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Shrine coaches announced

The head coaches for the 64th Annual Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl were announced Tuesday. Trinity High School’s Rob Cathcart will serve as New Hampshire’s coach, and Bob Lockerby of Bellows Falls Union High School will guide the Vermont team.

This year’s game will be played Aug. 5 at Castleton (Vt.) University. The opening kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

“Nothing is more tragic than a child that is a victim of a horrible accident, and no accident is quite as horrific as being burned by fire,” Cathcart said. “The work the Shriners have done to champion this cause is awe inspiring. To be able to contribute and support them in some small way is truly an honor.

“On the football end, no high school all-star game has the history of the Shrine Game. There will be game attendees who are former players and participants, who stretch back generations. Further, representing your state in a game opposing another state is the ultimate honor that can be bestowed upon a football player or coach. I am humbled by the opportunity.”

Cathcart graduated from Masconomet Regional High School in Boxford, Mass. He attended Springfield College, where he played quarterback and wide receiver, before moving to the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, where he graduated in 1981. He served as an assistant coach at the high school level in Fairport, N.Y. and at Alvirne before becoming the head coach at Goffstown from 2001 to 2010. Since then he has been an assistant at Bishop Guertin, and spent on season as the head coach at Pembroke Academy before moving to Trinity after the 2015 season.

Lockerby graduated from Bellows Falls Union High School in 1976 and from Elon (N.C.) College in 1980. He has been teaching and coaching in the Bellows Falls School system for 35 years.

Lockerby was an assistant to the legendary Coach Bis Bisbee from 1981-2005. He became head coach at Bellows Falls in 2006 and completed his 11th season in 2016.

“Through the years I have had the opportunity to witness the excitement the game brings, but more importantly, the significance of the game,” Lockerby said. “To be able to participate and bring joy to the lives of people in need of support is something everyone should be proud to have the opportunity to do so. It will be an honor for myself and fellow coaches to share the meaning of the game with our players and to stress what giving unselfishly to others can mean. We can all hope for a great crowd to honor the players and raise as much money as possible to continue the outstanding purpose of the Shrine. It is with much pride that I look forward to the Shrine experience.”

The two 36-player teams will be selected later this month.

The game supports the following hospitals: the Shriners orthopedic hospitals in Springfield, Mass., and in Montreal;  and the world-renowned Burns Hospital in Boston, Mass.

 

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