ND Shrine Bowl Turns Rivals Into Friends

132 student-athletes were selected for this year's 45th annual Shrine game

MAYVILLE, N.D. — It’s that time of year again where the best high school football players from the state get to strap on their high school equipment one last time in the East vs. West Shrine Bowl.

132 student-athletes were selected for this year’s 45th annual Shrine game.

Of course, with exhibition games like this, players need to adjust to playing with guys they developed rivalries with across the line of scrimmage. Now, they’re all on the same team, and some are shocked at the friendships stemming from old rivals.

“Probably some of those Cavalier guys,” Cole Sorby, the former Thompson Tommie said of his biggest rivals. “We had some good run-ins in high school and you didn’t really take a liking to them too much, but now that we got a chance to know each other we’re pretty good friends.”

Former Oak Grove Grover Ben Hoggarth is now sharing the field with one of his former foes as well.

“Me and Clayton Grueneich used to butt heads in Region I all the time, so now it’s weird being on the same team and not having that animosity towards each other,” Hoggarth said.

Jamon Howard, a graduate from Fargo South, is playing with some of his old enemies too.

“Zach Murphy from Grand Forks Central,”Howard said. “When we played at their place we got into a really big argument after the game, we were yelling at each other, but now we’re total best friends and he’s a guy I can hit up after this week for sure.”

The Shrine Bowl will be played on Saturday at Shanley High School.

The 11-man game is at 4:00 p.m. The nine-man showdown, at 7:00 p.m.