The Bobcat Nation

Quarterbacks

Selections

East: Joe Byorth (Billings Central) - 6'3", 185 lbs.
East: Mitchell Norslien (Lewistown) - 6'2", 185 lbs.
West: Rylan Ortt (Missoula Sentinel) - 6'1", 185 lbs.
West: Jaden MacNeil (Kalispell Flathead) - 5'9", 165 lbs.
West: Ty McGurran (Helena High) - 5'8", 175 lbs.

ADVANTAGE:

Two Class A kids highlight the East squad with Mitchell Norslien Joe Byorth. Mitchell started for the Fergus County Golden Eagles all four years of high school and racked up multiple All-State nods along the way. Joe was the steady signal-caller of the 2019 State A champion Billings Central Rams. Norslien is the better dual-threat QB of the two while Joe has better pocket awareness with an accurate arm. Both will give the East plenty of opportunities to succeed. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Ryder Meyer get sprinkled in at QB somehow on Saturday.

The West features three AA kids in Ortt, MacNeil, and McGurran. Ortt will likely start and rightfully so as he's the best overall QB of the three. The West can run a lot of different stuff because of the versatility of these three QBs. Jaden MacNeil is basically a RB playing QB and is 100% dangerous running the football. Both Ortt and McGurran work well outside of the pocket so the East linebackers and secondary will be running around a lot on Saturday.

Blake Thelen and Kris Brown were the original East selections but both played and starred in the Badlands Bowl so they sat this one out. Of the five QBs listed, three made my Top 50 (Norslien, Ortt, and MacNeil). Byorth and McGurran were also very steady players their senior years and were big reasons for their teams success in 2019. That being said, I give the position nod to the West in this one due to their scary dual-threat ability which will put a lot of pressure on the East defense.

Advantage: West

Running Backs

Selections

East: Riley Dickinson (Great Falls Central Catholic) - 6'1", 185 lbs.
East: Andrew Lopez (Malta) - 5'10", 200 lbs.
East: Jack Studer (Billings Central) - 5'0", 180 lbs.
West: Preston Blain (Kalispell Glacier) - 5'10", 190 lbs.
West: Blake Counts (Kalispell Flathead) - 5'11", 205 lbs.
West: Colten McPhee (Columbia Falls) - 5'10", 200 lbs.


ADVANTAGE:

The East RB's will feature zero AA players as the ball carriers hale from the A, B, and C (8-man) classification. Studer was part of a two-headed monster at RB for Billings Central as he and Duncan Kraft (playing in the secondary in this game) each ran for over 1,300 yards and 18 touchdowns. Lopez is a battering ram runner who will bring a good mix of physicality and athleticism to the East backfield. Dickinson was a star RB/MLB for 8-Man runner-up Great Falls Central this past fall. Riley provides the best versatility of the three as he lined up outside as a receiver a lot for GFCC.

The West features the all-time, single-season rushing record holder in Blake Counts as well as fellow Flathead Lake area runners Preston Blain and Colten McPhee. Counts will start and viewers will get to see his talent on display immediately. Blain was actually Blake's Badlands Bowl alternate as Counts chose to only play in this game. Preston went on to play the whole game as Joe Olson tore his ACL in the first quarter of the Badlands game this past June. Finally, after the East defense attempts to slow down Counts and Blain, they have to take on Mr. McPhee who is no slouch in the physicality department. He runs angry and he only has one speed. I felt Colten was VERY slighted by the Badlands Bowl selection committee (the coaches of the game choose the roster) so I'm glad he gets to let it loose in the Shrine game.

For further info, you can see scouting reports on all three of the West kids along with Riley Dickinson of the East in my Top 50 rankings. Lopez and Studer come from run-heavy programs so they will challenge the West's front seven immediately. Unfortunately, the West has a wealth of talent in their backfield with the trio they will run out there.

Advantage: West

Wide Receivers

Selections

East: Wyatt Brusven (Shelby) - 6'0", 180 lbs.
East: Dawson Allen (Fairfield) - 6'2", 180 lbs.
East: Brant Bremmer (Browning) - 5'10", 180 lbs.
East: Ryan Simpson (Bozeman) - 6'6", 190 lbs.
East: Kyle Torgerson (Great Falls High) - 5'10", 160 lbs.
West: Anders Epperly (Bigfork) - 5'11", 180 lbs.
West: Anthony Jones (Kalispell Flathead) - 6'1", 200 lbs.
West: Camron Rothie (Hamilton) - 5'9", 150 lbs.
West: Cooper Waters (Missoula Loyola) - 6'5", 185 lbs.

