Team North prevails in 51st Shrine Bowl

Wyoming High School football fans saw one final show on Saturday, June 8, at the 51st annual Shrine Bowl in Casper as the North stormed to a 45-7 victory.

The best of the best of the graduated senior class came together to compete North vs. South at Natrona County High School.

Lovell High School head football coach Nicc Crosby was selected as an assistant coach for the North squad, Jared Mangus represented the Bulldogs on the field and Cammie Brost was chosen by the North coaching staff to be the lead athletic trainer for the team.

Crosby’s 10-year-old son Jamen was also lucky enough to be granted the tasks of “ball boy” on the sideline.

Mangus and the other top seniors in Wyoming football from around the state competed to raise money for the Shriners Children’s Hospital in the all-star style match-up and participated in multiple events throughout the week.

Battling each other and the “less than ideal” weather conditions, the teams duked it out and the North led 15-7 with 9:30 remaining in the third quarter before a lightning strike resulted in more than an hour delay from heavy rain and hail that covered the field.

After the extended delay, the teams exchanged punts and interceptions before the North extended their advantage to 25-7.

Mangus was one of the main forces on both sides of the ball during the season for the Bulldogs and made his impact on the bowl game with a key interception that he ran back 57 yards for a touchdown to make the lead 38-7 in the fourth quarter.

The pick six came at a key moment when the South was looking to make an offensive surge for a comeback.

“I was reading the quarterback, and it was a good opportunity,” Mangus said. “The guy (receiver) was a little shorter than me, surprisingly, and I just got the ball out of his hands, saw a hole and took it all the way.”

Mangus credited linemen blocking for him along the way and was happy with the result.

“It was perfect, like a movie script,” Mangus added.

BROST

For Brost, this was the second time she was selected for the role as athletic trainer at the Shrine Bowl, and she valued all of the experiences throughout the week and was happy to be a part of the event.

“I think it is awesome what the Shriners represent not only to our athletes and local kids but to everyone that they are able to help,” Brost said.

She commented that her participation allowed her to grow both professionally and personally and was honored to work with such a great coaching staff and fantastic athletes.

The North was fortunate to only suffer through minor sprains and strains that Brost was able to treat.

Ironically, the trainer for the South team, Emily Yorges, was a college classmate of Brost at the University of Wyoming, where they ended their training together with a win for the Pokes at the New Mexico Bowl in 2009 but found one another across the sidelines on Saturday.

CROSBY

This was the third time Coach Crosby was chosen for the coaching staff in the annual event and the first time since 2018 to participate due to the pandemic canceling the game in 2020.

“Apart from the lightning delay, the game couldn’t have played out much better if I had scripted it myself,” Crosby said of the game, adding that it was close for quite a while before the North ultimately took control in the second half.

“My defensive backs got three second-half picks and really played well the whole game,” he said. “All of our players made significant contributions, and it was great to be able to rotate our players and give them equal playing time and remain competitive the whole game.”

He was proud of how the players came together over the course of the week and really carried out the game plan overall.

“There are so many great lessons I learned from the Shriners, the Shriner patients, my fellow coaches and players,” said Crosby. “The whole thing is just a testament to the amazing things that can be accomplished on or off the field when people work together for a worthwhile cause.”

Regarding the Mangus’ pick six, Crosby claimed it was “the icing on the cake” to an amazing week.

“He was in great position covering his man and was able to read the quarterback when he threw the ball,” Crosby said.

The coach described the event as Mangus making a great break on the ball and stealing it midair from the intended receiver.

Not only did he think the interception itself was amazing, but the 57-yard return (where Mangus probably ran more than 100 total yards altogether) was described as nothing short of spectacular.

“I’ve seen him return enough of those over his career that I wasn’t too surprised, but him doing it on that stage against that level of competition was a very special moment for all of us Lovell fans,” Crosby explained.

Crosby also boasted of the fact that Mangus is a cousin of his and said, “Even though he was almost completely out of breath, Jared’s million-dollar smile didn’t leave his face until well after the game ended.”

The coach’s son Jamen Crosby turned 10 years old the Monday of the week of the Shrine Bowl, and all he wanted for his birthday was to be the ball boy for the North.

North head coach Rob Hammond was very supportive of the idea, and the Shriners, coaches, players and trainers made the experience one to remember when Jamen arrived in Casper on Wednesday afternoon.

“He had so much fun being around the team and participating in different activities, and it was a very special time for the two of us that I will always cherish,” Nicc Crosby said. “I’m so proud of how well we’ve been represented at the Shrine Bowl, and I’m confident our players have also been able to come away from their Shrine Bowl experience with a new perspective on life and friends that will last a lifetime.”

The North improved to a 27-20-3 all-time record over the South and proudly hoisted the trophy after the dominating performance.

“I was able to go out with a bang, and it feels good,” Mangus said.