Kelly Walsh’s Jon Vance and Torrington’s Mark Lenhardt will be the coaches for the North and South teams, respectively, in the 2016 Shrine Bowl.
Both coaches will be Shrine Bowl head coaches for the first time in the annual all-star football game, which is scheduled for June 11, 2016, in Casper.
Vance just finished his fifth year as head coach of the Trojans, taking KW to the playoffs in each of the past four seasons. He is the first KW coach to be named a Shrine Bowl head coach since Rod Flack in 1981.
Lenhardt, too, capped off his fifth season as head coach at Torrington, leading the Trailblazers to the 3A East Conference championship. The last time a Torrington coach led the South Shrine Bowl team was in 1989, when Doug Bartlett led the squad.
The game is in its 43rd year. Funds raised from the game go to the Shriners Hospital for Children. Last year’s game, a 40-14 North victory, raised $35,000. The North leads the all-time series 21-18-3 and has won three consecutive Shrine Bowls.
Shrine Bowl Executive Director John Cundall announced the coach selections via email. The coaches will select their assistant coaching staffs before selecting players later this year.
–patrick