ADVANTAGE:

Brusven was actually selected as a "specialist" for the East as he is an excellent kicker. But I included him on the WR list as I didn't think the East would only run with three players at the position. I also think Kyle Torgerson is going to play both ways in this game. The rest of the East includes kids from AA (Simpson), A (Bremmer), and Allen (Fairfield). Simpson is the obvious star of the East group. Bremmer will operate from the slot most likely as he is the shiftiest of the four. Also, its pretty cool Browning has had Shrine Game participants at WR in back to back years. Cool deal and a testament to those kids buying into football. Dawson Allen is the most intriguing player on the whole East roster in my opinion as he brings a solid mix of athleticism, speed, and toughness to the WR position. I wouldn't be surprised if he did some big things in this game.

The West features a two-time 1st-team AA All-State WR in Anthony Jones. Like Allen above, Anthony has that three tool mix at the WR position. Cam Rothie was a star performer of the Badlands Bowl out of the slot and he should continue to do damage from there in this game. The West list is rounded out by Cooper Waters of Missoula Loyola and Anders Epperly of Bigfork. Waters is similar to Ryan Simpson in playing style and stature. Epperly was a QB for Bigfork during his senior season but played WR off and on throughout high school so he should mix in just fine.

It is crazy how eerily similar both groups are as each kid has a counterpart on the opposite roster. Allen, Simpson, and Jones are all featured in my Top 50 while Waters and Rothie were part of my "first five out" list. If Jesse Owens suited up for the East, they would be favored but he declined after his Badlands Bowl performance (and the fact Hauck only lets his recruits play in one all-star game). Overall, I really don't see any clear advantage on either side.

Advantage: Even

Tight Ends

Selections

East: Logan Kennedy (Laurel) - 6'2", 215 lbs.
West: Dillon Botner (Whitefish) - 6'6", 240 lbs.
West: Brock Field (Missoula Sentinel) - 6'2", 220 lbs.

ADVANTAGE:

Logan Kennedy of Laurel is probably the "best player out of Montana you don't know about" as he has raw athleticism for a big dude. I was surprised he wasn't more highly coveted by the Cats or Griz but maybe I missed something in the eval. Anyway, Kennedy can line up about anywhere so he will be a key cog in what the East does on offense.

Botner will is a raw talent with enticing size which factored heavily into his recruitment by the Griz. He will develop as a tackle for UM but will line up at TE for the West squad. His fellow TE will be Brock Cantrell-Field of Missoula Sentinel. Brock is versatile like Kennedy and plays with a ton of passion. He's a solid receiver but his best attribute is his blocking and, in my opinion, is the best blocking receiver on the field for either team.

All three of these kids made my Top 50. Botner and Field will be important for the West but Kennedy can level the playing field with the ball in his hands. My #1 player in 2019, Ryan Lonergan, declined to play in both All-Star games this summer but, Despite being the only TE, Kennedy still tips the scale to the East in this matchup.

Advantage: East

Offensive Tackles

Selections

East: Mavrick McKinlay (Geraldine) - 6'3", 260 lbs.
East: Kobe Nelson (Billings West) - 6'4", 250 lbs.
East: Spencer Warren (Bozeman) - 6'0", 225 lbs.
West: Holden Sampson (Helena High) - 6'3", 260 lbs.
West: Andrew Siderius (Kalispell Flathead) - 6'4", 250 lbs.
West: Christian Unger (Missoula Big Sky) - 6'2", 210 lbs.

ADVANTAGE:

The East tackles will feature two AA players and...a 6-man player! 1st-Team AA All-State tackles Kobe Nelson and Spencer Warren were easy choices to start in this game. But the player I want to watch is McKinlay. Big men usually don't factor in very well to the 6-man game as power running isn't the go-to offense this day and age. But don't tell that to the Geraldine/Highwood co-op. McKinlay was the second coming of Jim Kliensasser during his playing career as he toted the rock a bunch on his way to multiple All-State selections. However, he will get to show off his skill set on the offensive line for the East.

I was unsure if Holden Sampson would play in this game after participating in the Badlands Bowl but he was selected as a West captain and will anchor the offensive line. He's joined by fellow 1st-Team All-State tackle Andrew Siderius who was an original Badlands Bowl selection but chose to only play in this game. Rounding out the West tackles is Christian Unger of Missoula Big Sky.

