Learning the Wright way

Saratoga Panthers football coach Logan Wright has been asked by Brent Walk to be one of his coaches in the Wyoming Shrine Bowl on June 12 at Dick Cheney Field in Casper. Walk is the head coach for the South team and head football coach for Mountain View.

Last year, the Shrine Bowl was canceled due to COVID restrictions in the summer of 2020 and it is hoped that will not be the case this year.

"I am thankful to be asked," Wright said. "It is pretty tough to be selected."

The annual Wyoming Shrine Bowl has raised more than $450,000 since 1974, according to its website.

The website explains the Shine Bowl was started in 1973 by two Wyoming High School football coaches, Jerry Overton of Kelly Walsh High School and Denny Brown of Byron High School. The two started organizing an all star football game with the teams rosters being made up from Wyoming high school players who were graduates of the current year.

Looking for sponsorship for their game, they approached the officers of the two Shrine Temples in Wyoming, Kalif Shrine Center in Sheridan and Korein Shrine Center in Rawlins. The officers of the two Temples agreed to sponsor the annual game and the Shrine Bowl of Wyoming Inc., a non profit corporation, was formed with the first game played in 1974.

The annual game is played the first week of June and has a full week of activities for the participants.

During the week, the players make a trip to the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Salt Lake to visit the patients and physically see what the Shrine Organization does.

The week's activities are at no cost to the participants and the profits of the game are sent to the Shriners Hospital. The Shrine Bowl has turned into a win/win for all that showcases the senior high school athletes one last time.

Panther Sam Schneider was selected to go in 2019 from Carbon County. In 2020, Shane and Conor McGraw, along with Riggen Myers, were selected from Carbon County before the game was canceled.

Wright said the opportunity for him to learn from being at the game will be invaluable.

"I told them from the beginning, I am going in with a blank notepad and I am just going to be learning from them," Wright said laughing. "Brent is an excellent coach as are the other coaches that come to this game."

Wright has known for over two months, but had to wait for the announcement. He said the football players have been selected, but he could not divulge any names until the names are posted.

"I am honored but a little surprised, to be honest, to be considered because we lost the playoff game," Wright said. "There are a lot of good coaches in the nine man game, so since I was selected, it is my job to do the best I can to help the South team."

Wright admits feeling a little nervous about the game being 11 man.

"I have coached six man and nine man, so I am going to be doing some research before I get there," Wright said. "I think Brent and I are going to run the defense so it will be good for me to learn what I can before the game."

He said it will be fun to be a part of a competitive game that has the elite football players from the state.

"It is going to be great and I can't wait to take some nuggets from the game that I can apply here," Wright said. "To get to learn from the best, will be cool for me and good for the team next season."