By SEAN BOSTON
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Josiah Schmidt already had a good idea of what Shrine Bowl week might look like before he arrived.
The Pratt High School standout had a close family connection to the game. His brother Owen played in the Kansas Shrine Bowl last year, giving Schmidt a preview of what to expect.
“It’s been great,” Schmidt said. “Just knowing that my brother played in it last year, he kind of gave me the rundown of what was going to happen, and I think the experiences have been really cool so far.”
Schmidt is representing the West Team in the 53rd annual Kansas Shrine Bowl, which will be played at 7 p.m. Saturday at Welch Stadium on the Emporia State University campus.
Schmidt said he found out about his selection when Pratt coach Brent Hoelting approached him about playing in the game.
“My coach came up to me and was like, ‘Hey, do you want to play in the Shrine Bowl?’” Schmidt said. “I was like, ‘Heck yeah,’ because it’d be my last game for him. It’d be a really cool experience. I was like, yes, right away.”
Holt is also coaching in the Shrine Bowl this week, giving Schmidt one final opportunity to share a football field with his high school coach.
“It’s been good,” Schmidt said. “I’ve been on the other side of the ball, but he’s been challenging me with the stunts and stuff that he’s been sending at me. It’s been really cool.”
Schmidt said the week has tested him, especially while going against players from larger classifications across Kansas.
“It’s been challenging, just going up against bigger and better guys from the 5A and 6A level,” Schmidt said. “It’s been really cool, really hard. I like the challenge.”
That challenge, Schmidt said, is exactly what he needs before Saturday night.
“It’s been great, because those big guys are going to be getting me ready for Saturday,” Schmidt said. “That’s the ultimate goal, is to be ready for Saturday.”
While Schmidt gets one final high school football game this weekend, his college future will be on the baseball field. Schmidt will play baseball at Colby Community College.
Schmidt said baseball has always been a major part of his life.
“I’ve been playing it since I can remember,” Schmidt said. “So it really hasn’t been a second thought playing another sport in college, but it was a lot of fun just going through the process of getting recruited.”
Even with baseball ahead, Schmidt said he never wanted to walk away from the opportunity to play in the Shrine Bowl. He said being a multi-sport athlete helped him develop.
“It’s really rewarding with all the work I put in in the weight room in the summertime,” Schmidt said. “I thought that being a three-sport athlete was going to help me the most in baseball, just getting the rest from baseball and becoming a better athlete overall. So playing in this game is really special to me.”
Schmidt said Saturday will be about competing, but also about appreciating the full meaning of the Shrine Bowl experience.
“Obviously the dub,” Schmidt said of what he is looking forward to. “But I also like the experiences that I will get with the guys, and then the hospital experiences as well.”
Saturday’s Kansas Shrine Bowl will be televised on Smoky Hills PBS, Cox YurView and 38 The Spot in Kansas City, with Mark Ewing and Stan Weber on the call.
The radio broadcast can be heard on Eagle Media stations 102.9 FM KHUT Country in Hutchinson; B104.3 FM KVGB “The Point” in Great Bend; 101.9 FM KKQY “The Bull” in Hays; 107.5 FM and 910 AM KINA in Salina; 107.9 FM and 1420 AM KJCK in Junction City; and 103.5 FM KQLA in Manhattan.
Gerard Wellbrock will handle play-by-play duties, with Sean Boston serving as analyst and Anthony Gorges as sideline reporter.