Matthew Lange is latest Conway Springs player to qualify for Kansas Shrine Bowl. (Courtesy photos by Thomas Phillips of RTPhillips Photography)

by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — Conway Springs strong side offensive lineman and defensive end Matthew Lange has been named to the 2018 Kansas Shrine Bowl – an all star football game featuring the best high school players in the state of Kansas.

Matthew Lange

The 45th annual bowl will be played at Carnie Smith Stadium on the campus of Pittsburg State University on July 28 at 7 p.m. The game is an all-star high school senior, East vs. West, football game put on each year in Kansas by the Kansas Shrine. The net proceeds from the 501c non-profit charity benefits Shriners Hospital for Children.

Lange, a 6-2, 226 pound lineman, will be playing for the West squad with 31 other players. There are 64 players and 12 coaches participating in the football game.

Lange is a Conway Springs senior who helped the Cardinals to a 9-0 regular season finish and a second round finish in the Class 3A playoffs. During his senior year he accounted for 12 tackles for losses, three sacks for 22 yards, 16 solo and 13 assisted tackles.

“Most of that was done against double teams,” said Matt Biehler, Conway Springs head football coach. “He was probably involved in some way in 50 to 60 tackles this season.”

On offense, Lange played a strong side offensive guard and tackle.

“He opened many holes for running backs like Trent Jones to run through,” Biehler said of the three-year two-way starter.

Lange follows a long tradition of Conway Springs players who have been nominated to play in the Kansas Shrine Bowl, during the modern era stretching back to 1997. Until Lange, Logan Creek was the last Conway Springs player to play in the Shrine Bowl in 2015. He is now playing for Youngstown State in Ohio.

Lange is currently undecided about his college football aspirations. Biehler said schools like Pittsburg State and Butler Community College have expressed interest in him. If he does not receive a full-ride scholarship, Lange is looking to join the ROTC at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.

He is also a 220 pound Class 3A state champion power lifter, squatting 510 pounds, cleaning 345 and benching 340.

Lange joins several area athletes including Jayden Price of Mulvane, Grant Fairchild of Andale, Mac Copeland of Wichita Collegiate, and Andrew Brautman of Arkansas City. He is one of 11 Class 3A players participating.

Lange has received several accolades this season including being the unanimous defensive MVP for the Central Plains League. He was a first team All Class 3A lineman in both the Wichita Eagle and Topeka Capital Journal, and was named in the top 33 of all classifications.

“We are very excited about the great group of young men selected for this year’s game,” Said B.J. Harris, Executive Director of the Kansas Shrine Bowl. “These players and coaches now have an incredible opportunity ahead of them, one that is sure to have a lasting impact in their life.”

The full list of the participants are as follows:

2018 Kansas Shrine Bowl East Team

2018 Kansas Shrine Bowl West Team

The Kansas Shrine Bowl has sent over $2 million to Shriner’s Hospitals for Children.

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