Vance selected to play in Shrine Bowl

By Andy Brown
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Updated: January 5, 2016

Louisburg High School senior Anders Vance (52) was recently selected to participate in the Kansas Shrine Bowl on July 30 at Emporia State University. Vance was one of 68 seniors from across the state chosen to play in the all-star game.

Anders Vance has seen honor after honor roll in after he helped lead the Louisburg High School football team back to the playoffs this past season.

Vance received his latest recognition over the weekend and it might turn out to be the most impressive. The LHS senior received notification that he was selected to participate in the Kansas Shrine Bowl later this year.

Only 68 seniors from across the state are selected to participate in the charity all-star football game and Vance was named to the list by different sports media in Kansas, along with the Kansas Shrine Bowl coaching staff.

“It is a great honor for me,” Vance said. “This has always been a goal for me in the back of my mind, but I wasn’t sure that I would get selected or even nominated. So for this to happen is pretty exciting and I am really looking forward to the experience.”

Anders Vance

The Shrine Bowl game and events surrounding the game will benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children, which is a health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children.

It has been five years since Louisburg has had a player selected to the game. Tyler Ewy, who was the last Wildcat named, participated in the 2011 Shrine Bowl before moving on to the Washburn football team.

Vance will compete for the East team during the July 30 contest, which will be held at Emporia State University. He will head out early before the game to practice and then will travel to a Shriners hospital to visit patients.

“Anders deserves this honor,” Louisburg coach Kyle Littrell said. “He belongs with the best of the best. I know college coaches, wherever he may go, are going to love this kid. You always hear coaches preach getting better every day and doing it with the right attitude and effort. Anders embodies all of the qualities that college coaches are looking for in a player.

“I hope that whatever college he chooses to play at will allow him to take part in the Shrine Bowl game. There are some college staffs out there who would frown upon an incoming player risking injury by playing in the Shrine Bowl game, but hopefully they will allow him to participate. Louisburg has had a few players in the past that have been selected to play and all of them have said that it was an amazing experience.”

It has already been a great year for Vance as he has been recognized across the state. Last month, he was selected to the Class 4A all-state first team by the Kansas Football Coaches Association, Topeka Capital-Journal and Wichita Eagle.

He was also an honorable mention selection to the all-metro team by the Kansas City Star.

Vance was a starting lineman on both sides of the ball as he was the Wildcats’ starting center and defensive tackle. He recorded 35 tackles, with six for a loss, a sack, fumble recovery, forced fumble and two batted balls.

“I think I had a pretty good year, but I think a lot of it was because the team did so well,” Vance said. “We had a good year and a lot of guys were honored with different things. To be selected to the Shrine Bowl is pretty awesome.”

As far as which of the side of the ball he will play on, that has yet to be determined.

“I don’t really care where I play, I will do whatever the coaches need me to,” Vance said. “I don’t really have a favorite, I just want to go out there and play. I will be happy with whatever.”

2015 Shrine Bowl Roster

East: Cole Baird, Silver Lake; Mason Barta, Holton; Orion Battaglia, Pittsburg Colgan; Carson Becker, Rock Creek; Alex Blake, BV North; Anthony Brown, Mill Valley; Connor Byers, Bonner Springs; Austin Cook, Fort Scott; Dawson Downing, Miege; Grant Elston, Eudora; Riley England, Osawatomie; Wykeen Gill, Atchison; Jared Green, SM West; Jeff Gurley, Blue Valley; Paul Holt, Burlingame; Tucker Horak, Rossville; Teven Jenkins, Topeka; Will Jones, Washburn Rural; Tom Killilea, St. Thomas Aquinas; Nick Kirmer, Emporia; Jace McDown, Columbus; Will Mengarelli, Pittsburg; Ryan Menghini, Frontenac; Winston Meyer, Nemaha Central; Jordan Newby, Topeka West; Brooks Peavler, Topeka Hayden; Zach Schwalm, Uniontown; Patrick Shuler, Mission Valley; Isaiah Simmons, Olathe North; Brady Snider, Cherryvale; Bryce Torneden, Lawrence Free State; Anders Vance, Louisburg; Chris Winkel, Troy; JD Woods, Lawrence.

Head Coach: Blake Pierce, Topeka Seaman. Assistant coaches: Max Cordova, Free State; Travis Thurston, Aquinas; Dan Grundy, Columbus; Derick Hammes, Rossville; Derek Jasper, Troy.

West: Jaden Abernathy, Buhler; Jeff Ast, Andale; Nathan Burgoyne, Collegiate; Chase Crawford, Valley Center; Alex Deist, Great Bend; Cortland Enriquez, Salina Central; Austin Fletcher, Hutchinson; Cooper Griffith, Scott City; Harley Hazlett, Abilene; Brett Huelsmann, Eisenhower; Colter Hulling, Kapaun; Noah Johnson, Bishop Carroll; Kash Larrabee, Meade; Gavin Lively, Norton; Isaiahh Loudermilk, West Elk; Jeremy Luck, Maize South; Donovan Lumpkin, Phillipsburg; Eli McKee, Halstead; Rodney Murphy, Wichita Heights; Jonah Nowak, Garden Plain; Darraja Parnell, Andover Central; Konnor Penning, Washington County; Nalen Rincones, Garden City; Garrett Roth, Hesston; Ian Rudzik, Ulysses; Brady Rust, Derby; Noah Schomacker, Cheney; Trey Teeter, Holcomb; Jake Tiernan, Solomon; Duall Watson, Wichita Northwest; Logan Weakley, Augusta; Blake Wilson, Mulvane; Raye Wilson, Junction City; Jason Zook, Chapman.

Head Coach: Randall Zimmerman, Junction City. Assistant coaches: Doug Davis, Junction City; Marc Marinelli, Eisenhower; Kent Teeter, Holcomb; Jason Grider, Halstead; J.B. Covington, Phillipsburg.