Nathan Zard of Roundup was also selected to play at tackle for the East but he wasn't on the final roster. Also, Unger replaced Riley Allen of Drummond/Philipsburg for the West. Anyway, the three East tackles have a good blend of size and athleticism led by Nelson, who was a Top 50 player for me. McKinlay should perform well in the run game as its easier to transition to 11-man through the run game. But if I had to build an offensive line out of the 2019 Montana kids, I would choose Holden Sampson at left tackle and Andrew Siderius at right tackle. Then I would have Nelson back up Sampson and Warren back up Siderius.

Advantage: West

Offensive Guards

Selections

East: Mason Harrison (Lewistown) - 5'11", 250 lbs.
East: Keegan Mires (Glendive) - 6'0", 275 lbs.
East: Connor Paul (Billings West) - 6'1", 250 lbs.
West: Gage Karlin (Columbia Falls) - 6'2", 305 lbs.
West: Sebastian Koch (Kalispell Flathead) - 6'3", 250 lbs.
West: Tyler Walker (Dillon) - 6'0", 230 lbs.

ADVANTAGE:

Connor Paul played DT in the Badlands Bowl and the roster slates him at DT for this game. But I only noticed two guards listed on the East roster so I decided to throw Connor into the equation. Paul would 100% be the best interior lineman of either team if he plays on the offensive side of the ball. His East teammates lining up on the inside will be two Class A All-Staters in Mason Harrison of Lewistown and Keegan Mires of Glendive. The original guard selections included Marcus Wehr and Sam Gray of Billings Central along with Mires. But Wehr and Gray declined to play after playing in the Badlands Bow. If the group ends up being just Mires and Harrison, the East interior should be solid as both our stout athletes.

The West features a Badlands Bowl participant in Sebastian Koch of Kalispell Flathead as well as Gage Karlin of Columbia Falls and Tyler Walker of Dillon. I believe Gage is the largest player lining up for either squad on Saturday. Karlin is a mauler in the run game. Walker is the lightest of the interior group but a strong kid and good athlete. Koch can also play some tackle if needed.

I like the West guards better than the East...if Paul doesn't play on offense. However, the East interior defensive line is very stout along with a great group of middle linebackers. The interior of the West offensive line will have to come to play. I like the East's matchup against the West interior defensive line and middle linebackers better than the West's. Not saying the West defensive line and middle backers aren't good because they are. However, factoring in that Maverick Roberts will be manning the center position, I like the East's matchup better than the West.

Advantage: East

Centers

Selections

East: Maverick Roberts (Billings Central) - 6'0", 240 lbs.
East: Walker Heckman (Fairfield) - 6'1", 270 lbs.
West: Logan Gilliard (Bigfork) - 6'3", 255 lbs.
West: Keegan Wold (Whitefish) - 6'1", 250 lbs.

ADVANTAGE:

Justus Perkins of Bozeman and Maverick Roberts of Billings Central were the center selections for the Badlands Bowl while also being the original selections for the East in the Shrine game. Justus declined to play in this game so Maverick was the lone selection listed on the final roster. However, Walker Heckman played center for Fairfield during his career and I wouldn't be surprised to see him spell Maverick at center (despite his # being 99 for this game). If it is just Maverick, the East will be in good hands as Maverick was my #2 center in the state in 2019.

Keegan Wold of Whitefish and Logan Gilliard of Bigfork will rotate in at center for the West squad. Gilliard played about every position on the offensive line while also being a star defensive lineman and linebacker during high school for the Vikings. Wold had a standout senior season as a center and defensive tackle who displays similar traits to Maverick Roberts. Gilliard can also handle long snapping duties for the West.

Gilliard and Roberts made my Top 50 while Wold wasn't far behind. Logan gives the West a bunch of versatility as he can play any position on the offensive line. Wold and Maverick are almost a wash in terms of talent but Maverick has a bit more talent in the run game. Overall, I'm a big fan of Maverick as a center and I like his matchup with the interior players of the West.

Advantage: East

Specialists

Selections

East: Wyatt Brusven (Shelby) - 6'0", 180 lbs. - Specialist/Kicker
West: Carver Gilman (Whitefish) - 5'10", 175 lbs. - Kicker
West: Clay Fisher (Butte Central) - 5'10", 170 lbs. - Specialist

ADVANTAGE:

Wyatt has a boot and can also give the East some versatility on offense and defensive in a bunch of spots.

Carver signed with the Griz as a kicker while Clay will give position versatility on offense and defense like Wyatt.

Kicking was very important in last year's game as Westby/Grenora's Jeremiah Paine kicked the game winner for the East. Overall, I got to give the nod to the college kicker in Gilman.

Advantage: West