TORRINGTON – Torrington Trailblazer seniors Nathan Stitt and Jacob Wamboldt were selected to the South roster for the 45th annual Wyoming Shrine Bowl set for this summer.

“I’m pumped,” Wamboldt said. “I love football more than anything else and I just can’t wait to get back out there and play with some guys from other teams across the state.”

The Shrine Bowl is open to seniors from across the state, regardless of class. The coaching staffs for both the North and South teams picked their 36-man roster and Stitt and Wamboldt will represent both Torrington and Goshen County.

Stitt put together a memorable season on both offense and defense. As a receiver, he ranked fourth in 3A with 68.9 yards per game. He stood atop the class with 11 touchdown receptions on his 43 catches this past fall. He broke the Blazers’ school receiving record with 758 yards through the air this year, breaking the old mark of 596.

On defense, Stitt was a starter in the defensive backfield, averaging 2.2 tackles per game during the fall. He notched two tackles for loss, six pass breakups, four interceptions and a blocked kick on the year.

In addition to being selected for the Shrine Bowl, Stitt was named all-conference and all-state. He was also named to the USA Today all-Wyoming second team.

Like Stitt, Wamboldt was named all-conference and all-state, while being named to the USA Today all-Wyoming first team as an offensive lineman.

Wamboldt spent his fall in the trenches for the Blazers as a key figure on both the offensive and defensive line. On offense, he and the rest of the Torrington line helped the Blazers rack up the most yards in 3A (367.9 YPG). The Blazers had the fifth-best rushing attack (203.9 YPG) and fourth-best aerial attack (164 YPG), with Wamboldt and the rest of the offensive line playing a key role.

Wamboldt played a big role in the trenches on defense, tallying seven tackles for loss and a sack on the season, while racking up 3.6 tackles per year.

“I hope to play (both sides of the ball at the Shrine Bowl),” Wamboldt said. “I hope to be out on the field as much as I can.”

Wamboldt and Stitt are two names added to the list of local players selected for the Shrine Bowl. In 2017, Torrington’s Logan Harris and Southeast’s Jacob Schmitt represented Goshen County.

This year, the Blazer pair is joined on the South roster by players from Big Piney (2), Cheyenne Central (3), Cokeville (2), Douglas (1), Cheyenne East (4), Evanston (1), Glenrock (2), Green River (3), Laramie (2), Little Snake River (1), Lyman (1), Mountain View (3), Pine Bluffs (2), Rawlins (1), Rock Springs (1) and Star Valley (5).

“It’s pretty awesome,” Wamboldt said of playing with guys from around the state. “You’re rivals and enemies but you get a chance to be able to play with some of the best guys around the state and it’ll be a building experience.”

Star Valley’s McKay Young is the South head coach, with Nicc Crosby (Star Valley), Jesse Blunn (Cheyenne East), Cody Peacock (Lyman), Brian Anderson (Pine Bluffs) and Jack Cobb (Little Snake River) rounding out the coaching staff.

In recent history, the Shrine Bowl has been dominated by the North squad, who has an 8-1-1 record against the South in the past 10 years. Last summer, the North won 49-7 after the South scored the first touchdown of the game. This year’s game is set for June 9 at Natrona County High School.

“Any time I step foot on a football field, I want to win,” Wamboldt said. “I’m out there to compete and beat people. Any time we can put together a win, no matter what team I’m on, that’s the goal.”