Shiltz said the late South drive was a fun way to punctuate his high school football career before reporting to Northwest Missouri State University football training camp Aug. 7 with Panther teammates Kadon Hulett and Cody Tanner.

“Going out scoring in a big game like this is always awesome,” Shiltz said after the game. “But there was a lot of effort put into that by a lot of people, so I give credit to those guys as well.”

Shiltz was originally paired in the backfield with Pella Christian quarterback David Kacmarynski, but Kacmarynski suffered a sprained elbow while being tackled early in the second period and was held out the rest of the game.

The starting running back with Brandsfield in the first and third quarters was the speedy Avery Moore of Sigourney, where he played for former Creston Panther quarterback Jared Jensen.

The North, which won a 49-35 shootout last year, went ahead 6-0 midway through the first quarter on a 3-yard rumbling run by 270-pound Ben Lingenfelter of Cherokee Washington.

Kody Case of South Central Calhoun, who ended up as the North’s Offensive MVP, got free on a 12-yard carry with 3:23 left in the first period. Ben Palmer’s kick made it a 13-0 deficit, and the South’s predicament worsened when a punt snap went through Adam Rademacher’s hands and landed on the South’s 3-yard line.

However, the South defense stiffened and held the North to a 24-yard field goal by Palmer to make it 16-0 before Shiltz and South linebacker Dante Arzani of Interstate 35 had been on the field for a play from scrimmage. (Both saw some special teams duty as well.)

Jeran Proctor of Johnston injected some life into the South sideline when he intercepted a North pass at the North 27-yard line with 6:11 left in the half. But, a lost fumble on a shotgun snap killed the momentum and led another TD by the North late in the half on a 22-yard pass from Devon Moore of Waterloo West to Case.

That sent the North into intermission with a 23-0 lead.

The South owned a 13-7 advantage in the second half, including Shiltz’s touchdown, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the early ball-control issues.

Fun experience

Arzani played inside linebacker in the second and fourth quarters for the South. He was in on three tackles that either resulted in a loss or a stop at the line of scrimmage. Arzani said he enjoyed the experience.

“I’ve never been in a game this big before,” Arzani said. “It was pretty awesome playing with a bunch of guys who are elite athletes and care about the game so much and care about this organization enough to be here.”

Coaches said this year’s game raised more than $100,000 for Shriner’s Hospitals for Children. A group of hospitalized children and their parents attended a mini-camp with the players Friday in the UNI-Dome. Also, staff from the Shriner’s Hospital in Minneapolis spoke to the all-star participants.

“Hanging out with the kids yesterday and seeing why we came here and why we raised all that money for the hospital was a highlight for me,” Arzani said.

Arzani said he is applying for a two-year mission trip for the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints. After that he hopes to attend college and play football.

“I haven’t committed anywhere yet, because I didn’t want my viewpoint to change,” Arzani said.

Likewise, Shiltz said participating in the Shrine Bowl was much more than a football game.

“Just overall, the whole week has been an amazing experience,” Shiltz said. “I really didn’t know what to expect coming into the week. I’ve talked to former people about it, and the coaches talked to us about it, but you don’t really know until you experience it. It’s a really fun week and I would definitely do it all over again.”

There were several group activities that brought both teams together during the week after their practice sessions.

“What was great was just the relationships with the coaches and the rest of my teammates, and even the North team guys,” Shiltz said. “The relationships I built this week, they are going to be friends I keep for a long time now. People I never would have met if I didn’t get invited to experience this game.”

Working with the kids and their families on Friday left an impression on Shiltz.

“It’s learning that there’s more to life,” Shiltz said. “Being able to play in this game, we’re all very grateful for that, especially after experiencing some of that (hospital youth) stuff. They would dream to have a chance to play football like this.”

Schedule change

Shrine Bowl officials said the game is scheduled to be one week earlier next year. With NCAA teams not allowed to have two-a-day preseason practices anymore, many universities opened their training camps over the weekend. Several invitees to the Shrine Bowl declined this year after being encouraged to skip the game and report to fall camp if they have a chance to play as true freshmen.

Saturday’s event was the first game played on the new turf field in the UNI-Dome. It’s much thicker with more cushion than the former playing surface. It took time or players to adjust.

“I didn’t like it at first,” Shiltz said. “It doesn’t have the rubber material in it for a grip, and I had my cleats on at the first practice and was slipping all over the place. I wore tennis shoes all week after that and it was a lot better.”

Shiltz is not likely to carry the ball in a game in the near future. He said the Northwest Missouri State coaching staff plans to redshirt all three incoming freshmen from Creston. Eventually, Shiltz is projected to play a running back that serves as a receiver out of the backfield in the mold of current Bearcat starter Jordan Grove of ADM.

Like Shiltz, Grove is a hard-nosed former wrestler and Tiger running back who has found his niche in the Bearcats’ Division II championship scheme.

“I’m excited,” Shiltz said. “It’s getting close for sure!”