PRESS RELEASE – EMBARGO
DECEMBER 25, 2016
The
71st Annual Montana East-West Shrine Game will be played July
15, 2017 in Billings, MT. 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. In
recent years, the Montana game has become one of the top Shrine
Games in the nation for hospital donations. The Montana Shrine
Game has raised over $400,000 the past six years.
The
rosters for the 71st Annual Montana East-West Shrine
Game have been announced.
The game will be played July 15, 2017 in Billings, MT at
Rocky Mountain College. 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. In recent years, the Montana game has
become one of the top Shrine Games in the nation for hospital
donations. Last year’s game in Butte raised over $100,000,
making the total in the last four years nearly $375,000.
For
the fourth year this game again with have an international
flavor. 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.
The
East Team will be coached by Chris Murdock from the state
champion Billings Senior Broncs.
Murdock has coached the Broncs for eleven years, the last
five seasons at head coach. A former quarterback at Billings
Senior, Chris played free safety at University of Mary prior to
returning to his alma mater.
Heading the West Team will Tony Arntson from Helena High. Coach
Arntson has been heading the program for the Helena Bengals the
last twenty-three years. The former CMR standout quarterback and
UM player spent two years assisting Jack Johnson at CMR and
three years at Charlo before taking the helm at Helena High.
Tony will be coaching his son Ryan in this year’s game.
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 71st
Montana Shrine Game. They join an elite fraternity of players,
many of whom have gone on to distinguished collegiate and
professional careers.
