By SEAN BOSTON
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Jackson Anderson did not have to travel far for the first part of his Kansas Shrine Bowl experience.
The Hutchinson High School linebacker and future Friends University Falcon is among the area players selected to play for 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.
Anderson, who will wear No. 10 and play linebacker for the West, has spent the week preparing with the team in Hutchinson before heading to Emporia.
“They’ve been fun,” Anderson said of the early practices. “They’re really pushing us, trying to get us ready. We’ve got a week to get ready for a big game. We’re putting in a whole new offense, defense. You’ve got a lot of new players coming in from different places, but it’s been fun.”
Anderson said the team has been able to work hard while still enjoying the experience.
“They’re taking care of us,” Anderson said. “They’re making us have fun, but work hard at the same time.”
The setting has been a familiar one for Anderson, who helped lead the Salthawks defense during his senior season. Anderson was named AVCTL Division I Defensive Player of the Year, earned first-team all-state honors in Class 5A and set a Hutchinson school record with six quarterback pressures in a single game.
Being back in Gowans Stadium with a new group of teammates has been a unique experience.
“It’s comfortable, it’s familiar,” Anderson said. “It feels good to be back on the field with new people working hard.”
Anderson said he was on his way to Wichita when he found out he had been selected to the Shrine Bowl.
“I was watching it live, and when I heard my name popped up, I was really excited,” Anderson said. “I felt like I deserved to be here, and it just really made me happy hearing that my name was selected and that I was chosen to be here.”
Anderson said former Hutchinson coach Mike Vernon played a major role in his high school career.
“He was a great coach,” Anderson said. “He meant a lot to me. He meant a lot to every player there. He made you feel wanted, he made you feel like you belong there, you deserve to be there, and he pushed us to the limits every day.”
On the field this week, Anderson said the West defense has included some familiar concepts along with new responsibilities. He said the adjustment has been made easier by the talent around him.
“It’s been fun,” Anderson said. “We have a little bit of mix on what we did here at Hutch, and then we have a different mix. It’s been fun playing with new guys, guys that I know are great linebackers, just like me, guys that know how to play defense, how to read defense, just go out there and make plays.”
Anderson said he has bonded with several of the other linebackers, while the entire team has come together quickly during the week.
“Everybody on the team’s a fun guy to be around,” Anderson said. “Everybody’s bonding. They’re having fun. They’re making everybody feel wanted.”
When the players have not been practicing, Anderson said there has been plenty of rest mixed in with team bonding.
“There’s a lot of sleep going on,” Anderson said. “Take a nap when you can. People are bonding, people are going into other dorm rooms, just hanging out.”
Like many Shrine Bowl players, Anderson has also taken part in the tradition of swapping helmet decals with teammates.
“Everybody’s exchanging, and we’re all in the locker room looking for new stickers to put on our helmet,” Anderson said. “Everybody’s got colorful helmets.”
Anderson said Saturday’s game will be another chance to test himself against top-level competition.
“I just want to see how it feels,” Anderson said. “Play with a bunch of guys that are really good, going against another group of guys that are really good, see how it clashes. Put my experience and just prove what it is to be there.”
After the Shrine Bowl, Anderson will continue his football career at Friends University in Wichita. He said the Falcons made him feel comfortable early in the recruiting process.
“They were one of the first people to talk to me,” Anderson said. “It started around junior year wrestling season, and ever since they first started talking to me, they made me feel like I was wanted. They made me feel like I needed to be there.”
Anderson said that feeling only grew as he learned more about the program.
“They showed me their offense, they brought me there multiple times, they made me feel like I belonged there,” Anderson said. “They made it feel like a family, and I haven’t even started there yet.”
Anderson said his long-term goals include seeing how far football can take him or earning a business management degree and building a career after college.
Saturday’s Kansas Shrine Bowl will be televised on Smoky Hills PBS, Cox YurView and 38 The Spot in Kansas City, with Mark Ewing (play-by-play) and Stan Weber (analyst) 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.