Vonheeder selected for East-West Shrine Game
The Senior of Plains High School was the only football player in Sanders County that was selected for the upcoming 72nd Annual Montana East-West Shine Game.
Jay Vonheeder has been selected as part of the West Alternate side for position of Defensive End.
He will line up with players from Butte Central, Boulder, Frenchtown, Kalispell, Bigfork, Helena, and Eureka to name a few.
The Montana Shrine Game is the premier all-star game in Montana and has a long history of distinguished players and coaches.
It is one of the oldest high school all-star football games in the United States. Every year since 1947, Montana high schools’ finest players are selected to compete in a game to raise 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, Washington.
Vonheeder’s Head Coach of the Plains Horsemen Eddie Fultz said he couldn’t be happier for the senior to have been selected.
“It’s a great honor for sure to be selected, and I have no doubts Jay will do great representing the school, the town and the county,” said Fultz.
“This is a game for all the right reasons, and you always have great players selected. Not to mention there will be a lot of college scouts there as well,” he added.
Kyle Mihelish from Helena Capitol will be coaching the West Team. He returned to his alma mater in Helena as an assistant coach and the last three years as head coach at Capital, leading them to three consecutive state semifinal appearances. This will be the fifth time Kyle has coached in this game, the first as head coach.
In recent years, the Montana game has become one of the top Shrine Games in the nation for hospital donations. In the last five years this game has raised nearly $500,000. Forty of Montana’s finest are selected to compete on each team.
“Being selected shows that Jay has proved himself well from the regular season all the way through. I couldn’t be more proud of him. He’s more than deserving of this honor,” said Fultz.
Each of the players were nominated by their schools and coaches across the state and selected as the ‘best of the best’ to join the historic prestigious game.
“Jay was not only nominated by myself, but also another coach from another team. I think that speaks volumes of his dedication,” added Fultz.
There’s no doubt the all-around athlete of Plains High School would make a big impact in the game come this July.
The 72nd Game kick-off will be July 21, 2018 in Great Falls, MT.