SALINA — Part of the 40th Annual Kansas Shrine Bowl football game is living in the moment.
That’s what Hunter Harrison of Great Bend High School is realizing as part of the West squad, which is practicing at Salina District Stadium this week, preparing to play the East on Saturday night in Topeka. Kickoff is set for 7 at Yager Stadium on the Washburn University campus.
“I think it’s become more than I thought it would be,” Harrison said after Monday evening’s practice. “I really didn’t know what to expect when I came in. I’ve met a lot of cool people, had a lot of fun and met a lot of great guys.”
Harrison played middle linebacker for the Panthers, establishing the second-best individual tackle output in school history with a Western Athletic Conference-best 133 stops during their 5-4 season in 2012. In the Shrine Bowl, Harrison will be starting at outside linebacker, a position he says he’s familiar with.
“I’m playing at outside linebacker and it’s all the same to me,” Harrison said. “I played outside linebacker at Great Bend before my junior year, so I’ve played this type of position before.
“This is a lot faster pace because there are great athletes all over the place. You really don’t have to worry about filling in for someone else.”
Harrison did a lot of blitzing for the Panthers, but he isn’t expected to do as much on Saturday night, although he’d like to.
“I enjoy blitzing,” Harrison said. “I enjoy everything about it. With so many great athletes and so many leaders, everybody comes together.
“You have some people that are a little more vocal and that’s a good thing because it gets people going.”
Harrison says his playing weight is about three pounds heavier than last fall.
“I weighed about 192 during the season and they had me listed a little bit lower during the regular season,” the 5-foot-10, 195-pound Harrison said of his listed 184 on the program. “I’ve been up at the high school, lifting weights, running and staying in shape.
“I’m excited to be out here. It’s my last go-around, so it’s a bittersweet type of thing because I love the game of football.”
The Shriners Hospitals for Children, located in St. Louis, Mo., is a health care system of 22 hospitals. It is dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty car, innovative research and outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals.
Children up to 18 are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-oriented environment, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay.
The West squad, headquartered at St. John’s Military School in Salina, departs for Topeka on Thursday.