
Photos Courtesy of Iowa Shrine Bowl Social Media
Two local athletes got one more chance to showcase their skills on the high school gridiron for a good cause earlier this month. Graduating seniors Isaac Bruns from Sigourney and Louden Huisenga from WACO were selected to compete for the South team in the 2025 Shrine Bowl at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls July 19th. The week long event for the two athletes included charity work, a football camp with disabled youth, practices, dorm-living, and finally the game against the North team of All-Stars. Huisenga and Bruns were able to lead the South to victory this year 16-13, the first victory for the South since 2019. Bruns and Huisenga talked with KCII Sports this week about the game, the experience beyond football, and what they will take with them
The two All-stars told KCII, “This is a real honor, the Shrine Bowl is not just about the football games. It’s really about character. Seeing these kids, their disabilities, and being able to give to them and impact their life is something special. The game was pretty defensive. We both played on defense. We had three field goals. There was only one touchdown for each team. It was kind of back-and-forth, quite a few turnovers. We kicked the winning field goal with 20 or 30 seconds left. Our word all week was impact and I know the kids had a huge impact on us and when the parents were talking about their kids and the things they had overcome, you get emotional, because we’re just so blessed to be able to play the game of football. It’s a great honor to play in the Shrine Bowl, one more time for WACO and SK too. It’s an honor and pleasure to be able to go up to the Shrine Bowl and play. It’s not just about your football skills. You’re chosen for your character.”
Huisenga finished his 2024 season with WACO scoring 27 touchdowns with 1,506 all-purpose yards, 1,072 rushing, 73 tackles and an interception. Bruns had 1,635 all-purpose yards and 26 touchdowns for SK, 1,461 on the ground, nine tackles and two interceptions.