The 2024 Nebraska Shrine Bowl game will be televised on News Channel Nebraska. Kickoff is at 4:00 p.m. CT on Saturday.

KEARNEY, Neb. — The players on the Nebraska Shrine Bowl North Team come from all across the Cornhusker State.

Just look at their helmets. From Creighton Prep to Scottsbluff — you’ll find them all representing the north on Saturday.

“Yeah, we’re from all over the state," Trey Appelt of Ainsworth said. "But we’re all here for one common goal and that’s to win, have fun and support an organization.”

The diversity is more than just geographic. The players come from schools ranging from Class A to D-2.

“It’s a lot bigger than C-1 for sure. There’s a lot bigger dudes," Keenan Valverde of Pierce said. "On my team our O-linemen about 170. Here we’ve got about 300-pound dudes so it’s pretty nice running behind them.”

Isak Doty of Sidney is happy to represent the often overlooked panhandle region.

“It’s really nice. It means a lot to be able to show it off to everyone," Doty said. "To show them how great of a year we had.”

Trey Appelt of Ainsworth is one of five North Team players from the eight-man ranks.

“It’s a little different at first learning kind of how to adjust to 11-man football," Appelt said. "But it feels good to be one of the only eight-man guys here.”

Players are eager to play for their communities.

“I feel pretty proud that I get to represent Pierce," Valverde said. "I know they’ll all be watching this weekend at the game but I’m just happy I can be here with a Bluejay on my helmet.”

But despite their different backgrounds, they’re also playing for each other.

“I think a lot of teams struggle to bond, but us, we all connected so fast and get along really well,” Valverde said.