Dogie roots run deep — Dogie connections run deep at 2026 Shrine Bowl

Newcastle head football coach Matt Conzelman will add a new chapter to his coaching resumé this summer, as he has been selected to serve as an assistant coach for the North Team in the annual Wyoming Shrine Bowl.

The selection carries a distinctly Dogie flavor. Conzelman will be joined on the North staff by Josh Anderson of Natrona County High School, a former Newcastle standout who played under Conzelman when he was an assistant coach with the Dogies in the early 2000s. Hulett head coach Boz Backen also joins the North staff, creating another connection for Conzelman, who is a Hulett High School graduate.

The staff of North head coach Mark Lenhardt of Riverton was announced last week.

“This is my first time,” Conzelman said of the Shrine Bowl selection. “It will be cool having a couple of Dogies on there, and we’ve got a Red Devil on staff. It will be a good grouping, I think. All of those coaches are high-caliber guys.”

The Shrine Bowl brings together graduating seniors from across Wyoming for a summer all-star showcase that benefits Shriners Hospitals for Children. Each coaching staff selects its own roster, with player selections expected to be finalized by mid-January. The 2026 Shrine Bowl will be played Saturday, June 13, at Cheney Alumni Field in Casper, hosted by Natrona County High School.

For Conzelman, the opportunity is as much about relationships as it is about football.

“I’m excited for it, and we will meet next week to start looking at selections,” he said. “I have no idea what that process looks like, but there is a lot of experience around. Mark, Josh, and Boz have all participated before.”

The reunion with Anderson adds another layer. Anderson, now in his 15th season on Steve Harshman’s staff at Natrona County, remembers Conzelman’s arrival in Newcastle vividly.

“Conz was hired my junior year, and I remember when he came in and the energy he had,” Anderson said. “There weren’t a ton of young coaches around Newcastle at that time. The turnover from the new guard to the old guard kind of took place while I was in high school.”

Anderson previously coached in the 2013 Shrine Bowl as a running backs coach and said familiarity within the staff enhances the experience.

“It’s nice to know some guys (around the state),” he said. “It’s a sweet deal and an awesome honor. You get to coach your own kids one last time, but you also get an opportunity to meet or coach other kids that you’ve coached against or followed along the way,””

He also values the chance to reconnect professionally with Conzelman.

“I know how much he cares about the kids and the program and how hard he works,” said Anderson, who has connected with Conzelman at summer camps from time to time. “It is neat to sneak into his huddle and listen to the way he coaches. I’m thankful Newcastle has a quality guy like him — that is so invested in Dogie football — to lead the program.”

That sense of connectivity extends beyond the North staff. On the South side, Mountain View head coach Brent Walk will serve as head coach, with Douglas assistant Wes Gamble on his staff. Gamble has Newcastle ties of his own, having lived in town for several years and being the son of former Dogie defensive coordinator Tony Gamble.

“Wyoming football is a really small world, and that’s kind of the beauty of it. You are a phone call away from getting connected to anybody you want in the state,” Anderson said.

Conzelman said that network is part of what makes the Shrine Bowl special, and he looks forward to reconnecting with Anderson, Lenhardt and others as they prepare for the game this summer.

“It’s really cool because we have some history. Mark was in Torrington for a while, so we would always play them,” Conzelman said.

The summer schedule will be busy for Conzelman, who wrapped up a 6–3 season in 2025 that included a first-round playoff loss to Lovell.

“I’m thinking June is going to be all about football and weddings,” he said with a laugh.

The North Team enters the 53rd edition of the Shrine Bowl with momentum, having defeated the South 34–28 in the 2025 game. The North now leads the all-time series 28–20–3.

For Conzelman and Anderson, the week represents a chance to celebrate Wyoming football, reconnect with familiar faces, and help send the state’s top seniors off on one final high school football stage — together.