Shrine Game rosters released

Bridger Smith, Kobe Dorcheus, Mark Ahner, Carson Baker and Ben Winters from State AA runner up Glacier were all named to the West Roster for the 78 th East-West Shrine Game.

The game is set for June 21 in Great Falls; it was one of the oldest high school All-Star games in America, having kicked off every year since 1947. 

Montana’s finest high school players are selected to compete while raising money and to help make the public aware of the expert orthopedic and burn care available at the Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Spokane. Montana has been the top Shrine Game in the nation for hospital donations: In the last 10 years this game has raised over $1 million. 

Forty of Montana’s finest are selected to compete on each team and two players from Canada will join them, one for the East and one for the West.

Dorcheus, who rushed for a school-record 1,726 yards last season, is one of two running backs selected, along with Luke Oxarart of Boulder. Ahner is one of three inside linebackers, Baker is among four safeties picked and Winters is among three tackles selected. 

Smith, who had 63 catches for 1,019 yards in 2024, is one of five receivers named to the team. 

Coaching the West team will be Kyle Mihelish of Helena Capital, who in his 17th season guided the Bruins to the 2024 State AA championship, the second of his tenure. 

He’ll coach five of his Capital players in the Shrine Game: His son Merek is one of two quarterbacks named to the West team (Frenchtown’s Brody Hardy is the other); receiver Dylan Almquist, defensive end Cole Graham and O-linemen Vaughn Wickus and Jack Gollehon were also selected. 

Several more players from Northwest Montana made the West team, including guard Labe Voermans of Columbia Falls, tackle Henry Carlson of Bigfork, defensive tackle Wes Banks of Eureka, defensive end Scotty Dalen and safety Carson Gulick of Whitefish and tight end Bryson LeCoure of Thompson Falls. 

Three more area players were named alternates: receiver Cooper Ross of Whitefish and safety Reggie Sapa of Columbia Falls, and receiver CJ Thew of Whitefish. 

The East roster was fortified by five players from unbeaten State A champion Billings Central, including both tight ends: Vince Souza and Solomon Stortz. 

Bozeman High had four players selected as did Gallatin; the Raptors’ Grant Vigen was named at quarterback alongside Stockton Oxarart of State B champion Malta.  

The Mustangs’ Nick Oxarart will be the East head coach; he is Stockton’s dad and Boulder running back Luke Oxarart’s uncle. Luke and Stockton Oxarart are second cousins. 

The Mustangs also had defensive end Blaine Downing selected; other East players include receiver Tracen Jilot of 6-man state champion Box Elder and linebacker Deacon Gackle and athlete Tyler Loan of 8i-man champ Fairview. 

Browning running back Tahj Wells was named an alternate for the East squad. 

West Roster 

Pos. Name    School    Hgt    Wgt 

C Taylor Handlos Dillon     5-11    250 

C Spencer Tripp    Missoula Big Sky     5-10    260 

G Jack Gollehon    Helena Capital     6-3      250 

G Lane Voermans    Columbia Falls     6-0     255 

G Chance Dunkerson    Flint Creek     6-3      260 

T Ben Winters    Glacier     6-4      320 

T Vaughn Wirkus    Helena Capital     6-5    255 

T Henry Carlson    Bigfork     6-6    290 

TE Carter Curnow     Dillon    6-5    230 

TE Easton Reimers    Missoula Sentinel     6-2    210 

TE Bryson LeCoure    Thompson Falls     6-3    190 

WR Dylan Almquist    Helena Capital     6-1    185 

WR Jaxan Lieberg     Helena High     6-3    190 

WR Bridger Smith    Glacier     6-1    180 

WR Sam Sampson    Butte     6-3  180 

WR Deegan Mattson    Townsend    6-0    175 

RB Kobe Dorcheus    Glacier     6-0    195 

RB Luke Oxarart    Boulder     5-11    190 

QB Merek Mihelish    Helena Capital    6-1    185 

QB Brody Hardy     Frenchtown     6-1    195 

DT Brady Armstrong    Boulder     5-9    215 

DT Misael Jimenez     Dillon     6-1    270 

DT Wes Banks     Eureka     6-3    225 

DT Cole Flugge     Helena High     6-2    255 

DE Cole Graham     Helena Capital     5-11    200 

DE Scotty Dalen     Whitefish     6-2    220 

DE Drew Lewis     Corvallis     6-5    210 

ILB Mark Ahner     Glacier     6-2    185 

ILB Trygve Braun     Helena High     6-0    210 

ILB Luke Randall     Manhattan     6-1    205 

OLB Dylan Mosness     Helena High     6-3    190 

OLB George Stenberg     Manhattan     5-10    175 

CB Jaxon Allery     Missoula Sentinel    5-8    165 

CB Mason Fulford     Missoula Big Sky    5-9    160 

CB Slade Olson     East Helena    6-0    185 

S Drew Wagner     Florence     6-1    190 

S Carson Baker     Glacier     5-11    185 

S Carson Gulick     Whitefish     6-3    185 

S Mason Arlington     Florence    6-1    180 

ATH Jace Koshatka     Missoula Sentinel     5-10    185 

ATH Devin Zhang     Notre Dame Canada    6-1    205 

West Alternates

C — Matt Marcille, Helena; Rollie Fisher Florence. 

