(Editor’s note: Story updated on Jan. 2 to reflect three players inadvertently being left off the East roster as alternates. Big Timber’s Ethan Bullock and Casey Gunlikson, along with Great Falls High’s Sam Potoczny, have been added as alternates.)
BUTTE — The rosters for Montana’s premier all-star football game have been announced.
Les Meyer will coach the East Team and Mike Cutler will lead the West Team into the 73rd annual Montana East-West Shrine Game, which is scheduled for July 20, 2019 at Butte. MTN Sports will again televise the game across the state.
Meyer has spent the past 22 years as the head coach at Fairfield, guiding the Eagles to the 2018 Class B football state championship. During Meyer’s tenure, Fairfield has qualified for the Class B playoffs in 17 of the past 18 seasons and reached eight championship games. Meyer will coach his son, Ryder, in the 2019 Shrine Game. Ryder Meyer is one of three former Fairfield stars on the East roster, which also includes members from state champions Billings West, Billings Central and Wibaux. The Golden Bears and Rams both have five selections on the team, while Chance Larson is Wibaux’s lone representative.
Cutler, who played in the 1988 Shrine Game, has coached for 24 years with stops at Missoula Big Sky, Denton, Townsend and most recently Drummond-Philipsburg. The Titans have won the past two 8-Man state championships, compiling consecutive 13-0 seasons. Two of Cutler’s former Titans — Riley Allen and Kane Hess — are on the West roster for the 2019 Shrine Game.
The Montana East-West Shrine Game is the oldest continuous-running high school all-star football game in the United States, featuring a game every year since 1947. The annual game raises money and awareness of the expert orthopedic and burn care at the Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Spokane. The Montana game has become the top Shrine Game in the nation for hospital donations in recent years and has raised nearly $1 million in the past 10 years.
The East earned a 24-21 victory in the 2018 Shrine Game. Former Great Falls CMR quarterback Garrison Rothwell took home MVP honors.
The complete rosters for the 2019 Shrine Game are below.
73rd annual Montana East-West Shrine Game
July 20, 2019 at Butte
East roster
Head coach: Les Meyer, Fairfield.
Quarterback — Kris Brown, Bozeman; Blake Thelen, Great Falls High.
Running back — Riley Dickinson, Great Falls Central; Andres Lopez, Malta; Jack Studer, Billings Central.
Wide receiver — Dawson Allen, Fairfield; Brant Bremner, Browning; Jesse Owens, Billings West; Ryan Simpson, Bozeman.
Tight end — Logan Kennedy, Laurel; Ryan Lonergan, Bozeman.
Offensive tackle — Mavrick McKinlay, Geraldine-Highwood; Kobe Nelson, Billings West; Spencer Warren, Bozeman; Nathan Zard, Roundup.
Offensive guard — Sam Gray, Billings Central; Keegan Mires, Glendive; Marcus Wehr, Billings Central.
Center — Justus Perkins, Bozeman; Maverick Roberts, Billings Central.
Specialist — Wyatt Brusven, Shelby.
Defensive line — Tarek Essa, Ernest Manning (Calgary); Walker Heckman, Fairfield; Nick Konesky, Great Falls CMR; Conner Paul, Billings West; Garrison Poetzl, Billings Senior.
Defensive end — Ely Kraft, Laurel; Chance Larson, Wibaux; Ryan Wyman, Sidney.
Inside linebacker — Max Evenson, Billings Senior; Brody Grebe, Roundup; Wesley Jameson, Lewistown.
Outside linebacker — Ty Bradley, Colstrip; JR Seewald, Cut Bank; Kade Wilcox, Billings West.
Cornerback — Chrishon Dixon, Billings Central; Kyle Torgerson, Great Falls High; John Waddell, Livingston.
Safety — Lucas Gibb, Billings West; Tucker Greenwell, Great Falls CMR; Ryder Meyer, Fairfield.
