The Kansas Shrine Bowl is excited to announce the coaches who will lead the East and West teams in the 53rd Kansas Shrine Bowl on Saturday, June 27, in Emporia. Each classification of 11-man football, 1A through 6A, is represented on the coaching staff, while the Head Coach of each team is selected from the previous year’s Kansas Shrine Bowl assistants.
The East team will be led by Mike Berg (Wellsville) who was announced earlier this summer as the 2026 East Head Coach. The East coaching staff assistants will be Kurt Webster (Shawnee Mission Northwest – 6A), Rod Stallbaumer (Basehor-Linwood – 5A), Bradley Argabright (Labette County – 4A), Greg Slade (Santa Fe Trail – 3A), Andrew Gantenbein (Osage City – 2A), and Derick Hammes (Rossville – 1A). The East coaching staff brings a wealth of Kansas Shrine Bowl experience to this year’s team, with Berg, Stallbaumer, Greg Slade, Gantenbein and Hammes having coached in a combined 12 Kansas Shrine Bowls. Hammes also played in the game as an East All-Star for Nemaha Valley in 1989. Webster and Argabright will be participating for the first time in the Kansas Shrine Bowl.
The West team is led by Daniel Myears (Mulvane) and his staff will include Randall Zimmerman (Junction City – 6A), Erin Beck (Great Bend – 5A), Dawson Elliott (Augusta – 4A), Brent Hoelting (Pratt – 3A), Todd Rice (Garden Plain – 2A), and Brent Schneider (Sterling – 1A). Coach Zimmerman will be making his Kansas Shrine Bowl record 9th appearance on the sidelines. Zimmerman has been an assistant coach five times previously (1988, 1995, 2009, 2015, 2021) and the West Head Coach on three previous occasions (1996, 2010, 2016). Beck and Hoelting also bring Kansas Shrine Bowl experience to the West squad, while Elliott, Rice and Schneider will be making their Kansas Shrine Bowl coaching debuts. Rice served as an assistant coach in the Nebraska Shrine Bowl in 2009 while the Head Coach at North Platte High School.
“We’re always grateful for the sacrifice these coaches make by taking time away from their own programs and their families to be a part of the Kansas Shrine Bowl experience,” said Brice Kesler, Executive Director of the Kansas Shrine Bowl. “We certainly couldn’t have the quality of football game that we get without this outstanding coaching talent, but these men also provide tremendous leadership to the players and serve as great ambassadors for the mission of the Kansas Shrine Bowl.”
The 53rd Kansas Shrine Bowl will be played at Welch Stadium on the campus of Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas on Saturday, June 27, at 7 p.m. The initial rosters for the game will be announced during the annual Kansas Shrine Bowl Player Selection Show, which is set to air on Sunday, Jan. 11, at 4 p.m. The selection show can be watched at www.KansasShrineBowl. com and on the Kansas Shrine Bowl YouTube channel. For more information on the Kansas Shrine Bowl and all the additional camps, events and support opportunities surrounding the game, please visit www.KansasShrine-Bowl.com or call the Kansas Shrine Bowl office at 913-602-8656.
The Shrine Bowl of Kansas, Inc is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity that produces annual events and related activities with net proceeds benefiting Shriners Children’s. The Shrine Bowl of Kansas, Inc has existed since 1974 with the flagship event being the Kansas Shrine Bowl, an East vs. West all-star senior football game. Kansas Shrine All-Star Events also include the Kansas Masonic All-State Marching Band Camp, the Kansas Shrine Bowl All-Star Cheer Camp, the KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals and many other game week events. All Kansas Shrine All-Star Events are produced and presented to benefit Shriners Children’s. Shriner’s Children’s, previously Shriners Hospitals for Children, is a world-renowned healthcare system with hospitals, outpatient clinics, ambulatory care centers and outreach locations across the globe. Shriners Children’s is dedicated to improving the lives of children every day by providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research, and outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals. Children up to the age of 18 are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay.