G — Tanner Waldron, Frenchtown.  

T — Ezra Meyer, Big Sky; Jake Zeeman Capital. 

TE — Conor Toivonen, Capital. 

WR — Daniel Larson, Capital; Leighton Cyr, Frenchtown; Cooper Ross, Columbia Falls; CJ Thew, Whitefish. 

RB — Kace Wagner, Ennis; Hayden Wright, East Helena; Cole Ziegler, Hellgate. 

QB — Jack Taylor, East Helena; Mac Lundstrom, Helena; Colton Shea, Butte. 

DT — Brett Polich, Butte. 

DE — Dominic Holst, Manhattan Christian; Billy Corette Frenchtown; Cael Sell Townsend. 

ILB — Brady Schmill, Frenchtown; Colter Jenson. Big Sky/ 

OLB — Alex Swenson, Helena; Jacksen McCauley, Capital; Ryan Haidle,  Sentinel/ 

CB — Walker DesRosier. Capital. 

S — Jackson McMillan. Capital; Brady Swenson, Helena; Reggie Sapa, Columbia Falls; Carter Petre, Helena; Jacob Finch, Hellgate. 

East Roster 

Pos. Name    School    Hgt    Wgt 

C Schafer Garness     Great Falls     5-11    260 

C Weston James     Gallatin     5-11    205 

G Haven Wade     Glendive     6-2    275 

G Oliver Huntley     Bozeman     6-0    250 

G Santiago Bush     Bozeman     6-2     260 

T Tristan Thomas Aherne     Henry Wise, Calgary     6-4     292 

T Jackson Ritchie     Billings Central     6-6    300 

T Simon Harbour     Bozeman     6-3    260 

T Ben Morasko Gallatin     6-4    235 

TE Vincent Souza     Billings Central     6-3    210 

TE Solomon Stortz     Billings Central     6-1    215 

WR Luke Kelley     Centerville     6-1    175 

WR Kash Embry     Bozeman     6-1    180 

WR Malachi Claunch     Billings West 6-2    200 

WR Tracen Jilot     Box Elder     6-0    165 

WR Axel Becker     Stanford     6-3    185 

RB Reese Dahlke     Gallatin     5-9    165 

RB Chase Cook     Red Lodge     5-11    185 

RB Tate Nelson     Havre     6-0    205 

QB Stockton Oxarart    Malta     6-1    180 

QB Grant Vigen     Gallatin     6-6    205 

DT Montana Thomas     Billings Central 6-4    210 

DT Nicholas Donester    CMR     6-2    225 

DT Isaac Tolan    Great Falls     6-2    260 

DE Broden Molen     Great Falls     5-10    205 

DE Blaine Downing     Malta     6-3    200 

DE Collin Warnnick     Billings West 6-0    200 

ILB Tommy Springman     Gallatin     6-1    210 

ILB Brady Casagranda     Bozeman     6-1    205 

ILB Mason Kralj     Great Falls     6-1    210 

ILB Ryan Barnhart     Billings Senior 6-0    215 

OLB Jack Debourg     Billings Central 6-1    200 

OLB Deacon Gackle    Fairview 6-1    215 

CB Colter Solomon     Havre     5-10    160 

CB Antrevian Gary     Havre     6-0    195 

CB Cohen Groener     Billings West     5-11    175 

S Kaden Juhnke     Joliet     6-2    205 

S Ryder Murdock     Billings Senior     6-0    160 

S Dash Ruff     Lewistown    5-11    160 

S Deegan Tvedt    Miles City     6-1    185 

Ath Gage Goltz     Bridger     6-4    190 

East Alternates 

C — Christian Allies, Billings West; Cody Hoehn, CMR/ 

G — Wyatt Beddes, Shepherd. 

TE — Wyatt Babb, Glasgow. 

RB — Tahj Wells, Browning; Nathan Gunderson, Choteau; Andy Bundy, Miles City. 

QB — Riley Collette, Great Falls; Declan Bergstrom, Belt. 

ILB — Peyton Hartford, Lewistown. 

OLB — Treyton Wilke, Malta. 

CB — Garret Macbeth, Gallatin; Cooper Walker, Gallatin. 

S — Nate Nelson, Chester-JI; Christopher Graham, Conrad. 

K — Caleb Litzinger, Great Falls; Warner Lefeber, Bozeman. 

ATH — Bridger Salvevold, Culbertson; Tyler Loan, Fairview; Luke Highfill, Belt. 

    Glacier running back Kobe Dorcheus (33) heads to the end zone on a 38-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter against Helena Capital during the Class AA state championship at Vigilante Stadium on Friday, Nov. 22. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Click here to order photo reprints.
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier linebacker Carson Baker (38) wraps up Helena Capital wide receiver Drew Almquist (7) on a run in the fourth quarter during the Class AA state championship at Vigilante Stadium on Friday, Nov. 22. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier linebacker Mark Ahner (31) stops Billings Senior wide receiver Tevin Keller (14) in the third quarter at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier defensive lineman Ben Winters (75) stops a run by Missoula Big Sky running back Keller Heidrick (4) on third and short in the third quarter at Legends Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 17. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider