East-West Shrine Game rosters released

The rosters for the 74th Annual Montana East-West Shrine Game have been announced. The game will be played June 19 in Billings.

Forty of Montana’s finest are selected to compete on each team and two players from Calgary will join them, one for the East and one for the West. Last spring was the only time a game was not played since its inception. Those players selected for the 2020 game who did not get to play will be recognized during the 2021 game this summer.

The East Team will be coached by John Fitzgerald of Red Lodge. Coach Fitzgerald is a Columbus, Mont. native who played for the Grizzlies as a member of their 2001 national championship team. Fitzgerald played in the 1997 shrine game and started his coaching career in 2002 in Cut Bank. He’s currently head coach of the Red Lodge Rams (2004-2013 and 2017-2020), and he led his team to a semifinal finish in 2019. This is Fitzgerald’s first opportunity to head coach in the shrine game after assisting in 2012.

Heading the West Team will be Dane Oliver of Missoula Sentinel. Coach Oliver is a Monmouth, Ore. native who played wide receiver for the 2001 national championship Grizzly team. Dane started his coaching career as assistant at Seeley- Swan for two years, followed by four years as an assistant at Missoula Sentinel. Oliver has been the head coach for Sentinel the past nine years, leading them this year to the school’s first State AA championship in 48 years, outscoring opponents 452-69. This will be Dane’s second time coaching the shrine game, his first as head coach.

These players were nominated by their schools and coaches across the state, and finally selected as the “best of the best” to participate in the 74th Montana Shrine Game. They join an elite fraternity of players, many of whom have gone on to distinguished collegiate and professional careers.

West roster

Quarterbacks — Dayton Bay, Missoula Sentinel; Kade Cutler, Drummond-Philipsburg.

Running backs — Cormac Benn, Bigfork; Gunnar Smith, Eureka.

Wide receivers — Jaiden Klemundt, Hamilton; Flint Smith, Whitehall; Dexter Tedesco, Helena High; Cole Truman, Dillon.

Tight ends — Zach Evans, Helena High; Jake Olson, Butte High.

Offensive tackles — Rocco Beccari, Kalispell Glacier; Tyler Burrows, Hamilton; Judson Seliskar, Helena High.

Offensive guards — Ty Raiha, Butte High; Dylan Rollins, Missoula Sentinel; Hudson Vegeron, Hamilton; Stevie Wilkinson, Columbia Falls.

Offensive centers — Wade Leachman, Townsend; Duncan Richardson, Frenchtown.

Defensive ends — Gabriel Delgatty, Manhattan; Tyler Little, Helena Capital; Camren Ross, Whitefish; Dylan Smith, Whitehall.

Defensive linemen — Luke Benson, Bigfork; Zeke Ellis, Dillon; Bryan Holland, Butte Central.

Inside linebackers — Tel Arthur, Frenchtown; Carter Lake, Hamilton; Geno Leonard, Missoula Sentinel; Owen Porcu, Notre Dame (Calgary).

Outside linebackers — Soren Syvrud, Missoula Sentinel; Toby Veltkamp, Manhattan; Chayton Winkle, Helena Capital.

Cornerbacks — Tate Bowler, Manhattan; David Lowry, Helena High.

Safeties — Jace Fitzgerald, Dillon; Caden Holgate, Manhattan; Michael Hupp, Dillon; Jace Klucewich, Missoula Sentinel.

Specialists — Colter Janacaro, Missoula Big Sky; Ben Swanson, Helena High.

West alternates

Quarterback — Camden Sirmon, Missoula Sentinel.

Running backs — Christian Vetter, Butte.

Wide receivers — Haiden Crews, Missoula Sentinel; Brandon Finley, Frenchtown; Jonny Reiser, Dillon.

Tight ends — Ethan Diede, Kalispell Glacier.

Offensive tackles — Zach Hangas, Missoula Sentinel.

Offensive centers — DJ Jackson, Butte.

Defensive ends — Aiden Lee, Butte High.

Defensive lineman — Daniel Difort, Missoula Sentinel.

Inside linebackers — Lucas Thacker, Columbia Falls.

Outside linebackers — Shawn Huseby, Missoula Big Sky; Preston Metesh, Drummond-Philipsburg; Ryker McElmurry, Libby.

Cornerbacks — Daxon Graham, Dillon; Christian Hansen, Butte High; TJ Rausch, Missoula Sentinel; Brayden Terzo, Missoula Hellgate.

Safeties — Egan Lester, Butte High; Donovan South, Missoula Sentinel.

Specialists — Niels Getts, Columbia Falls.

East roster

Quarterbacks — Carson Hunter, Miles City; Marcus Wittman, Billings Central.

Running backs — Jay Jetmore, Red Lodge; Jaymen Medlock, Billings West; Brock Ping, Billings Central.

Wide receivers — Ben Britton, St. Marys (Calgary); Jacksen Burckley, Billings Senior; Gavin Mills, Fairfield; Jayden Venable, Miles City; Jack Waddell, Laurel.

Tight ends — Sloan McPherson, Savage; Elijah Reynolds, Red Lodge.

Offensive tackles — Jesse Chapweske, Miles City; Corby Mann, Red Lodge; Connor Ulshak, Laurel.

Offensive guards — John Brown, Bozeman High; Jaydn Hoff, Billings West; Pierce Mortenson, Malta.

Offensive centers — Kolter Bouma, Fairfield; Camren Spencer, Bozeman High.

Defensive ends — Paul Brott, Billings West; Kellen Detrick, Havre; Kenneth Eiden IV, Bozeman High; Luke Fedyk, Bozeman High.

Defensive linemen — JaQuawhann Booth, Billings Central; Ethan DeRoche, Great Falls High; Mayson Phipps, Glasgow; Brody Skogen, Sidney.

Inside linebackers — James Ochs, Laurel; Brooks Talbot, Bozeman High.

Outside linebackers — Neil Daily, Billings West; Derek Damjanovich, Billings Central; Jace Thompson, Fort Benton; Riley Waters, Sidney.

Cornerbacks — Junior Bergen, Billings Senior; Levi Torgerson, Great Falls High; William Ullery, Fort Benton.

Safeties — Eli Aby, Laurel; Kaimen Evans, Belt; Johnnie McClusky, Billings Senior; Conor Murray, Fairfield.

East alternates

Running backs — Keaton Potter, Lewistown; Kade Strutz, Big Sandy.

Wide receivers — Jaxson Franklin, Sidney; Padraig Lang, Bozeman High; Tucker MacBeth, Bozeman High; Cedrick Miller Jr., Belgrade.

Tight ends — Colt Miller, Froid-Medicine Lake.

Offensive tackles — Carson Lunax, Havre.

Offensive guards — Jackson Appley, Shelby; Ben Kessler, Park City.

Offensive centers — Thomas Klepps, Billings Senior.

Defensive ends — Colter Bales, Laurel; Preston Nitschke-Love, Great Falls Central; Beau Simonson, Malta.

Defensive linemen — Andrew Altschwager, Great Falls CMR.

Inside linebackers — Landon Farr, Lewistown; Tucker Johnstone, Park City; Dylan Nieskens, Glasgow; Jackson Willems, Billings Skyview.

Outside linebackers — Rylin Burns, Colstrip; Alex Casas, Belgrade; Hunter Dare, Huntley Project.

Cornerbacks — Sam Jacobsen, Billings Senior; Garrett Zimdars, Park City.

Safeties — Payton Gonser, Great Falls High; Aidan Jenkins, Shields Valley; Brady Lang, Bozeman High.

Specialists — Camden Capser, Billings Central.