March 29, 2024

Players see rewards despite loss in Shrine Bowl

Shiltz, Arzani grateful for opportunity to participate in charity event

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CEDAR FALLS – Interstate 35’s Dante Arzani played inside linebacker in the second and fourth quarters for the South in a 30-13 loss to the North during Saturday’s 4th annual Iowa Shrine Bowl.

He was in on three tackles that either resulted in a loss or a stop at the line of scrimmage. Arzani said he enjoyed the experience.

“I’ve never been in a game this big before,” Arzani said. “It was pretty awesome playing with a bunch of guys who are elite athletes and care about the game so much and care about this organization enough to be here.”

Coaches said this year’s game raised more than $100,000 for Shriner’s Hospitals for Children. A group of hospitalized children and their parents attended a mini-camp with the players Friday in the UNI-Dome. Also, staff from the Shriner’s Hospital in Minneapolis spoke to the all-star participants.

“Hanging out with the kids yesterday and seeing why we came here and why we raised all that money for the hospital was a highlight for me,” Arzani said.

Arzani said he is applying for a two-year mission trip for the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints. After that he hopes to attend college and play football.

“I haven’t committed anywhere yet, because I didn’t want my viewpoint to change,” Arzani said.

Likewise, Chase Shiltz of Creston/O-M said participating in the Shrine Bowl was much more than a football game.

“Just overall, the whole week has been an amazing experience,” Shiltz said. “I really didn’t know what to expect coming into the week. I’ve talked to former people about it, and the coaches talked to us about it, but you don’t really know until you experience it. It’s a really fun week and I would definitely do it all over again.”

There were several group activities that brought both teams together during the week after their practice sessions.

Working with the kids and their families on Friday left an impression on Shiltz.

“It’s learning that there’s more to life,” Shiltz said. “Being able to play in this game, we’re all very grateful for that, especially after experiencing some of that (hospital youth) stuff. They would dream to have a chance to play football like this.”