Alternates
Noah Ambuehl, Great Falls Central, WR; Travis Bagby, Belgrade, OLB; Bryan Ballard, Choteau, DL; Ethan Bullock, Big Timber, OT; Joe Byorth, Billings Central, QB; Jake Clinton, Lewistown, S; Daniel Davis, Billings Skyview, TE; Bryce Depping, Great Falls CMR, DE; Cade Dschaak, Wibaux, S; Hugh Edward, Billings West, ILB; Gage Felts, Billings Senior, C; Calder Fleming, Circle, RB; Grady Gilpatrick, Lewistown, OLB; Trevin Gradney, Billings West, CB; Ryan Griffin, Billings Skyview, S; Casey Gunlikson, Big Timber, CB; Bill Hanson, White Sulphur Springs, DE; Mason Harrison, Lewistown, OG; Tristan Hirsch, Miles City, OLB; Carter Hughes, Sidney, DL; Gage Hull, Laurel, QB; Gaje Leischner, Laurel, WR; JJ Lindsay, Billings West, ILB; Jordan Nees, Hobson-Moore-Judith Gap, RB; Mitchell Norslien, Lewistown, QB; Joe Olson, Bozeman, RB; Easton Page, Belgrade, WR; Sam Potoczny, Great Falls High, DL; Derek Simmons, Fairfield, DE; Carter Slade, Billings West, C; Terry SpottedWolf, Colstrip, OT; Zach Winter, Billings Senior, OG.
West roster
Head coach: Mike Cutler, Drummond-Philipsburg.
Quarterback — Jaden MacNeil, Kalispell Flathead; Rylan Ortt, Missoula Sentinel.
Running back — Blake Counts, Kalispell Flathead; Colten McPhee, Columbia Falls.
Wide receiver — Anders Epperly, Bigfork; Anthony Jones, Kalispell Flathead; Cam Rothie, Hamilton; Cooper Waters, Missoula Loyola.
Tight end — Dillon Botner, Whitefish; Brock Field, Missoula Sentinel.
Offensive tackle — Riley Allen, Drummond-Philipsburg; Holden Sampson, Helena High; Andrew Siderius, Kalispell Flathead.
Offensive guard — Gage Karlin, Columbia Falls; Sebastian Koch, Kalispell Flathead; Tyler Walker, Dillon.
Center — Logan Gilliard, Bigfork; Keegan Wold, Whitefish.
Specialist — Clay Fisher, Butte Central.
Kicker — Carver Gilman, Whitefish.
Defensive line — Garrett Brown, Corvallis; Mike Graves, Hamilton; Kane Hess, Drummond-Philipsburg; Nic Schmeiler, St. Francis (Calgary).
Defensive end — Ethan Baines, Kalispell Glacier; Alaric Greil, Helena Capital; Rylan Waananen, Butte High.
Inside linebacker — Mike Golden, Hamilton; Tanner Gove, Columbia Falls; Spencer Jones, Florence.
Outside linebacker — Alex Johnson, Helena High; Michael Nehring, Manhattan; Landers Smith, Charlo; Ryan Tirrell, Missoula Loyola.
Cornerback — Cade Briggs, Whitehall; Jace Dewalt, Missoula Sentinel; Drew Morgan, Columbia Falls; Zach Spiroff, Helena High.
Safety — Blaise Meriweather, Missoula Sentinel; Kameron Rauser, Townsend; Randy Stultz, Bigfork.
Alternates
Carl Anderson, Butte High, ILB; Tyler Barnes, Hamilton, WR; Jacob Beich, Columbia Falls, OT; Preston Blain, Kalispell Glacier, RB; Zach Blomquist, Florence, DE; Jack Colyer, Missoula Sentinel, WR; Mason Davis, Eureka, DE; Elias Dewaters, Missoula Sentinel, RB; Parker Green, Columbia Falls, OLB; Patrick Hammond, Kalispell Flathead, DL; Gus Hanson, Helena Capital, CB; Cade Holter, Butte Central, S; Zane Johnson, Dillon, OLB; Jack Kanta, Helena High, DE; Kash Kelly, Butte High, WR; Garrett Lally, Kalispell Glacier, OT; Gunnar Landrum, Kalispell Flathead, ILB; Liang Liedle, Corvallis, SP; Colby Manley, Drummond-Philipsburg, RB; Kale McCarthy, Butte High, CB; Ty McGurran, Helena High, QB; Colter Miller, Three Forks, OLB; Dylan Parks, Darby, CB; Zach Pletcher, Columbia Falls, DE; Jace Reddick, Townsend, C; Lane Sapa, Columbia Falls, S; Sam Shepard, Helena High, ILB; Logan Siblerud, Kalispell Flathead, TE; Christian Unger, Missoula Big Sky, OT; Nico Young, Kalispell Glacier, OG.
