CASPER – Following the 50th annual Shrine Bowl, Southeast High School graduate Wyatt Campbell didn’t want to take his pads off.

He knew when he did, it would be for the last time.

“I want to keep these things on as long as I can for all these guys. It all comes to an end and move on, but football was one of the best things in my life. I cherish this game, and I cherish my team back at home too.”

He left the week with many memories, new friends and went out a winner, helping the South squad to a 27-24 victory on Saturday at Kelly Walsh High School.

“I am honestly really grateful I got chosen to come to this game,” Campbell said. “I’ve never been around a better brotherhood than I was around this week. I’ve made best friends with every single one of these guys, and I love them all. I’m speechless.”

Over the course Saturday’s game, Campbell blocked for the South’s quarterback duo of Cheyenne Central’s Keagan Bartlett and Star Valley’s Taft McClure, ran the ball twice and provided coverage on kickoffs and punts.

In both attempts, including the first play from scrimmage for the South offense, he picked up positive yards as he did so often for the Southeast Cyclones.

“Coach (McKay) Young (of Star Valley) even told us, we we’re not going to get a whole lot of runs, so cherish the moments,” Campbell said. “I tried my butt off, and they had a great defense. That (Luke) Talich (of Cody) kid is crazy. He was all over the place, and I didn’t get tackled by him. All of those other guys are beasts. I gave my heart.”

Campbell said there was a learning curve playing for coaches and teammates he’d never played with before.

“I had a lot of open ears. Closed mouth and open ears, and I did what coach asked me to,” Campbell said. “I studied the play card literally morning and night and on the way to practice.

“The first day was a little rough, obviously, and that’s because you have a bunch of all-stars trying to adapt to a different coaching style and everyone else,” he added. “Once we got down to the end of the week, it was alright. We flowed pretty good.”

That was evidenced by the South squad racing out to a 14-0 lead, including a trick play right out of the gate which successfully went 85-yards to set the tone for much of the game.

However, midway through the second quarter, the North squad led by Talich, who is heading to play football at Notre Dame, and Colson Coons, who will play at Montana State next season, marched back to take a 17-14 lead.

The lead was short-lived, and less than two minutes later, South regained the lead 21-17 when Mountain View’s Braden Walker hauled in a 46-yard pass from McClure.

It was a lead which the South never surrendered for the remainder of the game en route to the three-point victory.

At the end of the week, it wasn’t just the football game which left an impact on Campbell. It was the trip to Salt Lake City, Utah for the team’s annual trip to the Shriner’s Hospital.

“I went in open-minded, and it touched my heart a lot more than I expected. Some of those kids, they don’t get to do what all of us, 30-some guys get to do,” he said. “I cried a little bit. I was touched.”

The Shrine Bowl wrapped up his successful high school football and track career for Campbell. He plans to go attend Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska and go into the workforce.

“I would like to thank my team this year from Southeast and the South,” Campbell said. “I want to thank coach (McKay) Young. Go South!”