BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
PITTSBURG — The East Shrine Bowl football team outplayed and outcoached the West team for a 21-0 halftime lead.
The East held off the West second-half rally for a 21-14 victory in Saturday’s 45th annual Kansas Shrine Bowl Football Game.
The East secured the victory after punter Jack Blumer of Marysville pinned the West at its own 1-yard line in the fourth quarter.
In the first half, the East forced a loss on a West fourth down and converted an easy first down on a 35-yard pass completion from punt formation.
The East converted three first-half drives into three touchdowns for a 21-0 halftime lead. East quarterback Chase Curtis (Pittsburg) converted fourth-down passes to Jack Petz (St. James) and Dexton Swinehart (Lyndon) on a 50-yard scoring drive.
Petz, Tristan Davis (St. Thomas Aquinas) and Jack Blumer (Marysville) converted first-half touchdowns. The East’s second scoring drive covered 83 yards.
The West’s defense was totally fooled and ill prepared for a 35-yard completion from Blumer to Jackson Keith (Blue Valley Northwest) from punt formation on fourth down. Blumer scored a touchdown with 14 seconds left in the first half.
After trailing 21-0, the West scored a second-half touchdown.
Great Bend left tackle Aaron Clark and Plainville’s Hayden Gillum, headed for Kansas State, paved the way for a 2-yard TD by Jarrett Jurgens (Scott City) for the West’s second-half touchdown. Wichita Northwest’s Garrett Bridwell forced a fumble that Manhattan’s Nick Grubbs recovered.
Goddard quarterback Blake Sullivan completed a 37-yard pass to Goodland’s Levi Archer, headed for Kansas State, to set up a second touchdown. Derby’s Brady Kooser scored on a cutback 8-yard touchdown.
West 0 0 7 7 — 14
East 7 14 0 0 — 21
E—Jack Petz (Lenexa St. James) 4 run (Gage Foster kick), 3:13
E—Tristan Davis (St. Thomas Aquinas) 4 run (Foster kick), 6:21
E—Jack Blumer (Marysville) 1 run (Foster kick), 0:14
W—Jarrett Jurgens (Scott City) 2 run (Reese Nebel kick), 7:24
W—Brady Kooser (Derby) 8 run (Nebel kick), 10:24
RUSHING—WEST—29-115; Jarrett Jurgens (Scott City) 12-54; Braden Howell (Wichita Carroll) 8-34; Brody Kooser (Derby) 5-13; Blake Sullivan (Goddard) 4-14; EAST—48-171; Jack Petz (St. James) 14-53; Jack Blumer (Marysville) 8-38; Connor Jeffers (Burlington) 9-37; Tristan Davis (Aquinas) 6-13; Chase Curtis (Pittsburg) 3-12; Nijel Roberts (BV North) 1-7; Mitchell Henry (Nemaha Central) 4-6; Dex Swinehart (Lyndon) 1-4; team 2-0.
PASSING—WEST—Braden Howell (Carroll) 7-16-0, 52; Blake Sullivan (Goddard) 0-2-0, 0; EAST—Jack Blumer (Marysville) 5-9-0, 66; Chase Curtis (Pittsburg) 4-9-0, 39.
RECEIVING—WEST—Levi Archer (Goodland) 1-37; Tanner King 3-10; Reese Nebel (Hesston) 2-6; Brady Kooser (Derby) 1-(-1). EAST—Dex Swinehart (Lyndon) 3-38; Jackson Heath (BV Northwest) 1-35; Tristan Davis (Aquinas) 1-13; Jack Petz (St. James) 1-7; Nijel Roberts (BV North) 1-5; Connor Jeffers (Burlington) 1-4; Damon Schmidt (Olpe) 1-3,
