On Saturday, the 61st annual Nebraska Shrine Bowl was held in Kearney. It was a beautiful June day for football. The North team took home the victory, winning 32-10. I thought the game was closer than the final score indicated but we got to see a lot of great action from the state’s top high school football players.
Here are five thoughts on the game.
Snodgrass Last Dance
Saturday’s game was the last time that York coach Glen Snodgrass will coach his son Garrett in a football game. It was a special day for the family that they will surely remember even though their team didn’t come out on top. In the second half of the game, we got to see some of Snodgrass in the wildcat which was a nice throwback to his York playing days. On defense, Snodgrass finished with seven tackles. Now he will return to Lincoln to resume summer workouts with the Huskers.
Braden Sellon and Alex Rogers Were Standouts
Alex Rogers, the two-way standout from Omaha Roncali had himself a day on offense for the North team. Rogers racked up 78 rushing yards, 43 receiving yards and had a touchdown to take home the offensive player of the game award. Braden Sellon, the linebacker from Lincoln East took home the defensive player of the game award tallying eight solo tackles.
North Dominated Line of Scrimmage
One of the surprises of the day was that the North team dominated in the trenches on both sides of the football. A good rule of thumb in these all-star games is go with the team that has the better line play to win. On paper that was the South team considering they had multiple future Husker walk-ons on the roster but the North team was ready for the challenge and played well. Especially on defense where it held the South team to just 97 total rushing yards on the day.
Remember the Names Cooper Jewett and Luke Reimer
If you make me pick just two Husker walk-ons that played in the game to mark for the future, I’m talking Jewett and Reimer. Both players made significant impact on the game. Jewett looked like one of the best athletes on the field and made plays on offense with two touchdowns but also played well on defense in the secondary. Reimer looks like a Division I football player and moves very well at linebacker. Seeing their college careers unfold will be fun.
Strong Husker Flavor
Sellon, Snodgrass, Jewett and Reimer were mentioned above and were just a few of the future Huskers participating in Saturday’s contest. Nick Leader made some nice plays in the game, none bigger than his sack in the first quarter. In total, there were 14 future Huskers in the game including one scholarship player, Snodgrass. Past walk-on classes tell us that at least one of the players we saw in Kearney on Saturday will become a name to know in the future.
Greg is the Recruiting Analyst for Hail Varsity and has covered Husker athletics since 2013. He has always had a passion for sports while growing up in the Chicago area. As he got older and had to hang up his cleats and sneakers, he realized his passion for sports went beyond just watching and attending games. He has covered many events from the Rose Bowl to championship boxing matches. If he’s not talking sports, he’s hovering over his grill. He is married to an amazing woman, Kim, and they have a dog that barks when Greg yells at the TV during games.
